Masterclass with the Volkswagen Momentum Senior Fellow Dr. Avner Ofrath: Judeo-Arabic Journalism in the Maghreb: Texts, Genres and Language Choices, c. 1870–1920

Date: 16.09.2026-17.09.2026
Venue: Veterinärstr. 1, 80539 Munich, Room 009

On 16–17 September 2026, the Munich Research Centre for Jewish-Arabic Cultures will host a two-day masterclass with Dr. Avner Ofrath, Senior Research Fellow in the Volkswagen Momentum Programme From Pre-Modern to Modern Perspectives in Judaic Studies.

Bringing together close textual analysis and broader historical perspectives, the masterclass explores the rich yet little-known world of Judeo-Arabic journalism in the colonial Maghreb. Through a close reading of selected periodicals (English translations will be provided), participants will examine questions of authorship and readership, local and global perspectives, and the interplay of Judeo-Arabic, Hebrew, French, and Spanish in the emerging Jewish press. Particular attention will be paid to the role of different literary genres in shaping a vibrant vernacular public sphere.
Dr. Ofrath is Alfred Landecker Lecturer in History at Freie Universität Berlin. His research focuses on the social, cultural, and intellectual history of Arabic-speaking Jews, with particular interests in Judeo-Arabic language, print culture, and modern Jewish thought in the Middle East and North Africa. His current research traces the connected history of Judeo-Arabic writing across the Maghrib and Mashriq, examining how writers revived Judeo-Arabic as a language of political expression, modernity, and Jewish identity in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Wednesday, September 16th, 2026

9:00 – 9:45
Session I: Introduction
Judeo-Arabic journalism in the Maghrib: Core issues and questions.

10:00 – 12:00
Session II: Language Choices and Structures
A close reading of several excerpts from Maghribi Judeo-Arabic journals, with special focus on issues of vocabulary, syntax and translation.

Lunch: 12:00 – 13:00

13:00 – 15:00
Session III: Time and Temporality
A discussion of visions of time and history as seen in two texts from 1890s Algeria.

Thursday, September 17th, 2026

9:00-11:00
Session IV: Sites and Boundaries
A discussion of depictions and delineations of different sites of Jewishness in three texts from Algeria and Tunisia under colonial rule.

11:15-12:45
Conclusion
Discussion of work in progress (to be circulated to participants in advance) and concluding questions and remarks.

Registration is open until September 11, 2026 per e-mail at m.shcherbakova@lmu.de