Pioneering Franco-Jewish/Sephardic History: Celebrating the Scholarship of Frances Malino

Session Submission Type: Roundtable

Abstract

This Roundtable gathers together distinguished scholars to celebrate the scholarship and contributions of Professor Frances Malino, the inaugural Sophia Moses Robison Professor of Jewish Studies and History, who is anticipating her retirement from Wellesley College in 2018. Over the course of her scholarly career and through her many books and articles, Dr. Malino has advanced the study of French Jewish History, Jewish cultural history, Sephardic Studies, and the study of Jewish women and adolescents. Dr. Malino has further stamped her influence on the growing field of digital humanities. She is the founder and director of Diarna (“our homes” in Judeo Arabic), a multinational and interfaith collaboration among students, scholars, artists, and tour guides who locate hundreds of sites in North Africa and the Middle East, interview community residents, collect archival and contemporary photographs, and assemble a multimedia layer in Google Earth. In all these regards, Professor Malino has been a pioneer in pushing at the boundaries of Jewish Studies. She has additionally, served as a crucial mentor for scholars in her areas of expertise, and especially for women scholars in the traditionally male field of Jewish Studies. The Roundtable will assess Dr. Malino's influence upon the field as a scholar, teacher, and mentor, raising questions about how Jewish Studies has evolved and where it ought to travel in the future.

Sub Unit

• Modern Jewish History in Europe, Asia, Israel, and Other Communities

Moderator

• Aron Rodrigue, Stanford University

Discussants

• Robin E. Judd, Ohio State University

• Lisa Moses Leff, American University

• Alma Rachel Heckman, University of California, Santa Cruz

• Sarah Abrevaya Stein, University of California, Los Angeles