Judith Surkis is a professor of history whose work centers on modern European history. Her scholarship emphasizes France and the French Empire, alongside crucial explorations of gender, sexuality, and the intersections of intellectual, cultural, and legal history. Her research offers deep insights into the complexities of the past. Through her academic lens, she illuminates significant historical developments and societal structures.
During more than a century of colonial rule over Algeria, the French state shaped and reshaped the meaning and practice of Muslim law by regulating it and circumscribing it to the domain of family law, while applying the French Civil Code to appropriate the property of Algerians. In Sex, Law, and Sovereignty in French Algeria, 1830-1930, Judith...
Masculine sexuality plays a pivotal role in shaping a republican social order, as explored in this book. The author argues that marriage not only affirmed a man's identity as a citizen but also served to regulate and manage his desires. Through this lens, the interplay between masculinity and societal structure is examined, highlighting the complexities of personal and political identities.