Emile Boirac

Born in Guelma, Algeria, on August 26, 1851, Émile Boirac became a French philosopher, writer, and educator whose career joined academic life with a curiosity about unusual states of mind. He served as president of the University of Grenoble in 1898 and later led the University of Dijon from 1902.

Boirac wrote on philosophy and psychical research, especially subjects such as hypnosis, magnetism, and what he saw as little-understood mental phenomena. He is often noted for introducing the term déjà vu, which went on to become part of everyday language far beyond the scholarly world.

He was also an active supporter of Esperanto. In 1905 he presided over the first Universal Congress of Esperanto and was associated with the movement's early leadership, reflecting his interest in ideas that crossed national and intellectual borders. He died in Dijon on September 20, 1917.