Book reviews: French writers

process Charlie Hebdo and

freedom, female converts to Islam

share their hardships, and an

anonymous French soccer star tells

all

Alumnae Liliane Calfee and Sarah

Craver talk about their work, their

career paths, and how the PFMP

helped them along the way

Current Students and Alumni : what

are they doing now ?

in this issue

Alumni profile : Liliane Calfee

(Soleil Media)

1

PFMP Alumna Sarah Craver:

« Preschool, en français »

2

From the Director 3

Nouveaux livres : Je suis le footballeur

masqué

4

Current students & alumni 5

Alumni profile : Nicole D’Amour, on

working with America’s largest

trading partner

6

Alumni profile : Michelle Harrison, on

promoting Quebec in the Midwest

9

Beyond the classroom 9

newsletter of the professional french masters program

L’ESSOR Volume 12, Issue 1

SPRING 2015 ALUMNI PROFILE : LILIANE CALFEE

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Soleil Media founder talks creativity, her work and the PFMP

special points of interest Liliane Calfee (MFS 2007, international

development) is President and Creative

Director of Soleil Media. She lives in

Chicago.

HOW DID THE PFMP HELP YOU

GET THERE ?

I selected the PFMP because it was the

only program I found that combined my

two career interests: le français and

international development. My dream

was to travel the world and tackle the

roots of its disparities. Motivated to

draw out the most of my PFMP

experience, I chose to do two six-

month internships. As fate would have

it, both while working in the immigrant-

rich projects of Paris and for the

French version of the Peace Corps in

West Africa, I was positioned in a com-

munications role. It was also during

this mind-blowing year that I would

write my first blog, produce my first

documentary, and start my pro-

fessional photography career.

WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST

CHALLENGES IN YOUR LINE OF

WORK THESE DAYS ?

The challenge is that the digital world

is a constantly evolving landscape. It

changes so rapidly! Luckily, I’m sur-

rounded by a dynamic group of young

creatives and tech professionals who

WHAT DO YOU DO NOW FOR A LIVING ?

First and foremost, I’m a storyteller. Whether it’s filming

a documentary in Kenya or acting as editor in chief for

the most influential luxury wedding blog, my job is to

craft relevant and captivating content. About three years

ago, I decided to marry this love for “l’art de la commu-

nication” with the revolutionary power of the digital

world and my company, Soleil Media, was born!

(continued on p. 3)

Alumni profile : Liliane Calfee

(Soleil Media)

1

PFMP Alumna Sarah Craver:

« Preschool, en français »

2

From the Director 3

Nouveaux livres : Je suis le footballeur

masqué

4

Current students & alumni 5

Nouveaux livres : Nous sommes

Charlie

6

Nouveaux livres : Converties 9

Beyond the classroom 9

Preschool, en français

Page 2

Author Sarah Craver (MFS

2009, media/arts/cultural

production, third from left),

with her colleagues at the

Club Nounours

How can bilingual education initiatives

reach more of the public sector?

How can French language learning be encouraged and

marketed to skeptical audiences?

“Bonjour, Freddy! Ça va?” I ask in a bright, almost

exaggerated tone. It’s eight-thirty on a Monday

morning, and the coffee hasn’t quite kicked in yet.

The three-year-old standing before me offers a

nervous smile and gives a thumbs-up, removing

his winter gear and making his way into the

classroom. Books in French and English line the

shelves; posters in either one language or the

other adorn the walls. My co-teachers say Bonjour,

Freddy, ça va ce matin? as he enters the

classroom. Once his classmates have arrived and

school gets underway, Freddy and his friends will

sing songs at circle time such as “Bonjour,” “Il y a

du soleil,” and “Lundi, mardi, mercredi.” (All sung

to the tune, of course, of well-known children’s

songs.) In order to obtain snack, he will be ins-

tructed to ranger son tapis and trouver une place

à la table.

Freddy is one of my students at the bilingual

French-English school, Le Club Nounours, where I

have been a teacher since September 2014. It is

a well-known private preschool in the greater Bos-

ton area, serving a community of children with

many different cultural heritages. Our team at one

campus consists of fifteen staff members, most of

whom are 20- and 30-somethings: a delightful

collection of American Francophile nerds (like

myself), French expatriates, or citizens of other

Francophone countries. The school’s director hails

from Paris, but has lived in the U.S. for about thirty

-five years. In the classroom, French and English

intermingle, depending on the activity and the

week’s academic goals. The administrators and

teachers speak mostly in French to each other

throughout the day.

