Alice Jouenne ( Stein; 14 August 1873 â 10 January 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 (New Education in France).
Alice Stein was born in Chamagne (Vosges) on 14 August 1873. Of Alsatian origin, her parents fled the German occupation after the Franco-Prussian War which saw Alsace come under German rule.
Jouenne trained as a teacher at the ÃÂcole Normale in Nancy, graduating in 1890.
Her first appointment to a teaching position was in Badonviller where she worked for several years before moving to a private Parisian institution.
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.
In 1911, while a member of the (League of Women Cooperators), Jouenne published the pamphlet (Women and Cooperation). The following year, she became secretary of the education committee of the new (National Federation of Consumer Cooperatives).
On 25 May 1913, with the support of the General Confederation of Labour (CGT) and the (FCA) (Anarchist Communist Federation), Jean Jaurès' French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO) organized a pacifist demonstration against the (Three Year Law). Three women made speeches at the event: Jouenne, Louise Saumoneau and Maria Vérone.
That year, Jouenne helped to establish the children's newspaper, , becoming a contributor.
In January 1913, Louise Saumoneau, Marianne Rauze, ÃÂlisabeth Renaud, Jouenne and others founded the Socialist Women's Group (Groupe des Femmes Socialistes, GDFS) for women within the SFIO. Jouenne was in the GDFS for ten years, during which time she joined Freemasonry's Le Droit Humain.
Jouenne contributed to the redesign of La Voix des femmes, the first issue of which came out on 18 October 1919 and included articles by Marthe Bigot, Louise Bodin, Annette Charreau, Fanny Clar, Magdeleine Marx, Marianne Rauze, Henriette Sauret, Monette Thomas, as well as herself. She was also a journalist for L'Humanité and secretary to Marcel Cachin, director of the newspaper, until 1920 when she did not follow him in his change of direction linked to the Third International.
During the interwar period, Jouenne's attention was focused on education, pacifism, and feminism, in line with the trends of the times. In 1921, she founded the (Municipal Outdoor School of Paris) with , a member of the (Paris City Council). She wrote a book about the outdoor school.
She joined the (International League for New Education) (LIEN) movement, and wrote articles in the league's journal where she was presented as principal of the Municipal Outdoor School of Paris and founder of the New Education group. Chaired by , the group was established on 16 February 1922 and became known as (French New Education Group) (GFEN).
In May 1929, Albert Thomas created the (Leisure Committee) in which Jouenne was involved.
Jouenne retired in 1933 and left her school. 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.
Alice Jouenne died in Paris on 10 January 1954.