Georges Elia Sarfati is a linguist, philosopher and Franco-Israeli poet

Poet

A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...

 writing in French

French language

French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

. He is a University Professor, a director of research at the Sorbonne University of Paris IV. A former professor at the University of Tel Aviv (1993–2001), and an associate at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs

Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs

The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs is a public policy think tank devoted to research and analysis of critical issues facing the Middle East. The center is located in Jerusalem, Israel...

. He is a member of the editorial board of the French journal Controverses, He is also a specialist in Jewish Studies

Jewish studies

Jewish studies is an academic discipline centered on the study of Jews and Judaism. Jewish studies is interdisciplinary and combines aspects of history , religious studies, archeology, sociology, languages , political science, area studies, women's studies, and ethnic studies...

 and a professor at the University of Clermont-Ferrand

University of Clermont-Ferrand

The University of Clermont-Ferrand was officially founded in 1896, by merging of two existing faculties and a medical school. In 1976, due to political issues, the University split between University Clermont-Ferrand I - University of Auvergne and University Clermont-Ferrand II - Blaise Pascal...

.

He introduced into language theory the philosophical and anthropological question of common sense

Common sense

Common sense is defined by Merriam-Webster as, "sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts." Thus, "common sense" equates to the knowledge and experience which most people already have, or which the person using the term believes that they do or should have...

 and doxa

Doxa

Doxa is a Greek word meaning common belief or popular opinion, from which are derived the modern terms of orthodoxy and heterodoxy.Used by the Greek rhetoricians as a tool for the formation of argument by using common opinions, the doxa was often manipulated by sophists to persuade the people,...

, that is, commonly accepted beliefs. His research has developed a conception of social reproduction

Social reproduction

Social reproduction is a sociological term referring to processes which sustain or perpetuate characteristics of a given social structure or tradition over a period of time....

 based on a theory of the norms of the practice and institutions of meaning. Following the Italian thinker Antonio Gramsci

Antonio Gramsci

Antonio Gramsci was an Italian writer, politician, political philosopher, and linguist. He was a founding member and onetime leader of the Communist Party of Italy and was imprisoned by Benito Mussolini's Fascist regime...

, he has worked out a critical elite and hegemony

Hegemony

Hegemony is an indirect form of imperial dominance in which the hegemon rules sub-ordinate states by the implied means of power rather than direct military force. In Ancient Greece , hegemony denoted the politico–military dominance of a city-state over other city-states...

 theory, linked to a political conception of discourse.

His work in philosophy constitutes a reflection on the Jewish condition profoundly shaped by Israel

Israel

The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

's national renaissance. For Georges-Elia Sarfati, the responsibility of contemporary Jewish philosophy

Jewish philosophy

Jewish philosophy , includes all philosophy carried out by Jews, or, in relation to the religion of Judaism. Jewish philosophy, until modern Enlightenment and Emancipation, was pre-occupied with attempts to reconcile coherent new ideas into the tradition of Rabbinic Judaism; thus organizing...

 consists in reaffirming both the spiritual and the historical dimension of Israel, in the face of various forms of nihilism

Nihilism

Nihilism is the philosophical doctrine suggesting the negation of one or more putatively meaningful aspects of life. Most commonly, nihilism is presented in the form of existential nihilism which argues that life is without objective meaning, purpose, or intrinsic value...

. This perspective is inseparable from criticism of the hostile discourses that have accompanied this renaissance.

He was awarded the Louise Labé Poetry Prize (2002).
In 2010, he founded the Popular University of Jerusalem, based on the principle of "knowledge for everyone". Instruction at the PUJ is aimed at responding to the campaigns delegitimizing Israel, by using active pedagogy

Pedagogy

Pedagogy is the study of being a teacher or the process of teaching. The term generally refers to strategies of instruction, or a style of instruction....

.

Philosophy

• La Nation captive, sur la question juive en URSS, Nouvelle Cité, col. « Rencontres », Paris,1985.