Fields Education | Name Eugenie Luce | |
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Died 1882Montrichard, France Institutions Luce Ben Aben School (Luce\'s school for Muslim girls) in Algiers, Algeria |
Eugénie Luce (1804-1882) was a French educator. She moved to Algiers, where she founded the Luce Ben Aben School in 1845.
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Biography
Eugénie Luce moved to Algiers in the 1830s, leaving behind her husband and family in France.
Luce Ben Aben School
Eugénie Luce started the Luce Ben Aben School, in 1845. It was the first Franco-Arab school for Muslim girls, dispensing a European-style education. Girls learned French language and needlework, among other subjects. The school was funded by the French Algeria government until 1861, after which it became a trade school. They taught embroidery and other subjects in order to educate the girls in traditional Algerian crafts, at a time when these crafts were being replaced by machine-made imports. These goods were exported throughout Algeria, as well as Europe and the United States.
Later life
Luce would eventually return to Montrichard, in France, where she died in 1882. After Luce died, her granddaughter Madame Ben-Aben continued to run the school until her own death in 1915.
