Hedjerassi Nassira

Category : Education - Communication - Art and Culture

Nassira Hedjerassi

Professor of Educational Sciences

Sorbonne University, France

Specialist in Gender Studies and Education

Member of the Laboratory for Gender and Sexuality Studies (LEGS)

Origins & Education

Nassira Hedjerassi represents a generation of researchers who have successfully articulated classical philosophical training with commitment to gender equality. Her intellectual journey demonstrates an evolution toward a critical and intersectional approach to education.

Philosophical training: Studies in philosophy at University Paris IV Sorbonne, foundation of her critical reflection on educational issues

This initial philosophical training provides her with the conceptual tools necessary to question the epistemological foundations of educational sciences and develop a critical approach to educational phenomena. Philosophy nourishes her capacity to interrogate assumptions and implicit norms that traverse educational institutions.

Her specialization in educational sciences marks a turn toward a more empirical and sociological approach to educational questions, while maintaining the conceptual rigor of her initial philosophical training.

1997: Doctoral thesis defense at University Paris 8 under the supervision of Élisabeth Bautier, recognized figure in critical educational sciences

This thesis, supervised by Élisabeth Bautier, specialist in educational inequalities and pedagogical practices, definitively anchors her research in a critical and emancipatory perspective on education.

Scientific Career

Research fields: Feminization of professions, critical pedagogies, higher intellectual professions, gender studies in education, intersectionality.

Nassira Hedjerassi's academic career illustrates remarkable progression through France's main universities, enriching her expertise through the diversity of institutional contexts.

University career: Successive positions at University of Strasbourg, Lille 3, and Reims Champagne-Ardenne

This geographical mobility allows her to understand regional specificities of educational questions and develop a national vision of gender issues in higher education.

2017: Integration into Sorbonne University, consecration of her expertise in educational sciences

Research affiliation: Member of the Laboratory for Gender and Sexuality Studies (LEGS), reference laboratory in feminist and gender studies in France

Her research on the feminization of professions questions the social mechanisms that govern transformations of traditionally masculine professions and analyzes the resistance and adaptations that accompany these mutations.

Her work on critical pedagogies is part of the critical pedagogy movement, inspired notably by Paulo Freire's work and adapted to French contexts and gender questions.

The study of higher intellectual professions allows analysis of glass ceilings and subtle discrimination mechanisms that persist in highly qualified occupations.

Awards & Recognition

Nassira Hedjerassi's work has been recognized through several prestigious distinctions:

2008: Louis Cros Fellowship
Awarded by the University Committee for Pedagogical Information, recognition of excellence in educational sciences research

2005: AWID Special Prize
Association for Women's Rights in Development, international distinction for her contributions to gender studies

Reference academic publications in specialized journals in educational sciences and gender studies
Institutional expertise for national and international organizations
Participation in scientific committees of international conferences
Training provided to education professionals
Preface of reference works in feminist critical pedagogy

Impact & Influence

Nassira Hedjerassi's influence extends well beyond the academic world to touch educational practices and public equality policies.

Major contribution: Development of an intersectional approach to educational inequalities, articulating gender, social class, and ethnic origin in the analysis of school phenomena.

Understanding gender inequalities: Her research has considerably enriched understanding of the subtle mechanisms of gender inequality reproduction in education and training, influencing public policies for equal opportunities.

Dissemination of feminist theories: She has played a crucial role in disseminating African-American feminist theories in France, notably through her preface to the work "À l'école de bell hooks, à l'école de la décolonisation", introducing concepts of feminist critical pedagogy and decolonization of education.

Teacher training: Her work directly influences teacher and trainer education, contributing to sensitizing education professionals to gender and equality issues.

European research: She participates in European research networks on gender equality in education, contributing to international scientific exchanges.

"Education can only be emancipatory if it questions its own assumptions and recognizes the diversity of experiences and knowledge." - Philosophy guiding Nassira Hedjerassi's research

Learn More

Discover Nassira Hedjerassi's work and expertise through these resources:

"Critical and emancipatory education in service of gender equality"

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