Marie-Pierre Ulloa (by Steve Castillo)
MARIE-PIERRE ULLOA, lecturer in the French Department and associate director of the Taube Center for Jewish Studies, was recently awarded the honorific title of “Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres” by the French Republic–Minister of Culture and Communication.
A scholar of Francophone and North African history and literature, Ulloa is being recognized for her contributions to the diffusion of French and Francophone culture in the United States.
Established in 1957, the award is given to those who “significantly contributed to the enrichment of the French cultural inheritance,” regardless of their nationality.
“I’m happy and honored,” said Ulloa, who sees the award as recognizing both her research and her role as a facilitator of French culture on campus, which she said has been a “true team effort,” with an array of university department and organizations.
Since coming to Stanford in 2004, Ulloa has facilitated visits by Francophone historians, scholars, intellectuals and artists, including scholars Benjamin Stora and Olivier Roy and bestselling Algerian writer Yasmina Khadra.
By drawing attention to the contributions of Francophone artists and scholars, Ulloa said she wanted to induce the campus community to “think about French culture beyond the Euro-centric view.”
Ulloa is the author of “Francis Jeanson, a Dissident Intellectual from the French Resistance to the Algerian War (Stanford University Press, 2008). She is currently working on a book that investigates North African communities in California.
The award and accompanying medallion will be conferred in a ceremony administered by the French Consulate.
—CORRIE GOLDMAN, the Human Experience
