The Maison Française d'Oxford (MFO), known locally as simply Maison Française, is a French research centre in the

humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. In the Renaissance, the term contrasted with divinity and referred to what is now called classics, the main area of secular study in universities at the t ...

and

social sciences Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of so ...

and a member of the Network of French Research Institutes Established Abroad (IFRE) by the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS).

Overview

With the support of the Chancery of the Universities of Paris and the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

, the mission of the Maison Française is to work towards better integration of French research in the

and

in national institutions, especially in the English-speaking world. In 1999, it became a research centre of the Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences (INSHS) of the CNRS, and it develops research and cultural programmes with the academic faculties at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

and other British universities.

Origin and historical context

The idea of establishing a French presence at the heart of the British academic world dates back to at least the beginning of the 20th century. It was supported in particular by the members of the French Club, which existed at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

at the time and which brought together a community of francophile francophone students. However, it was not until after the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, in more favourable circumstances, that the project could be fully realised. The support that the United Kingdom had provided to the

Free French Free France (french: France Libre) was a political entity that claimed to be the legitimate government of France following the dissolution of the Third Republic. Led by French general , Free France was established as a government-in-exile ...

had provoked a desire to consolidate the links between the two sides of

the Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...

, both culturally and academically. The Maison Française was brought into being at the beginning of the academic year of 1946, thanks to the initiative of the archaeologist

Claude Schaeffer Claude may refer to: __NOTOC__ People and fictional characters * Claude (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Claude (surname), a list of people * Claude Lorrain (c. 1600–1682), French landscape painter, draughtsman and etcher ...

and under the guidance of

Henri Fluchère Henri Fluchère (1898–1987) was a chairman of the Société Française Shakespeare and a notable literary critic. He played an important role in the establishment of an Elizabethan research centre in Aix-en-Provence and contributed to the Gol ...

, renowned academic, and a specialist in

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

. The current building was erected on an empty site on the north side of Norham Road in

North Oxford North Oxford is a suburban part of the city of Oxford in England. It was owned for many centuries largely by St John's College, Oxford and many of the area's Victorian houses were initially sold on leasehold by the College. Overview The le ...

, opposite

Bradmore Road Bradmore Road is a residential road in North Oxford, England. At the northern end of the road is a junction with Norham Road and at the southern end is a junction with Norham Gardens, with the University Parks opposite. Halfway along the ...

during 1961–2. It was designed by Jacques Laurent with Brian Ring, Howard & Partners.Jennifer Sherwood and

Nikolaus Pevsner Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner (30 January 1902 – 18 August 1983) was a German-British art historian and architectural historian best known for his monumental 46-volume series of county-by-county guides, ''The Buildings of England'' (1 ...

,''The Buildings of England: Oxfordshire'',

Penguin Books Penguin Books is a British publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers The Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the following year.François Bédarida (1966-1971) who opened the premises in 1967 the presence of

André Malraux Georges André Malraux ( , ; 3 November 1901 – 23 November 1976) was a French novelist, art theorist, and Minister of Culture (France), minister of cultural affairs. Malraux's novel ''La Condition Humaine'' (Man's Fate) (1933) won the Prix Go ...

, the then

Minister of Culture A culture minister or a heritage minister is a common cabinet position in governments. The culture minister is typically responsible for cultural policy, which often includes arts policy (direct and indirect support to artists and arts organizatio ...

, to indicate the weight France placed on this outpost in the British Isles. From 1984 to 1991

Monica Charlot Monica Charlot OBE née Monica Huber (31 May 1933 – 20 May 2005) was a historian and political scientist. Meanwhile, her husband Jean taught electoral politics at d'Edudes Politiques. From 1984 to 1991 she was in Oxford directing Maison fran� ...

directed this institution that was targeting cultural exchange with Britain. She exploited the Oxford University environment to diversify the institution's approach.Monica Charlot
Anne Corbett, 13 June 2005, ''The Guardian''. Retrieved 29 September 2015 The name "Maison Française" was chosen in reference to the pavilions of the Cité Internationale Universitaire which opened in Paris in 1925 with the same ideals.