After focusing on arts and cultural production

within the PFMP, and with varied educational ex-

periences in my past, I found myself in a very new

role at the Club Nounours. A bilingual preschool is

unique, even in the Francophone-rich Boston area;

yet after my own studies and learning more about

child development and psychology, bilingual educa-

tion has become one of my passions. Learning a

second language at a very young age makes an

enormous amount of sense, both developmentally

and – for those parents who are so inclined –

professionally.

One of the most intriguing aspects of my position

is discovering the best ways to reinforce the chil-

dren’s comprehension and retention of French

vocabulary. My colleagues and I often discuss this

over lunch: what are the most effective ways to get

such young students to understand, and even bet-

ter, to speak French? As a first-year teacher, I am

still in an experimental phase and enjoy the opportu-

nity to try different approaches. I choose to speak

French in discrete settings: at circle time, during

snack, getting ready at the beginning and end of the

day, in order to minimize confusion of the two lan-

guages. A dancer by training, I rely heavily on ges-

tures and movements when speaking exclusively in

French. When a child follows my instructions in

French, or answers one of my questions accurately

(even if the response is in English), I feel a sense of

satisfaction. Comprehension is often the first skill

developed in second-language acquisition.

In addition to the daily challenges and victories of

a preschool, working at the Club Nounours brings up

larger questions: how can bilingual education in-

itiatives reach more of the public sector? With

French programs decreasing in secondary-school

programs around the country, how can French

language learning be encouraged and marketed to

skeptical audiences? How do other academic

subjects, such as the arts, science, and math, pair

with and enhance second-language acquisition?

These questions are

typical fodder for

discussion with the

three other teachers on

my team. I bring my

PFMP and other Fran-

cophone experiences to

the table, constantly

seeking creative and

effective teaching

methods while helping

Freddy and his class-

mates move beyond

bonjour on a daily basis.

PFMP alumna Sarah Craver brings her experience to the kids’ table

Sarah Craver, wearing one of her

many professional hats.

In 2000, I was hired to run the University of

Wisconsin’s brand-new Professional French

Masters Program. I had held a Ph.D. in French

literature for six years. Until then, I had dealt

professionally in two commodities: grammar and

authors. The PFMP presented new possibilities

for academics and students in French… but

wouldn’t we still be teaching grammar and

authors?

Of course, but they would be different. And so

would the grad students. Not interested in teach-

ing or studying authors for a living, the PFMPer

wanted to use his or her French outside

academia. The word “author” suddenly felt

different. For the first time, the noun was less

important than the verb.

So with my (then) brand-new fountain pen, I

wrote two words on a piece of paper, shielded it

from the elements, and posted it on my door—

where it stays today, above my name.

Author possibilities.

This is what our students and faculty, and now

our large community of alumni, have been doing

for our first fifteen years at Wisconsin. This is

what the PFMP is for.

What kind of possibilities does the PFMP

offer? If we meet, dear reader, and you ask me

this in person, I will suggest that you talk with one

of our students or alumni for the best answer to

your question. They know best.

I get a lot of inquires about the PFMP in a

typical week, throughout the year, and our

External Advisory Board (made up entirely of

program alumni) routinely ask to be in touch with

prospective students. It’s a devoted and

connected group. The possibilities that our

alumni have found over the years have long led to other

kinds: the possibilities created by those very alumni, as

they remain involved with our students in the world of

work and the professions. If you are reading this and

interested in learning more about how you might use

your French in work outside of traditional academia, get

ready to pick up the phone and ask someone who is

doing it.

Our tagline in recent years has been similarly simple:

Use Your French. The possibilities I see unfolding in our

students’ work, and our alumni’s lives, revolve around this

motto.

PFMPers define their work by it. They are advanced

French speakers of all kinds—Americans, mostly, with a

few regular exceptions—who are used to moving among

adult native speakers. Sometimes they are native speak-

ers themselves. Either way, they are all interested in using

their French as part of their work lives, as part of their

careers, and French is what gets them there after their

master’s degree.

Bear this in mind as you read through L’Essor. In our

student and alumni stories, and the things we do in our

program, you’ll find French studies like you’ll see them

nowhere else. In an age of quickly-multiplying master’s

degrees of all kinds, it can seem like just about everyone

out there has a master’s degree of one kind or another.

So graduate students in French must ask themselves this:

“What do I want a master’s in French to do for me? What

do I want to do with it?”

“Authoring possibilities” means doing. How can you

can create those kinds of possibilities yourself, using your

French? This question is what guides our work in the

PFMP. Just ask one of our alumni.

Author possibilities : this is what our

students, faculty and alumni do. This is

what the PFMP is for.

Words, Work and Possibilities

Volume 12, Issue 1 Page 3

Calfee, continued (from p. 1) My hope is to start

an intensive summer media camp that provides an op-

portunity for girls from all over the city to come together and

share their stories through photography

and film.

understand how to harness its potency and stay two

steps ahead of online trends.

