Janet Horne

Janet Horne serves as Associate Professor in the Department of French and holds an affiliated appointment in the Corcoran Department of History at the University of Virginia's College of Arts and Sciences. She previously chaired the Department of French (2020-2023) and directed European Studies (2016-2018), currently leading UVA's interdisciplinary MA program in European Studies.

Her educational background includes a BA from Brown University, a DEUG from University of Paris-VIII, an DEA from the School of Advanced Studies in Social Sciences, and a PhD from New York University.

Horne specializes in the social and cultural history of modern France (19th-20th centuries), with particular focus on French colonial and postcolonial worlds, cultural diplomacy, and global language history. Her research examines cultural institutions like the Musée social and Alliance Française within imperial contexts, exploring intersections of welfare state development, language policy, and civilizing missions. She approaches France as a global actor through frameworks of literary studies, urban reform, and transnational networks.

Horne's publication trajectory reveals consistent scholarly engagement with French institutional history, evolving from early work on the Musée social's role in welfare state formation to current research on the Alliance Française as an instrument of cultural imperialism and global language dissemination. Her recent articles emphasize decolonization contexts, diplomatic history, and the Global South, demonstrating methodological breadth across urban studies, gender analysis, and linguistic imperialism.

• Knight in the Order of Academic Palms (2021)
• Center for Global Inquiry and Innovation Fellowship (2016, 2017)
• Sesquicentennial Fellowship (2012, 2006, 2000)
• US Fulbright Scholar (2006-2007)
• Chateaubriand Scholarship (1984-1985)

Horne actively mentors students in study abroad programs, founding and directing UVA's Lyon exchange (2000-present) and summer program (2002-present). Her grant portfolio demonstrates sustained support from the University of Virginia's College of Arts and Sciences, including multiple Summer Stipends, Dean's Research Grants, and Teaching Resource Center fellowships, alongside prestigious external funding from the French government and National Center for Scientific Research. She collaborates with interdisciplinary teams through the Center for Global Inquiry and Innovation.

As founder of UVA in France (2007-present) and director of European Studies, Horne cultivates international academic networks focused on transnational French studies, working closely with scholars across disciplines to advance the MA program in European Studies and promote immersive educational experiences in France.