Mission and principles

The mission and the principles of the Maison Française, as defined by the University of Oxford's decree of 22 October 1946 which confirmed its foundation, ruled out the idea of it being a teaching institution in its own right. There was no question of establishing a new college, nor even a branch of the

Alliance française An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

. The Maison Française was to constitute a "new kind of institution", intended to promote academic, scientific and cultural exchange under the shared responsibility of the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and the Universities of Paris and

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. Aside from the establishment of a substantial library, the activities of the cultural legation comprised conferences and debates with French literary and scientific figures such as

Albert Camus Albert Camus ( , ; ; 7 November 1913 – 4 January 1960) was a French philosopher, author, dramatist, and journalist. He was awarded the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 44, the second-youngest recipient in history. His work ...

François Mauriac François Charles Mauriac (, oc, Francés Carles Mauriac; 11 October 1885 – 1 September 1970) was a French novelist, dramatist, critic, poet, and journalist, a member of the'' Académie française'' (from 1933), and laureate of the Nobel Prize ...

André Gide André Paul Guillaume Gide (; 22 November 1869 – 19 February 1951) was a French author and winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature (in 1947). Gide's career ranged from its beginnings in the symbolist movement, to the advent of anticolonialism ...

Maurice Merleau-Ponty Maurice Jean Jacques Merleau-Ponty. (; 14 March 1908 – 3 May 1961) was a French phenomenological philosopher, strongly influenced by Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger. The constitution of meaning in human experience was his main interest an ...

and Jacques Lacan. From its inception, the MFO organised exhibitions, concerts, theatre productions and cinema screenings, in the hope of promoting and maintaining French cultural prestige in all its aspects. Important changes in direction have taken place since the 1980s. From the turn of the century, given media access to manifestations of French culture, and that other institutions in both London and Oxford are dedicated to the diffusion of French language and culture, the MFO's activities as a cultural pivot have declined somewhat. As of 2011 the mission of the Maison Française has been to focus especially on academic co-operation and research. This evolution was clearly marked by the establishment of a CNRS research unit within the MFO in 1999. In 2015–2016, this research unit is composed of six researchers grouped into different areas of study: literature, theory of law and

legal anthropology Legal anthropology, also known as the anthropology of laws, is a sub-discipline of anthropology follows inter diciplinary approach which specializes in "the cross-cultural study of social ordering". The questions that Legal Anthropologists seek ...

, history and the classics. The MFO is also home to a group of junior researchers (post-docs or research fellows) and research students, reading for master's degrees or doctorates. The research students are affiliated to institutes and colleges of the University, and take part in the activities of the MFO. To that end, the MFO collaborates with several French research institutions and universities whose students may spend periods of study there, ranging from one month to an academic year.

Scientific activities

The MFO hosts a team of senior researchers from the INSHS who conduct their own research at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

but it also organises interdisciplinary programmes, conferences, seminars and other events in collaboration with members of the university. The MFO organises and/or hosts events ranging from single-speaker lectures or seminars, to day-long (or longer) workshops and conferences on specialist topics. Research programmes include: *Classical and Byzantine Studies *History and history of science *Literature and Arts *Politics, International Relations and Migration Studies *Sciences and Interdisciplinarity

Resources

Library

The Maison Française houses a study and information centre devoted to French culture and society. Its collection is made up of 43,000 volumes, around 50 periodicals, and a video library composed of more than 1000 French movies. Its catalogue is linked to libraries in the University of Oxford.

Online resources

To promote access to the research and the events organised at the Maison Française, a large number of presentations are recorded and directly accessible via its website as podcasts or reports.

References

Sources

* Fluchère, Marie-Louise, ''La Maison Française à Oxford il y a 50 ans'', self-published, 1996 * Vercoutter, Jean, "Notice sur la vie et les travaux de Claude Schaeffer-Forrer, membre de l'Académie", ''Comptes-rendus des séances de l'Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres'', 1989, vol. 133, n°1, p. 178–188 * Catto, Jeremy (s.d.), ''The History of the University of Oxford'', Oxford University Press, 1994. * MFO's archives (Activities report et archives files, Schaeffer in particular)

External links

*
Official page on the website of the Network of French Research Institutes Established Abroad
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maison francaise d'Oxford Educational institutions established in 1946 Buildings and structures completed in 1961 Organisations associated with the University of Oxford Research institutes in Oxford Education in Oxford Buildings and structures in Oxford Education in France University of Paris Research institutes established in 1946 1946 establishments in France Institut Français