Conference seeks to examine the international implications of the 1894 Alfred Dreyfus trial in France and its aftermath. In October 1894, Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish officer in the French Army, was arrested and falsely accused of espionage and t

Conference seeks to examine the international implications of the 1894 Alfred Dreyfus trial in France and its aftermath.


In October 1894, Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish officer in the French Army, was arrested and falsely accused of espionage and treason.  For more than a decade, Dreyfus and his family sought justice, while his cause became an international one. With political pressure from other governments and advocacy from French intellectuals, the French civil government eventually pardoned Dreyfus for the crime he never committed.

More than a century later, this conference seeks to revisit the Dreyfus Affair, its context, and its impact on world history.  The case raises issues about institutional loyalty, the nature of "race," governmental oversight of the military, the rights of citizens, the power of state religions, and the nature of national identity. Ultimately the Affair asks the question: What is the political responsibility of the artist, journalist, scholar, cleric or teacher in speaking out at time of crisis or conflict?  The conference will bring together internationally known scholars with younger academics for a community dialogue about race, religions and national identity.  Also, the conference will include an exhibit of political cartoons and posters from the Affair and a screening and discussion of The Life of Emile Zola (1937).

The conference will feature plenary talks by Michael Burns, Paula Hyman, and David Brenner. Scholars in history, religion, philosophy and literature will present new work on the Dreyfus Affair and its larger impact on European and world history. Also featured at the conference will be a film, The Life of Emile Zola, and a poster exhibit of visual materials from the Dreyfus Affair.

Registration information and a schedule are available at the conference website.