Laure Astourian

Laure Astourian

  • Associate Professor, Modern Languages
  • Visiting Scholar, Harvard University
  • Ph.D. Columbia University
  • M.A. Columbia University
  • B.A. University of California, Berkeley

Teaching Interests

French and Francophone cinema; The French New Wave; documentary cinema; cinéma vérité and direct cinema; the evolution of ethnographic cinema; French literature and cinema; study abroad; "Francophone Entrepreneurs"; language and conversation

Research Interests

French and Francophone film history; post-WWII French cinema and cultural history (New Wave, cinéma vérité, etc.); documentary cinema (especially the evolution of ethnographic film); 1950s-1960s sub-Saharan African cinema; post-WWII works of Chris Marker, Alain Resnais, Jean Rouch, Jean-Luc Godard, and Agnès Varda; intersections of cinema and anthropology; intersections of cinema and literature; archival research 

Bio

I'm a scholar of French and Francophone cinema and Associate Professor of French at Bentley University. I am a 2025-2027 Visiting Scholar in the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures at Harvard University. My research spans film history, cultural history, the dialogue between anthropology and cinema, and the connections between literature and film.

My book, The Ethnographic Optic: Jean Rouch, Chris Marker, Alain Resnais, and the Turn Inward in 1960s French Cinema (Indiana University Press, 2024), explores the significant ties between colonial ethnography and innovative works of 1960s French cinema. It probes the emergence of a self-aware urban French ethnography in both fictional and documentary films during the era of decolonization and offers fresh readings of canonical films including Moi, un Noir (Jean Rouch, 1958), La jetée (Chris Marker, 1962), and Muriel ou le Temps d'un retour (Alain Resnais, 1963). Reviews have appeared in French Studies, Contemporary French Civilization, Nouvelles Études Francophones, symplokē, Film and History, and The French Review. I have discussed the book on "Author Selects" (Ovid TV, Icarus Films) and on the New Books Network podcast.

An article on the confluences of 1950s French and African cinema is forthcoming in Screen. I am also preparing a new project on mid-twentieth-century connections among the domestic French ethnographic tradition, French cinema, and television, with a particular focus on the work of Agnès Varda.

I have published scholarly articles in Studies in French Cinema and in the edited collection Dans le sillage de Jean Rouch (Éditions de la Maison des Sciences de l'Homme). My criticism, interviews, and translations appear in Public Books, Los Angeles Review of Books, Mubi Notebook, Romanic Review, and KinoKultura.

My research has been supported by the Phi Beta Kappa Mary Isabel Sibley Fellowship in French Studies, the Phi Beta Kappa Walter J. Jensen Fellowship, a Fulbright Research Fellowship to France, and a residency at the Institute for Advanced Study at Aix-Marseille University (Iméra) and the Museum of Civilizations of Europe and the Mediterranean (Mucem).

I serve as co-Chair of the Documentary Studies Scholarly Interest Group (Society of Cinema and Media Studies) and on the Advisory Board of the Boston Cinema/Media Seminar. At Bentley, I serve as French Minor Coordinator and on the Research Council, the Teaching and Scholarly Activities Committee, the Shuttle Advisory Committee, and the International Film Series Advisory Committee.

I hold a Ph.D. in French from Columbia University (2016) and a dual B.A. in French and Film Studies from UC Berkeley (High Honors, 2008).

Professional Memberships

  • Modern Language Association 2016-01-01 - Present
  • Society for Cinema and Media Studies 2015-01-01 - Present
  • The Phi Beta Kappa Society 2008-01-01 - Present