WHAT DO YOU HOPE YOUR WORK WILL

ACCOMPLISH ?

The next big endeavor is to take my professional skills

and apply them to the hankerings of my heart. Here in

Chicago, the South Side’s ghettos mimic some of the

most broken and impoverished places on the globe.

Similar to the development successes I’ve seen

abroad, I want to put the focus on the community of

young women and girls. My hope is to start an intensive

summer media camp that provides an opportunity for

girls from all over the city to come together, share

their stories (and their differences) through pho-

tography and film. The end goal is to offer an

outlet that fuels self esteem, creativity, and ulti-

mately serves to usher in a group of strong, com-

passionate women leaders. ANY SUGGESTIONS FOR PROSPECTIVE

STUDENTS CONSIDERING THE PFMP ?

A master’s degree doesn’t mean what it used to.

Therefore, a program that specifically caters to

your professional development will definitely give

(continued on p. 4)

By Ritt Deitz Director, PFMP

Calfee, continued (from p. 3)

ANONYME. Je suis le footballeur masqué : dans

les coulisses du foot français. Paris : Hugo & Cie,

2015. ISBN : 9782755617832. 223p. 16,50€.

Beckham, Gerrard, Zlatan : tous ces grands

joueurs de foot ont leur propre (auto)biographie,

dans laquelle ils racontent leur vie de footballeur

tant sur le terrain qu’en dehors. Est-il donc vrai-

ment nécessaire d’inonder le marché avec un

autre livre révélateur sur ce sport, surtout si on

n’en connaît pas l’auteur ?

En fait, c’est exactement cet anonymat qui

est le point fort de Je suis le footballeur masqué.

En restant sans nom, l’auteur donne plus l’im-

pression que ce qu’il dit est la vérité, pas seule-

ment une version édulcorée qui a pour but de

susciter plus d’admiration.

L’auteur est franc ; dès fois il est très cruel. Il

n’hésite pas à exprimer son aversion pour un

ancien coéquipier ou un entraineur. Il dit ce qu’il

pense, et cette sincérité est vraiment rafraîchis-

sante.

Bien sûr, si on parle foot, on parle aussi ar-

gent. Il y a un consensus global, même parmi

les plus grands fans de foot, que les footballeurs

sont trop bien payés. Et il est vrai, beaucoup

d’entre eux ont un salaire exorbitant ; l’auteur

n’essaie pas de le cacher. Loin de là, il réserve

tout un chapitre pour expliquer le système des

salaires, des primes, et des clauses de contrat, y

compris « des milliers d’abus qui découlent de

ces clauses » (142). Néanmoins, si l’auteur ne

réussit qu’à communiquer une seule idée au

lecteur, c’est que la plus grosse difficulté qu’a

un footballeur est qu’il n’est vu que comme une

marchandise. Il constate que, aux yeux du ma-

nagement, « le joueur

est une action. Ren-

table ou pas »(130).

De cela, l’auteur

réussit à humaniser

les footballeurs. Il

est trop facile d’ou-

blier que ce sont

aussi des êtres hu-

mains, pas de

simples robots pro-

grammés pour nous

divertir. Oui, ils sont

bien compensés

pour leur travail, mais leur vie n’est guère facile ni

enviable, surtout pour ceux qui n’ont jamais cher-

ché la notoriété. La pression sous laquelle jouent

ces athlètes est énorme : il faut toujours gagner,

toujours bien jouer, et toujours garder sa place

parmi les onze « starters ». Si ces athlètes finissent

leur carrière avant leur 35ième anniversaire, ce n’est

pas seulement à cause de leur forme physique

épuisée – leur état mental a souffert aussi.

Alors la prochaine fois qu’il verra Olivier Giroud

faire une crise puérile sur le terrain après un but

manqué, le lecteur de ce livre réagira avec un peu

plus de compassion. Peut-être.

Page 4

Sarah Matier

Il est trop facile d’oublier que ce sont

des êtres humains, pas de simples

robots programmés pour nous diverter.

Nouveaux livres : Vive le foot professionnel ?

It’s on you to get the most out of the opportunities you’re

offered.

Rock your internship.

par Sarah Matier(business)

you an edge. But it’s on

you to get the absolute

most out of the opportu-

nities you’re offered.

Rock your internship.

Embrace all opportuni-

ties to learn, even if it

feels totally irrelevant.

And most importantly,

network, network, net-

work!

Liliane Calfee on location

in Southeastern Kenya,

shooting a documentary

for Health by Motorbike.

