A Tale of Two French Communities

The Alliance Française of NW CT will host a presentation on historic French Protestantism at 7pm on Friday, June 19

Associate Professor of History, Judith Meyer will present "Voices from the Past: A Tale of Two French Communities" at the Alliance Française Center in Southbury. This presentation (in English) will take a close look at how and why the French city of La Rochelle became a bastion of French Protestantism in the 16th century, in order to shed light on the extraordinary appeal of the Reformation. Then a close look at the small town of Courthézon in the south of France in the early 17th century will offer insights into how the Protestant minority in the town managed to coexist with the majority Catholic populace and still uphold the integrity of their own faith.

Judith Meyer is an Associate Professor of History at the University of Connecticut at Waterbury. She is the author of a book, Reformation in La Rochelle: Tradition and Change in Early Modern Europe, 1500-1568, published in 1996, and several articles on La Rochelle. Her current research deals with the 17th-century consistory records in Courthézon in southern France (the consistory was the governing body of the local Calvinist church). Her article, “On the Front Lines of Co-existence: Courthézon’s Consistory in the Early 17th Century,” was published in early 2013. She is also interested in how women fared during the Reformation, and that is the subject of her most recent conference presentation, “Women and the Limits of Consistorial Discipline: The Case of Courthézon in the Early 17th Century.” She received her B.A. in history from Lawrence University and her Ph.D. in history from the University of Iowa.

Light refreshments will be served following the presentation. Admission is $10 (Free for AFNWCT Members). Reservations are kindly requested prior to June 18 by calling (203) 707-0710 or by sending checks to AFNWCT, 1 Pomperaug Office Park, Suite 301, Southbury, CT 06488 or paying by credit card on-line on their website: www.afnwct.org.

The Alliance Française of Northwestern Connecticut is a not-for-profit organization whose purpose is to promote the language and culture of France and other French-speaking countries. In addition to French language classes, our programs include educational lectures, films, conversation groups, book discussion groups, organized visits to French cultural exhibits and holiday celebrations. Further information on upcoming programs may also be found at www.afnwct.org.