    • Awards and Honors

  • Innovation in Teaching Award, Bentley University
  • Outstanding Scholarly Contribution Award, Bentley University
  • Bentley Research Council Grant, Bentley Research Council
  • Institute for Advanced Study at Aix-Marseille (Iméra) Fellowship, Iméra and Mucem
  • Bentley Research Council Grant, Bentley Research Council
  • Bentley Research Council Grant, Bentley Research Council
  • Faculty Affairs Committee Grant, Bentley University
  • Faculty Summer Research Grant, Bentley University
  • Faculty Summer Research Grant, Bentley University
  • Fulbright Research Fellowship - France (U.S. Scholar Core Program), The Fulbright Scholar Program
  • Faculty Summer Research Grant, Bentley University
  • Faculty Affairs Committee Grant, Bentley University
  • Faculty Summer Research Grant, Bentley University
  • Faculty Summer Research Grant, Bentley University
  • Dean's Fund for International Travel Grant, Bentley University
  • Faculty Affairs Committee Grant, Bentley University
  • Phi Beta Kappa Mary Isabel Sibley Fellowship in French Studies, Phi Beta Kappa Society
  • Mellon Humanities International Travel Award (Fall), Columbia University
  • Mellon Humanities International Travel Award (Spring), Columbia University
  • École normale supérieure (rue d’Ulm) Exchange Fellowship, École normale supérieure and Columbia University
  • Jeanne Varney Pleasants Prize for Excellence in French Language Pedagogy, The Lois Roth Endowment and Columbia University
  • Phi Beta Kappa Walter J. Jensen Fellowship, Phi Beta Kappa Society
  • Foreign Language and Area Studies Summer Fellowship, U.S. Department of Education
  • Foreign Language and Area Studies Academic Year Fellowship, U.S. Department of Education
  • Phi Beta Kappa Society Membership, Phi Beta Kappa Society

    • Scholarly Contributions and Creative Productions

    Journal Articles

  • Astourian, L. (2026). "Law as Visual Residue in 1950s French and Sub-Saharan African Cinema: The Laval Decree and the Niger River in Afrique 50, Afrique sur Seine, and Moi, un Noir". Screen (Forthcoming)
  • Astourian, L. (2018). Jean Rouch’s Moi, un Noir in the French New Wave. Studies in French Cinema, (18) Issue 3 (Link)

    • Books

  • Astourian, L. (2024). The Ethnographic Optic: Jean Rouch, Chris Marker, Alain Resnais, and the Turn Inward in 1960s French Cinema Indiana University Press (Link)

    • Book Chapters

  • Astourian, L. (2018). "Moi, un Blanc": de la genèse d'À bout de souffle Dans le sillage de Jean Rouch. Editions de la Maison des sciences de l'homme

    • Digital and Electronic Media, Social Media, Blogs, Podcasts

  • Astourian, L. 2021. "Icarus Films"
  • Astourian, L. 2021. "The New Paris Podcast"

    • Other Scholarly Work

  • Astourian, L. (2026). "At the Edge of Erasure: An Interview with Anouche Kunth, Historian of Exile" (Interview and Translation). (Link).