Après une expérience exceptionnelle,

Sarah Matier (business) vient de finir son

stage PFMP à Loko Sport Événements, à

Niort (France). Elle présentera son projet

de fin de parcours en mai, après quoi elle

aimerait travailler dans le domaine du

sport international.

Current Students & Alumni

Jamie Adler (MFS 2014, international education)

is finishing up her first school year as a study

abroad advisor at the College of Wooster. It has

been an exciting year getting to know nervous

prospective study abroad students, and helping

them out in all stages of their journeys. She is

also gearing up for her "European Tour" where

she will visit six programs across Europe this

summer, including some in France.

Sarah Moore Allen (MFS 2009, media/arts/

cultural production) has left her position as Asso-

ciate Director of Technical Writing and Marketing/

International Business Subject Matter Expert at

AT&T and moved with her family to Seattle, Wash-

ington. A stay-at-home mom, Sarah can finally

focus more on creative writing and on becoming

involved in the Alliance Française de Seattle.

Ali Barger

(business) a obtenu son B.A. en littérature fran-

çaise à Cornell University dans l'état de New York

en 2013. Elle s’intéresse au commerce interna-

tional, et particulièrement à la finance.

Shannon (Takacs) Becker (MFS 2008, media/

arts/cultural production) has just defended her

doctoral dissertation in French at Purdue Univer-

sity and has been hired as an Assistant Professor

of French Linguistics at Northern Illinois

University.

John Brunner (MFS 2012, business) is Midwest

Food & Beverage Trade Advisor for

Business France in Chicago. He

recently organized a trade tasting,

at which 15 Rhone Valley vineyards

met over 70 American importers

and distributors, in hopes of devel-

oping business in the Midwest.

John also led a partnership be-

tween Business France and the For

the Love of Chocolate Foundation

of the French Pastry School of Chi-

cago. The partnership brought 4

producers of crémant wine to Chi-

cago, pairing their wines with 20

local bakeries and pastry chefs at

the Foundation’s annual gala.

Kathleen Campbell (éducation internationale)

termine son stage au sein du Service des Parte-

nariats Internationaux à ESCP Europe en juillet

2015. En ce moment elle profite bien de sa vie

parisienne et elle commence à chercher du trav-

(continued on page 6)

Page 5

L-R: PFMP students Barbara Jedele,

Brynn Powell, Jonathan Gatke,

Stephanie Olson, Angela Bublitz,

Joshua Marris, and Sarah Schwartz, at

the annual Department of French and

Italian picnic.

Volume 12, Issue 1

LEFT: 2015 International Women’s Day planning committee, includ-

ing PFMPers Kirstie Yu (second from left, back row) and Sarah

Schwartz (far right, front row). RIGHT: PFMP international develop-

ment student and lead bowler Michelle Ziarko with PFMP tuteurs and

fellow PFMP student Sarah Schwartz (international ed.)

Ali Barger (business)

Erin Edwards is a Communications

Consultant at The MATCH International

Women’s Fund in Ottawa, Ontario.

NOUVEAUX LIVRES : après Charlie Hebdo

Page 6

Current Students & Alumni (continued from page 5)

ail dans ce domaine aux Etats-Unis, au Brésil et

en France.

Sarah Craver (MFS 2012, média / arts / produc-

tion culturelle) est professeure au Club Nounours,

une école maternelle bilingue français-anglais à

Newton, MA, près de Boston. Danseuse, elle dé-

veloppe en même temps un organisme artistique

pour réunir artistes francophones et anglophones

dans des résidences professionnelles.

Erin Edwards (MFS 2010, international develop-

ment) is a Communications Consultant at The

MATCH International Women's Fund in Ottawa,

Ontario. The MATCH Fund supports grassroots

women's rights organizations in the global south.

Après sept années en France, Ethan Footlik (MFS

2008, EU Affairs) s'est installé à México, où il

travaille en tant que traducteur indépendent et

apprend l'espagnol.

(continued on page 7)

Jessica Dean (business), right, and colleague,

during Jessica’s Fall 2014 internship at French

advertising agency Nouvelle Cour (Paris/La

Courneuve)

COLLECTIF. Nous sommes Charlie : 60 écrivains

unis pour la liberté d’expression. Paris : Le Livre

de Poche, 2015. ISBN : 978-225308733. 168p.

5 €.

Suite à la tuerie du 7 janvier survient un livre qui

présente de nombreuses perspectives sur ces

tristes événements. Nous sommes Charlie : 60

écrivains unis pour la liberté d’expression invite

le lecteur à réfléchir au sens de cette attaque et

à la valeur de la liberté d’expression et de

presse.

