Sadia Agsous-Bienstein is a researcher in cultural studies with a focus on the Arab world, Israel, and Arab-Jewish relations. Her research at Université libre de Bruxelles will focus on the engagement of Arab intellectuals active in the cultural field against antisemitism.
Host University: Université libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
Host research group or department: Recherches et Etudes en politique internationale - REPI
Co-host University: Aix-Marseille University, France - IREMAM
Secondment institution: University of California Los Angeles UCLA, USA - Complit
Advisor: Prof. Jihane Sfeir
Co-advisor: Dr. Iris Seri-Hersch
Secondment mentor: Prof. Michael Rothberg
My research
AFAC - Antisemitism and the fight against antisemitism in Arab thought and cultural production (1894- Present Day)
n recent years, the field of Middle Eastern studies was enriched by research focusing on complex and intertwined modern Jewish-Arab relations at a time, including the period of WWII and the Holocaust, when Arab countries in the Middle East and North Africa were still the home of important Jewish communities. What is missing most from these works is a deep examination of the engagement of Arab intellectuals active in the cultural field (writers, novelists, poets, filmmakers, stage performers and translators) against antisemitism from the Dreyfus affair to the present day. In that respect, the project “Antisemitism and the fight against antisemitism in Arab thought and cultural production (1894- Present Day) ” aims at mapping and exploring these Arab intellectuals by examining their works from 1894 to the present day. This project will, on the one hand, allow to identify the way in which the notion of antisemitism in the Arab world can be defined and addressed: Who wrote about European antisemitism and the Holocaust? How was it perceived? On the other hand, it aims at establishing a different paradigm from one that focuses on separation and disruption by redefining the complexity of Jewish-Arab relations and to include these topics in the intellectual and cultural history of the Arab world. The project is embedded in the field of cultural studies and involves a multidisciplinary approach that includes history, anthropology, literature and sociology. Relevant to the CIVIS3I hub “Society, Culture and Heritage” and combined with the supervision and mentorship of institutions at the forefront of global research (ULB, AMU & UCLA) it will offer a unique platform for academic debate on a little-known issue of Arab thought regarding antisemitism and the fight against it and will make a wide and open dissemination to academic and public audiences.
Date started – Date End
01.01.2024 - 31.12.2025
