Alice Jouenne (néeStein; August 14, 1873 – January 10, 1954) was a French educator and socialist activist. During the interwar period, Jouenne focused on education, pacifism, and feminism. She was one of the founders of Éducation nouvelle en France [fr] (New Education in France).[1]
Jouenne trained as a teacher at the École Normale in Nancy, graduating in 1890.[3]
Career
Her first appointment to a teaching position was in Badonviller where she worked for several years before moving to a private Parisian institution.[3]
In 1904, she married Victor Jouenne, a socialist and cooperator who introduced her to his ideas. This led to her joining the cooperative "La Prolétarienne" in the 5th arrondissement.
Early activisism
In 1911, while a member of the Ligue des femmes coopératrices (League of Women Cooperators),[4] Jouenne published the pamphlet Les Femmes et la coopération (Women and Cooperation).[3] The following year, she became secretary of the education committee of the new Fédération nationale des coopératives de consommateurs [fr] (National Federation of Consumer Cooperatives).[1][3]
During the interwar period, Jouenne's attention was focused on education, pacifism, and feminism, in line with the trends of the times.[1] In 1921, she founded the École municipale de plein air de Paris (Municipal Outdoor School of Paris) with Antoine-Frédéric Brunet [fr], a member of the Conseil municipal de Paris [fr] (Paris City Council).[1] She wrote a book about the outdoor school.[3]
She joined the Ligue internationale pour l'éducation nouvelle (International League for New Education) (LIEN) movement,[1] and wrote articles in the league's journal where she was presented as principal of the Municipal Outdoor School of Paris[3] and founder of the New Education group.[1] Chaired by Georges Renard [fr], the group was established on February 16, 1922 and became known as Groupe français d'éducation nouvelle [fr] (French New Education Group) (GFEN).[1]
In May 1929, Albert Thomas created the "Comité des Loisirs" (Leisure Committee) in which Jouenne was involved.[3]
Jouenne retired in 1933 and left her school.[3] Three years later, Suzanne Lacore appointed Jouenne as her Chef de Cabinet in her position as Undersecretary of State for Children in Léon Blum's first regime.[9]