L’objectif de ce livre est de mener lui-même

son « combat » contre ceux qui assassinent « la

liberté de penser et de créer ». Ainsi les auteurs

de ce recueil constituent les soldats de première

ligne, et le fil conducteur qui passe parmi les

textes met en relief l’importance et la nécessité

de la liberté d’expression. Selon Jean-Louis Four-

nier, « On a le droit de ne pas apprécier Charlie

Hebdo… » (70) ; Caroline Fourest s’est notée que

la publication Étude des jésuites a publié les

caricatures de Charlie Hebdo en signe d’hom-

mage. La réaction des millions de Français et

d’autres pays est celle de la solidarité et de la

compassion.

A première vue, j’attendais un vif débat sur la

question des valeurs républicaines, des limites

(suite à la page 11)

PFMP students celebrate at one of

Madison’s many music festivals

(Fall 2014)

Cet ouvrage cherche à rendre hommage à ceux

qui sont morts au nom de la liberté, et à affirmer

que la liberté d’expression demeurera une pierre

maîtresse de la France laïque.

Page 7

Current

Julia Grawemeyer (MFS 2008, media/arts/

cultural production) teaches French at Ken-

yon College and Otterbein University in

Ohio, as well as English as a Second Lan-

guage to immigrants in Columbus. She also

translates romance novels for a French

publisher with, as she calls them, her net-

work of French-language ''coqu-editors.''

Laura Gross (MFS 2012, media/arts/

cultural production) is currently in her third

year as Operations Manager for the Chil-

dren's Chorus of Washington in Washing-

ton, DC. She is helping young singers with a

French-themed season of music in prepara-

tion for a ten-day tour in France this sum-

mer. She is organizing a gala for the Chil-

dren's Chorus at the French Embassy this

spring and is looking forward to hearing the

children sing in many well-known cathedrals

in Northern France during their tour.

Bryan Hammerquist (Business, 2011) is

Technical Account Manager at SendGrid, an

email services provider based in Boulder,

CO, where he interacts with accounts from

North America and Europe. Outside of work,

he makes sure to take advantage of Colora-

do's ample opportunities involving the out-

doors, craft beer, tech and French.

Ashley Herrick (business 2013), assistant

director for the Atchafalaya National Herit-

age Area, spends her days exploring the

unique cultures, landscapes and natural

resources that make up America’s Foreign

Country. She recently organized the first

public French-immersion-focused paddle

trip in Louisiana and has already received

requests for more. Ashley also works with

the French American Chamber of Com-

merce and is the co-founder of Francoppor-

tunités, a Baton Rouge-based grass-roots

initiative to live, work and play en français

in Louisiana.

Nicholas Hitch (business) travaille depuis

mars 2015 pour Canac, une entreprise

québécoise de quincaillerie située dans la

région de Québec. En tant que traducteur et

réviseur linguistique, il s'occupe de la tra-

duction du site web ainsi que de la rédac-

tion et de la révision des textes en français

(continued from page 6)

(continued on page 8)

Volume 12, Issue 1

TOP: Ashley Herrick (MFS 2013, business) and friend, on a recent French-

immersion paddle excursion she organized in Louisiana

BOTTOM: Mary Beth Lambert (MFS 2007, EU affairs), in visor and glasses, with

members of her running group in Paris last summer

Current Students & Alumni (continued from page 7)

et anglais. L'entreprise est en train d’élargir son marché jusqu'à Mont-

réal, où leur clientèle sera bilingue.

Barbara Jedele (éducation internationale, 2015) fait actuellement son

stage à l'Agence Erasmus+ à Bordeaux. Elle travaille sur la revue sci-

entifique de l'Agence ainsi que sur une enquête nationale auprès des

universités françaises.

Melanie Kathan (MFS 2014, media/arts/cultural production) works at

Rhapsody Arts Center, a music school in Verona, Wisconsin, where she

contributes to communications, marketing, and event-planning ef-

forts. She is also a free-lance editor and French tutor in the Madison

area.

Ashley Koerner (MFS 2013, éducation internationale) est conseillère

aux étudiants internationaux à la Madison English as a Second Lan-

guage School (MESLS), au Wisconsin.

Mary Beth Lambert (MFS 2007, EU affairs) works at the U.S. Depart-

ment of State in the Community Relations Division, Passport Ser-

vices. Her current portfolio includes managing Passport Services' web-

site and social media platforms and directly supporting 7 passport

agencies (out of 29) with their outreach needs. Her French language

background served her well last summer, when she served 6 weeks in

the consular section at the U.S. Embassy in Paris, adjudicating non-

immigrant visas and conducting interviews in French.

