Judith Lyon-Caen

Judith Lyon-Caen is Director of Studies at the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (EHESS) and a member of the Center for Historical Research (CRH), where she leads the Interdisciplinary Research Group on the History of Literature (GRIHL). Based in Paris at 54, boulevard Raspail, she specializes in the intersection of literature and history, with particular focus on 19th century France and Holocaust historiography.

• Former student of the Ecole Normale Supérieure (B/L 1992)
• History graduate (1995)
• Lecturer at EHESS (2007-2018)
• Director of studies at EHESS-CRH since 2018
• Doctoral thesis (2002): 'Readings and uses of the novel in France, from 1830 to the advent of the Second Empire' (under Alain Corbin)
• Accreditation to direct research (2019): 'Making history with literature'

Judith Lyon-Caen's research focuses on the social and political uses of literature in 19th century France, experiences of social mobility, and the history of social observation. She has made significant contributions to Holocaust historiography, particularly examining literary testimony in early Shoah documentation. Her work bridges literary studies and historical methodology, exploring how literature functions as both historical source and analytical tool across different historical periods from the 19th century to contemporary testimonies.

Her recent publications reveal a clear intellectual trajectory from 19th century French literary history toward Holocaust studies, demonstrating how her methodological approach to literature as historical evidence has evolved to address questions of testimony and memory. This evolution reflects a deepening engagement with how historical experience is mediated through literary forms across different historical contexts, particularly in Eastern European Jewish communities during and after the Holocaust.

Judith Lyon-Caen actively participates in research teams and academic networks, particularly through the GRIHL (Interdisciplinary Research Group on the History of Literature) and HHS (History and Historiography of the Holocaust). She co-organizes research workshops and seminars, including the GRIHL 'Autumn School in History and Literature' for master's and doctoral students. Her collaborative work with scholars across Europe and North America demonstrates the international scope of her research impact, particularly in Polish-French academic exchanges on Holocaust studies and literary history.