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The term “Sephardic” literally refers to the descendants of Jews expelled from the Iberian Peninsula, an area in southwestern Europe including Spain and Portugal, in the late fifteenth century. Yet the term has come to encompass Jews with roots in the Mediterranean Basin and the Middle East more broadly. Today, Sephardic Jews form a modern diaspora that spans Argentina to Morocco, Turkey to France, and the United States to Israel. This conference highlights the biographies of little-known Sephardic historical figures, particularly women, from the past two centuries – including fashion moguls, fiction writers, and armed nationalists. 

Tracing the life stories of such individuals allows us to rethink important themes in the histories of modern Jews, the Mediterranean, and the world. We will explore questions such as: How do the migration routes of Sephardic Jews intersect with those of other diaspora groups, such as Christians and Muslims in the Ottoman Empire? How did Sephardic Jews maintain distinct traditions (such as the Judeo-Spanish language, Ladino) while integrating into new local settings? How did Sephardic Jews in different parts of the world facilitate trade between and within empires? What were the fates of various Sephardic communities in the Holocaust? What role did Sephardic Jews play in Zionism and other forms of Jewish nationalism? And how might the art of biography, as a form of storytelling, offer new insights into these frequently neglected histories?

André Aciman Opening Presentation

November 5th  |  Old Cabell Hall  |  6 PM

Join us for an exciting keynote presentation by the renowned author, André Aciman! Aciman is the author of bestselling novels, essays, and memoirs, including Call Me By Your Name, Out of Egypt, and Harvard Square. Aciman has written extensively about his own Sephardic family history in Turkey, Egypt, and Italy, and his talk will combine personal stories with a broader discussion of the Sephardic Jewish diaspora in literature and history.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m.

Presentation will begin at 6:00 p.m.

A catered reception will follow the talk.

Panels on Sephardic Women's Lives and the Art of Biography

November 6th  |  Rotunda Multipurpose Room

9 AM Panel 1   |   12 PM Panel 2

The panels of this conference will focus on Sephardic women’s lives, which rarely get told as biography, and ask: What might these stories teach us about modern Jewish history, histories of the Mediterranean, and global history? And how can biography provide new insights into these oft-neglected histories?