Patrick Malarkey (MFS 2013, international development) was recently

hired by Population Services International (PSI) as a Program Coordi-

nator for West and Central Africa. He supports two countries, Benin

and Guinea, across a wide variety of programs and needs. Passionate

for all things "development," he looks forward to deepening his

knowledge of worldwide development mechanisms, particularly in how

they are deployed in the Francophone world and is excited to be af-

forded the opportunity to travel to those areas and see the work

firsthand.

Jackie Mauer (MFS 2013, international development)

Page 8

YOUR GIFT SUPPORTS PFMP STUDENTS The generosity of PFMP alumni and other donors has allowed us to create important scholarships for PFMP students. These gifts directly

help our students defray important living expenses, both in Madison and while they do their internships abroad.

DONATE ONLINE. It’s easy—go to https://secure.supportuw.org/MultiPage/processStep1.do, and make sure to

type "Professional French Masters Program Support Fund" in the "Designation” box.

TO MAKE A GIFT BY CHECK: please make your check payable to the University of Wisconsin Foundation, write

"Professional French Masters Program Support Fund" in the memo line and send to:

MERCI University of Wisconsin Foundation

U.S. Bank Lockbox

P.O. Box 78807

Milwaukee, WI 53278-0807

(continued on page 10)

Beyond the Classroom Selected recent events on campus

DEJEUNER DU PRINTEMPS PFMP. Featured speaker: French journalist Clara Schmelck (journaliste

médias et rédactrice-en-chef adjointe, Intégrales Mag, Paris). "Attentats terroristes et 'valeurs

républicaines': comment comprendre le fondamentalisme français?"

Free film screening: "On n'est pas des marques de vélo" with documentary filmmaker Jean-Pierre

Thorn. An emerging hip-hop artist, Bouda is deported from France to Tunisia, then illegally returns to

his home in a banlieue of Paris.

International Studies Workshop. Focusing on steps you can take now to transition smoothly into the job

market.

In Defense of Anthropology: The Colonialism Canard. Herbert Lewis, Anthropology. Part of Anthropology

Colloquium Series.

Info session: International Journalism and Marketing Internships.

In addition to a full

schedule of graduate

courses, PFMP students

attend activities

related to their academic

work and interests

throughout the semester.

UW-Madison offers

hundreds of talks and

events every semester.

Most events are free, and

the public is welcome.

Page 9 Volume 12, Issue 1

Nouveaux livres : Que veut dire convertir ? par Kourtney J.A. Knop

RIVA, VIRGINIE. Converties. Paris : Seuil,

2015. ISBN : 978-2021180671 . 188p. 17 €.

Dans son nouveau livre, la journaliste et

spécialiste de religion Virginie Riva présente

onze portraits de Françaises anonymes et

converties à l’islam. Toutes poursuivent diffé-

remment leur chemin. A travers ces « por-

traits », Riva souligne le processus de conver-

sion, les difficultés rencontrées, et la réalité

d’une convertie française. Elle nous montre

que la conversion n’est pas uniquement une

question de religion, mais d’identité. Cette

nouvelle identité comprend des changements:

de prénom, de vêtements (y compris l’adop-

tion du voile), d’hygiène personnelle, de ré-

gime et même de son propre corps. Parmi les

conséquences de la conversion : du stress au

travail et la désapprobation de la famille.

Riva écrit sans porter jugement. L’islam, la

deuxième religion en France, reste une

énigme. Le Bureau des Cultes ne dispose

officiellement d’aucune statistique sur le nom-

bre de conversions; ceci n’est pas étonnant

car la majorité des conversions ne sont pas

officialisées par les mosquées.

Qui sont ces femmes? Après une enfance

difficile et sans religion, Assia se convertit

moins de six mois après la rencontre avec son

futur mari. Son désir de participer au Rama-

dan est le catalyseur de sa conversion. Pour

Assia, la religion catholique est « déformée »-

certaines fêtes venant d’un mélange de tradi-

tions chrétiennes et païennes. Pour Assia,

l’islam vient dans la continuité des prophètes

et permet donc à ses pratiquants de vivre leur

foi. Pour Assia, la laïcité française cible sur-

tout les musulmans. Lorsqu’il faut voter, c’est

sa religion qui la guide : elle a préféré les

Verts, qui avaient proposé d’intégrer deux

nouveaux jours fériés pour l’Aïd el-Kebir et

Kippour.

Après un mois passé au Maroc avec sa

famille musulmane, Claire, psychologue et

féministe, choisit elle aussi l’islam. Le

catholicisme, avec les concepts de la

Trinité et de l’eucharistie, ne l’a pas con-

vaincue. Elle décide de porter le voile non

seulement par pudeur, mais aussi comme

obligation envers Dieu. Elle appartient à Al

Houda, une association de femmes musul-

manes, et milite contre la loi du 15 mars

2004 en déclarant le port du voile un «

droit fondamental ». Claire appelle cette loi

« raciste » ; selon Riva, Claire oublie que le

voile met directement en question la

laïcité, élément fondamental de l’identité

française.