    • Presentations

  • Astourian, L. (2026). “Invited Lecture - The Niger River on Three Screens: Visual Echoes of Colonial Film Censorship in 1950s African and French Cinema” Presented at the Harvard University Mahindra Humanities Center "France and the World" Seminar Cambridge, MA (Link)
  • Astourian, L. (2025). “Invited lecture - The Ethnographic Optic Book Presentation” Presented at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Los Angeles, CA
  • Astourian, L. (2025). “The Ethnographic Optic: French National Identity and Cinema at the End of Empire” Presented at the ETICA International Conference: National Identity in a Time of Crisis Yerevan, Armenia
  • Astourian, L. (2025). “Invited speaker and discussant” Presented at the "Films Femmes Méditerranée" International Film Festival Marseille, France
  • Astourian, L. (2024). “Masterclass de Laure Astourian sur Moi, un Noir de Jean Rouch” Presented at the Aix-Marseille Université, Iméra, EHESS, Mucem Marseille, France
  • Astourian, L. (2024). “Invited lecture - The Ethnographic Optic: Reframing 1960s French Cinema” Presented at the University of Toronto Cinema Studies Institute Toronto, Canada
  • Astourian, L. (2024). “Invited lecture - The Ethnographic Optic in 1960s French Cinema” Presented at the Columbia University Maison Francaise New York, NY (Link)
  • Astourian, L. (2024). “Karmitz, Duras, Beckett: Nuit noire Calcutta (1964) et Comédie (1966)” Presented at the École normale supérieure, Collège de France Colloque Marin Karmitz Paris, France
  • Astourian, L. (2024). “The Ethnographic Optic in 1960s French Cinema” Presented at the Boston Cinema/Media Seminar Waltham, MA
  • Astourian, L. (2023). “Niger Here and There: Afrique-sur-Seine, Moi, un Noir, and the Laval Decree” Presented at the Society for Cinema and Media Studies Denver, CO
  • Astourian, L. (2022). “Multilingualism, Cinema, and French Diplomacy” Presented at the Bentley University Bentley Research Colloquium
  • Astourian, L. (2022). “Rendez-vous de juillet in the Rearview: Tracking Post-War French Cinema's Ethnographic Appetite” Presented at the Society for Cinema and Media Studies Chicago, IL (virtual)
  • Astourian, L. (2021). “Paris Reframed: 1960s French Cinema at the End of Empire” Presented at the American University of Armenia Yerevan, Armenia
  • Astourian, L. (2021). “A Fresh Look at 1960s French Cinema” Presented at the Franco-American Commission, Fulbright Foundation Paris, France
  • Astourian, L. (2021). “Invited lecture - Moi, un Noir : L'éthnographie française presque libérée” Presented at the "Racial Imaginaries" Graduate Seminar, Department of French and Italian, Princeton University Princeton, NJ
  • Astourian, L. (2021). “Paris Pictures, Beyond the Cliché” Presented at the Consulate General of France Francophonie Webinar Series with Catherine Clark (MIT) Boston, MA
  • Astourian, L. (2019). “Invited international lecture - Alain Resnais From Statues to Muriel” Presented at the Cinema Studies Institute, The University of Toronto Toronto, Ontario, Canada
  • Astourian, L. (2019). “Cléo, From Object to Subject” Presented at the Bentley University (Au) Revoir Varda Bentley University
  • Astourian, L. (2019). “The Soldier as Cinematograph: Archives of Algeria in Muriel ou Le temps d'un retour” Presented at the Visible Evidence XXVI Conference Los Angeles, CA
  • Astourian, L. (2019). “Ethnography and National Identity in 1960s French Cinema” Presented at the Society for Cinema and Media Society for Cinema and Media Studies Annual Conference Seattle, WA
  • Astourian, L. (2018). “Jean Rouch's Paris Films: From Chronique d'un été to Petit à Petit” Presented at the Brown University International Colloquium on Twentieth and Twenty-First Century French and Francophone Studies Providence, Rhode Island
  • Astourian, L. (2018). “Sunday in Peking...and Paris” Presented at the Society for Cinema and Media Studies Society for Cinema and Media Studies Annual Conference Toronto, Ontario, Canada
  • Astourian, L. (2018). “Invited speaker - Introduction of Moi, un Noir and Panel on French New Wave Cinema” Presented at the Yale University Whitney Humanities Center 14th Annual European Film Conference New Haven, CT
  • Astourian, L. (2017). “Invited lecture - Jean Rouch's Moi un Noir in the French New Wave” Presented at the Princeton University Department of French and Italian Princeton, New Jersey
  • Astourian, L. (2017). “Narrowing Visions of Paris in Marker's La Jetée and Le Joli mai” Presented at the Indiana University Bloomington International Colloquium on Twentieth and Twenty-First Century French and Francophone Studies Bloomington, Indiana
  • Astourian, L. (2017). “The French New Wave and Sub-Saharan Africa” Presented at the Society for Cinema and Media Studies Society for Cinema and Media Studies Annual Conference Chicago, Illinois
  • Astourian, L. (2016). “Invited lecture - Migration and Immigration in Mid-Century French Ethnography” Presented at the Columbia University French Department Modern Francophone Colloquium New York, New York
  • Astourian, L. (2016). “Guest lecture - Alternatives to the Auteur” Presented at the Columbia University Film and Media Studies Program Pro-seminar on film history (Prof. Jane Gaines) New York, New York
  • Astourian, L. (2015). “Aesthetics of the Taboo: Alain Resnais and the Algerian War” Presented at the Duke University The Resnais Archipelago Conference Durham, North Carolina
  • Astourian, L. (2015). “Jean Rouch, Ethnography, and the Nouvelle Vague” Presented at the Northeast Modern Language Association Northeast Modern Language Association Convention Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    • Reviews

  • Astourian, L. (2020). L'aventure du réel. (Link)
  • Astourian, L. (2018). Éric Rohmer: A Biography. , (18) 134 4. (Link)

