Hichem Djait (1935-2021) *85

was a prominent historian and scholar of Islam. Djait was born in Tunis, Tunisia to a conservative upper-middle-class family. His erudite father and some of his uncles and relatives were Islamic sages (or sheikhs), which made the name of the Djait family become traditionally associated with the Zeytouna Mosque as well as with Islamic Fiqh and Iftah (or jurisprudence). He had his secondary education at Sadiki College, where he studied French, world literature, Western philosophy, Arabic, and Islamic Studies. His training at Sadiki College made him discover Enlightenment thinkers and the ideals of the Renaissance and the Reformation which were rather different from the teachings of his family's conservative milieu.

Djait later travelled to France where he received the "Aggregation" diploma in History in 1962. His PhD in Arts and Humanities was defended in Paris in 1981. Djait was an Emeritus Professor at the University of Tunis. He was also a visiting professor at the McGill University and the University of California at Berkeley. In addition to the numerous honorary titles and awards he received, Djait was member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts and was appointed president of the Tunisian Academy of Sciences, Letters, and Arts on February 17, 2012.