Riva semble très consciente de la re-

sponsabilité qu’elle a envers ses sujets.

Malgré des discussions difficiles, le lecteur

n’est jamais autorisé à juger ces « con-

verties ». A la fin du roman, on a toujours

beaucoup de questions à propos du rôle

de la religion dans la société. Bien que la

religion soit une affaire personnelle, com-

ment la société devrait-t-elle réagir quand

la religion se plante dans l'arène publique?

L’islam est-il compatible avec les valeurs

de la République française?

Kourtney J.A. Knop (MFS 2003, affaires

européennes) est avocate à Wilmington

(Delaware), où elle travaille, entre autres,

pour défendre les victimes du trafic

humain.

Current Students & Alumni

Megan Maley (MFS 2005, EU

affairs) just celebrated 10

years working at Nike. She

began her Nike career at

Nike France in 2005

and worked there for 4 years

before moving to London,

Amsterdam, and back in to

London again for her current

role of Marketplace Transfor-

mation Director. She and her

fiancé Nikolaus are getting

married in June.

Joshua Marris (business) est actuellement en

stage à Paris chez INIT Marketing, un institut

d'études qui se spécialise dans la satisfaction

client. Il espère appliquer ces compétences

après, dans le domaine vinicole.

Kristi Martin (MFS 2011, business) is a Strategy

Manager at the digital startup RadiumOne in Chi-

cago, where she manages the sales planning

team across the Midwest and Canada. One of her

ongoing projects includes helping grow the Que-

bec business and continuing to working with cli-

ents such as Telus, Toyota and Chrysler.

Jackie Mauer (MFS 2013, international develop-

ment) has spent this winter and spring in Guate-

mala developing an after-school program and

training local women in pedagogy for Konojel, a

small non-profit addressing on nutritional and

educational needs in the community of San Mar-

cos la Laguna.

Stephanie Olson (international development) has

just finished her PFMP internship at the Réseau

africain de forêts modèles

(RAFM) in Cameroon, where

she researched women's

socioeconomic activities in

the model forests, the diffi-

culties women there face,

and how their participation in

women's cooperatives helps

them surmount these diffi-

culties and provide new op-

portunities. She is particular-

ly interested in how the sup-

port of women's develop-

ment in these rural are-

as can also support conser-

vation efforts to protect bio-

diversity in the Congo Basin.

Lisa Parisi (MFS 2006, busi-

(continued from page 8)

ness) is a project manager at Newedge, now

owned 100% by Société Generale. She lives in

Chicago.

Kelley (Swanlund) Patriat (MFS 2013, interna-

tional education) is Assistant Director of Admis-

sions and Administration at the Global Lan-

guage Institute in St. Paul, Minnesota. Zoe Plaugher (MFS 2009, international devel-

opment) is working on a Master of Social Work

at The Catholic University of America. For the

past nine months, Zoe has worked with low-

income immigrant survivors of gender-based

violence as an intern at Ayuda, in Washington,

D.C., where she has been grateful to put her

French skills to use.

Students at the annual (Fall) picnic of the Department

of French and Italian, following the annual French vs.

Italian soccer match.

L-R: Department Chair and

PFMP Faculty Co-Director Gilles

Bousquet, PFMP student

Barbara Jedele, and Aix

Marseille Université President

Yvon Berland

Stephanie researched women’s socioeconomic

activities in Cameroon’s model forests, the dif-

ficulties they face there, and how their

participation in women’s cooperatives

helps provide new opportunities.

Page 10

(continued on page 11)

Kristi Martin (in blue), with her regional VP and

Montreal colleagues at the Quebec RadiumOne

launch party.

Alumna Mandi Schoville (MFS 2005, international education)

promoting French at a local International Day.

Elena (Potanos) Robbins (MFS 2013, internation-

al development) is Administrative Manager at

Jewish Social Services of Madison, Wisconsin.

She works on promotion of the organization to

media outlets and assists with immigration work-

shops, particularly the expanding Francophone

clientele. Elena lives in Madison with her hus-

band, Sean, and daughter, Coraline.

Mandi Schoville (Education, MFS 2005). Mandi is

in her third year working as Liaison Stage for the

Professional French Masters Program. She re-

cently represented France at International Day at

Elm Lawn Elementary School, teaching stu-

dents about French language and culture.