    • Service

    Service: Department

  • Faculty Mentor for Admitted Students Day - Present
  • Mentor (Faculty) for Admitted Students Day - 2024-04-30
  • Task Force Member for Course Observations (Dalsant, Yu, Bui-Lally, Offerman) 2023-01-01 - Present
  • Committee Member for Research and Impact Working Group, Modern Languages and English and Media Studies 2022-01-01 - 2022-12-31
  • Certified Examiner for DFP French for Business Exam 2021-05-01 - 2022-12-31
  • Mentor (Faculty) for Academic Advising Session - 2021-07-31
  • Mentor (Faculty) for Accepted Students Day - 2021-04-30
  • Mentor (Faculty) for Admitted Students Day - 2021-04-30
  • Committee Member for French Placement Test Review - 2020-12-31
  • Organizer and Host for Modern Languages Award Ceremony 2020-01-01 - 2022-12-31
  • Mentor (Faculty) for Study Abroad Fair - 2019-10-31
  • Mentor (Faculty) for Undergraduate Academic Programs Fair - 2019-10-31
  • Committee Member for Modern Languages Website - 2019-08-31
  • Coordinator for French minor 2019-03-01 - Present
  • Committee Member for Search Committee, Assistant Professor of French 2019-07-01 - 2020-02-28
  • Faculty Advisor for French Club 2019-01-01 - 2019-05-31
  • Faculty Advisor for Department representative, Fall Open House - 2018-10-31

    • Service: Professional

  • Committee Member for Festival Jean Rouch "Hors les murs" (Mucem) - 2024-06-30
  • Chair for Society for Cinema and Media Studies Panel - 2024-04-30
  • Committee Member for SCMS Jonathan Kahana Graduate Student Writing Award 2023-11-01 - Present
  • Co-chair for Documentary Studies Scholarly Interest Group, Society for Cinema and Media Studies 2023-04-01 - Present
  • Advisory Board Member for Boston Cinema/Media Seminar 2023-01-01 - Present
  • Panel co-organizer, "Two Shots and a Document: Experiments in the Historiography of French Cinema" for Society for Cinema and Media Studies - 2023-04-30
  • Panel organizer "Exotic x Endotic: Filming Metropolitan France in the '60s and Beyond" for Colloquium on 20th-21st c. French/Francophone Studies - 2018-04-30
  • Invited Jury Member for Programme euro-américain Selection Committee for Sciences Po - Boston, MA - 2018-03-31
  • Panel organizer "Chris Marker and the Foreign" for Society for Cinema and Media Studies Conference - 2018-03-31
  • Invited Jury Member for Programme euro-américain Selection Committee for Sciences Po - San Francisco, CA 2017-03-31 - 2017-03-31

    • Service: University

  • Program Organizer for BRC Research and Writing Group - Present
  • Committee Member for Teaching and Scholarly Activities Committee 2025-07-01 - Present
  • Committee Member for Bentley Research Council 2023-01-01 - Present
  • Program Organizer for Inaugural Study Abroad May Intensive to Paris 2023-01-01 - 2024-05-31
  • Senator for Faculty Senate 2022-07-01 - 2024-06-30
  • Committee Member for Nominations Committee 2022-07-01 - 2024-06-30
  • Mentor (Faculty) for Academic Programs Fair - 2022-12-31
  • Mentor (Faculty) for Fall Open House - 2022-12-31
  • Committee Member for Remote Learning Task Force Focus Group - 2022-10-31
  • Mentor (Faculty) for Admitted Students Day - 2022-04-30
  • Committee Member for Shuttle Advisory Committee 2022-03-01 - Present
  • Committee Member for Faculty Activity Reporting Platform Review Committee 2022-01-01 - 2023-12-31
  • Program Organizer for Should the Wind Drop Screening and Discussion with Producer and Director - 2022-04-30
  • Mentor (Faculty) for Admitted Students Day - 2022-04-09
  • Committee Member for Communication Sequence Design Committee - 2021-12-31
  • Program Organizer for "Seismic Histories in Nadia Owusu's AFTERSHOCKS" - 2021-09-30
  • Moderator for Undergraduate Research Day - 2021-04-30
  • Instructor for First-year Seminar 2019-09-01 - 2020-12-31
  • Conference/Workshop Organizer for (Au) Revoir Varda: Panel Honoring the Work of French Filmmaker Agnès Varda - 2019-11-07
  • Committee Member for Toni Morrison Event - 2019-10-31
  • Selected Presenter for Teaching Innovation, Bentley Teaching Colloquium - 2019-05-17
  • Committee Chair for Honors Program Faculty Council 2018-09-28 - 2021-07-31
  • Moderator for Undergraduate Research Colloquium - 2019-04-30
  • Program Organizer for Study Abroad in France Workshop 2019-02-01 - 2019-04-30
  • Guest speaker for International Film Series - 2018-09-25
  • Committee Member for Valente Center for Arts and Sciences Advisory Board 2018-08-01 - 2025-06-30
  • Committee Member for International Film Series 2018-01-01 - Present
  • Guest speaker for History Department Conference - 2017-10-31