Dr. Ayode Daniel Dossou

I received my PhD in International History from the Geneva Graduate Institute in
Switzerland in 2025. My thesis examined the so-called “emerging Jewish communities” of
Côte d’Ivoire and Kenya.
As an African man who has been familiar with biblical stories since childhood, I have
developed a growing interest in learning about the life trajectories of African Jews and
Judaizers, many of whom claim Jewish diaspora descent and a significant proportion are
former Christians.
In light of the growing anti-Jewish sentiment worldwide, I find this topic timely and enjoy
exploring how sub-Saharan Africa has both aligned with and diverged from global trends
regarding religious expansion and narratives of identity, in particular concerning Judaism.
My research at the Polonsky Academy reflects on the Jewishness of emerging African Jews
based on their discourses, historical contexts, and existing definitions of Jewish identity. I
also have an ongoing book project which is an expansion of my dissertation, tentatively titled
“Senses of Identity, Truth and Destiny in African Jewish Discourses.”
My fields of interest include the history of religion, the formation of group identities, as well
as Jewish and African history.
Publications:
Peer-reviewed:
- “A French Jew in Côte d’Ivoire: The Life and Involvement of Robert Léon in
Local Politics and in the Formation of the Ivorian Elite Between the 1940s and
the 1960s.” The Journal of the Middle East and Africa 16, no. 3 (2025):
269–91.
- (Forthcoming) “The Israelite Motif in Kenya: Judaization as a Claim to
Israel’s Biblical Identity.” Chapter of a book titled At the Edges of the Jewish
World: Varieties of Experience. (Edited by Nathan Devir). To be published in
January 2027 by Routledge Jewish Studies Series.
- (In progress) “Jewish Actors in International Development.” Chapter
co-authored with David Motzafi-Haller for the book project Elgar Companion
to Religion and International Development, edited by Ignatius Swart and
Philipp Öhlmann, Edward Elgar Publishing.
- (In Progress) “Meanings of Jewishness through Ivorian Life Stories.” Chapter
in an edited volume Festschrift for Dr. Edith Bruder, president of ISSAJ (the
International Society for the Study of African Jewry).
Other scholarly writing:
- « L’essor inattendu du judaïsme en Afrique subsaharienne. » (The Unexpected
Rise of Judaism in Sub-Saharan Africa). The Conversation, Link
- “Plantation and Transplantation: Colonialism and Antisemitism in the
Cameroons,” Mimeo blog - The Leibniz Institute for Jewish History and
Culture – Simon Dubnow, Leipzig, Germany.