Peebles Squire (MFS 2013, international develop-

ment) is in-house writer and content manager at

Securing America’s Future Energy in Washington,

D.C. While his French is currently best put to use

reading up on oil giant Total S.A., he is happy to

be back in his favorite milieu of international

(continued from page 10)

relations and high politics.

Nicole Udriot (MFS 2013, business) has left her

position as Consular/Administrative Assistant at

the Swiss Consulate in Atlanta and is now the new

Marketing and Communications Director at the

Alliance Française d’Atlanta.

This January, Kate Williams (MFS 2013, in-

ternational development) joined Broadreach full-

time as International Education Coordinator. Kate

is thrilled to use her language, travel, and teach-

ing background to custom design international

education opportunities for middle school, high

school, and college groups. Kate's current pro-

jects span Latin America, Europe, Asia, and The

Caribbean; but she's especially excited about

upcoming educational travel in Guadeloupe where

she relies on her French language skills to com-

municate with local partners and introduce stu-

dents to la francophonie. Currently based in Ashe-

ville, NC, Kate welcomes visitors to come explore

the gorgeous Appalachian highlands.

Current Students & Alumni

Ces assassins sont-ils « des nôtres », des

Français ? Ou sont-ils devenus à un moment

donné des gens « autres », des étrangers, des

inconnus pour qui la République n’a pas de

place?

Page 11 Volume 12, Issue 1

Kate Williams, leading a group of

students in the French Alps last

summer

présumées de la liberté d’expression en ce qui

concerne les croyances religieuses, et ainsi de

suite. En réalité, ce livre n’a pas intérêt à s’immis-

cer dans un débat national sur la laïcité. Tant

mieux. Selon les auteurs, il n’est pas question de

si Charlie Hebdo avait jeté de l’huile au feu ; cet

ouvrage cherche à rendre hommage à ceux qui

sont morts au nom de la liberté, et à affirmer que

la liberté d’expression demeurera une pierre

maîtresse de la France laïque.

Bien que ce livre n’ait guère envie de se lancer

dans le débat, on y note deux sous-thèmes assez

sérieux : en premier, une discussion des motiva-

tions des assassins. Deuxièmement : un effort de

cerner l’identité des assassins—est-ce qu’ils sont

« des nôtres », des Français ? Ou sont-ils devenus

à un moment donné, au cours de leur radicalisa-

tion, des gens « autres », des étrangers, des in-

connus pour qui la République n’a pas de place ?

Ailleurs, sur d’autres thèmes, les écrivains ne

sont pas tous d’accord sur l’interprétation des

événements. Alors que l’un critique tous les fana-

tismes et la perversion de la religion, d’autres,

comme Laurent Binet critique la croyance en Dieu

lui-même—« Il n’y a qu’un seul Dieu, et il n’existe

pas » (17).

La richesse de ce livre est assez paradoxale :

soixante écrivains, avec leurs poèmes, leurs his-

toires, leurs pensées, et leurs hommages, offrent

des textes à la fois énormément diverses en es-

prit et unis pour une seule cause noble et juste :

la liberté de penser, de créer.

Alec Niedermaier (MFS 2011, développement

international) travaille en assurance qualité et

informatique chez BestMark, Inc., une entre-

prise d’études de marché. Il passe son temps à

apprendre de nouveaux langages in-

formatiques (php, css, python), à apprécier les

pièces de théâtre de Corneille, et à coordonner

son mariage avec sa fiancée ce juin dans le

Minnesota. Il habite à Washington, D.C.

Charlie (suite de la page 6)

Professional French Masters Program

University of Wisconsin-Madison

618 Van Hise Hall

1220 Linden Drive

Madison, WI 53706

Tel: 608-262-4090

Fax: 608-265-3892

E-mail: mdeitz@wisc.edu

http://pfmp.wisc.edu

Newsletter of the Professional French Masters Program

L’ESSOR

@ThePFMP

The University of Wisconsin-Madison Professional French Masters Program is an interdisciplinary master’s degree program for

college graduates who want to use their French to build careers outside the academic classroom. The PFMP has concentrations in

business, French education, international education, European Union affairs, international development and media/arts/cultural

production, all culminating in a personalized professional internship abroad and a professional portfolio. We also offer the

Capstone Certificate of Professional French Studies, which includes partial master’s coursework and the full internship in al l

six concentration areas.

PFMPers at a Madison dinner

given in honor of the Aix

Marseille Université

presidential delegation in

Madison, October 2014.

L-R:

Students Angela Bublitz,

Barbara Jedele (international

education), Jonathan Gatke

(international development),

alumni Annique Kiel (MFS

2004, international ed-

ucation) and Christopher

Beaver (MFS 2005, EU affairs)