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Josephine Baker: the wartime life of the African American Star – Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution
Josephine Baker was a huge star of inter-war France, known for her exotic dancing, music-hall and films. However, her wartime contribution as spy and her work supporting the Allies and the Gaullist cause during the Second World War have received little attention.
This talk will take us through Josephine Baker’s wartime life from Paris to French North Africa, via her chateau in Dordogne, to Spanish Morocco, Spain, Portugal and across the Middle East. As preparations are made for the 80th anniversary of VE Day, the talk will also explore how Baker came to the UK and participated in the festivities of May 1945.
Hanna Diamond is professor of French History in the School of Modern Languages at Cardiff University. She has published widely on the social and cultural history of France during the Second World War including two monographs, Women and the Second World War in France (Longman, 1999) and Fleeing Hitler: France 1940 (OUP, 2007). Her book Josephine Baker’s Secret War: The African American Star Who Fought For France and Freedom will appear in April 2025 with Yale University Press.
