Biography

Sociologist and thinker, Shmuel Trigano explores Jewish modernity and identity dynamics with an interdisciplinary approach.

His career, from his studies in Israel to the creation of innovative institutions in France and Israel, bears witness to a unique commitment between tradition, philosophy and contemporary issues.

From origins to university training (1948-1981)

Born in 1948 in Blida, Algeria, Shmuel Trigano grew up in a context marked by the intellectual and cultural effervescence of the Jewish world in North Africa. After Algerian independence, he moved to France and studied at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts in political science and international relations. Back in France, he pursued his academic career in political science (DEA, 1977) and sociology (doctorate, 1981), devoting his early research to exploring the foundations of Judaism and the socio-political dynamics of Jewish modernity.

Professor at Paris-Nanterre University, Shmuel Trigano holds a chair in the sociology of knowledge, religion and politics. His methodologically diverse teaching draws on political philosophy, metaphysics, the social sciences and Jewish thought. This interdisciplinary approach enables him to forge an innovative way of thinking, in which Jewish modernity is part of a critical dialogue with the contemporary world.

In the 1980s, Shmuel Trigano established himself as a leading intellectual figure. In 1985, with historian Annie Kriegel, he co-founded Pardès, a European journal of Jewish studies, conceived as a space for rigorous and demanding reflection. Continuing in this vein, he founded and directed the College of Jewish Studies of the Alliance israélite universelle (1986-2013), an open, multi-disciplinary place of higher learning. He went on to found the Observatoire du monde juif (2001), and the journal Controverses (2003-2011), developing a network of think tanks and critical forums for the analysis of contemporary changes.

Shmuel Trigano’s work revolves around the quest for a living Judaism, updated and in dialogue with the major philosophical and political issues of our time. His work examines the nature of Jewish identity in modern times, the diasporic experience, Zionism and the place of religion in secular societies. Avoiding any purely historicist approach, he pays particular attention to the symbolic, anthropological and spiritual dimensions of the Jewish experience, which he places in perspective with the evolution of contemporary societies.

A committed educator, Shmuel Trigano created the Université populaire du judaïsme in 2013, a hybrid project at the crossroads of traditional transmission and new technologies. Combined with the Akadem Jewish digital campus, this initiative gave birth to the Online University of Judaism, offering extended access to courses, conferences and debates, and bringing together more than 2,000 registrants. This dynamic initiative bears witness to the group’s determination to open up knowledge, make it accessible to a diverse public, and consolidate the link between Jewish intellectual heritage and contemporary issues.

In 2015, Shmuel Trigano moved to Israel, pursuing his project to interconnect different cultural spheres. He created the Dialogia association, an intellectual bridge between immigrants from France and Israeli society, as well as the Menora.fr website, dedicated to the study and understanding of Israel’s social, political and cultural fabric. This anchorage at the heart of Israeli society marks a new stage in his career, which combines loyalty to Jewish tradition, critical engagement and the deepening of ties between Europe, France and Israel.

Shmuel Trigano’s career, from the shores of the Mediterranean to the heart of Israel, from French universities to the digital sphere, is characterized by a demanding intellectual quest: to question the modernity of Judaism, to rethink the transmission of knowledge, and to forge bridges between worlds. Its work, institutions and educational initiatives are milestones in understanding, analyzing and enriching contemporary Jewish thought, at the crossroads of past and future.