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| Marc Bloch Centre | |
|---|---|
| Name | Marc Bloch Centre |
| Established | 1949 |
| Location | Strasbourg, France |
| Type | Research institute |
| Focus | Social sciences and humanities |
Marc Bloch Centre
The Marc Bloch Centre is a multidisciplinary research institute in Strasbourg dedicated to historical, social, and cultural studies connecting scholars across Europe and beyond. Founded in the aftermath of World War II, the Centre has developed into a hub for scholars, archivists, and curators working on topics that intersect with institutions such as the Collège de France, École des hautes études en sciences sociales, Max Planck Society, British Academy, German Historical Institute, and European University Institute. The Centre hosts researchers, fellows, and doctoral candidates from institutions including Université de Strasbourg, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Harvard University, and Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne.
The Centre traces origins to postwar initiatives influenced by figures like Marc Bloch and networks associated with Annales School, Fernand Braudel, Lucien Febvre, École normale supérieure, and Institut national de recherche pédagogique. Its founding incorporated collections and staff from archives tied to Université de Strasbourg and veteran scholars from Université de Lyon, Sorbonne, and Collège de France. During the Cold War era the Centre engaged with scholars from the Polish Academy of Sciences, Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences, Russian Academy of Sciences, and researchers connected to NATO cultural programs, while participating in European exchanges such as the European Cultural Foundation and networks like COST. In the 1970s and 1980s, collaborations expanded to include projects with Bibliothèque nationale de France, Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, Vatican Library, and archives linked to Council of Europe initiatives. Recent decades saw partnerships with the European Commission, Horizon 2020, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, and initiatives involving UNESCO and the Council of Europe heritage programs.
Housed in a refurbished complex near Strasbourg landmarks such as the Strasbourg Cathedral, the Centre’s facilities reflect interventions by architects influenced by projects like Le Corbusier and restorations akin to work at the Palace of Versailles and Louvre Museum. The building contains climate-controlled repositories modeled on standards from International Council on Archives, digitization labs comparable to those at Bibliothèque nationale de France and British Library, and seminar spaces equipped to host delegations from European Parliament, Conseil de l'Europe, and international symposia similar to those at the Humboldt Forum. Facilities include reading rooms patterned after the Bodleian Library and conservation workshops using techniques developed at the Smithsonian Institution and Getty Conservation Institute.
The Centre supports research clusters in areas resonant with projects at Max Planck Institute for European Legal History, Institute for Advanced Study, Sciences Po, and Central European University. Its doctoral programs run joint degrees with Université de Strasbourg, University of Heidelberg, University of Bologna, Université libre de Bruxelles, and University of Vienna, and it hosts visiting fellows from Princeton University, Columbia University, Yale University, and University of Toronto. Research themes often intersect with archives and collections related to World War I, World War II, French Revolution, Industrial Revolution, European integration, and transnational studies involving links to Atlantic history projects and comparative work reminiscent of the Annales School and microhistory approaches. Grant-funded projects include partnerships mirrored in programs at European Research Council and collaborations with centers like Institut d'études politiques de Paris and Warwick University.
Exhibitions and public programs draw on museological practices used by institutions such as Musée d'Orsay, Deutsches Historisches Museum, Museum of London, and Jewish Museum Berlin. The Centre curates thematic exhibitions on topics ranging from archives of the Dreyfus Affair, documents related to the Treaty of Versailles, material culture linked to the Industrial Revolution, and multimedia installations about migration in Europe and urban history with methodology inspired by oral history projects at Columbia University Oral History Research Office and exhibits at the Imperial War Museums. Public lectures attract speakers affiliated with University College London, King's College London, École Polytechnique, and international prizewinners such as recipients of the Balzan Prize and Heineken Prize.
The Centre maintains formal collaborations with national and international partners including Université de Strasbourg, French National Centre for Scientific Research, Max Planck Society, British Library, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Deutsches Historisches Museum, National Archives (UK), and the Vatican Secret Archives. It participates in European consortia alongside European University Institute, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Università degli Studi di Milano, Universidade de Lisboa, and University of Warsaw, and contributes to joint projects funded by European Commission frameworks, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, and private foundations like the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Ford Foundation.
Administrative oversight involves governance models comparable to those at Collège de France, École des hautes études en sciences sociales, and Max Planck Society, with advisory boards drawing members from Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, British Academy, Royal Society of Edinburgh, and university rectors from Université de Strasbourg, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. Funding streams include competitive grants from the European Research Council, core support from French Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, endowments associated with the Fonds national suisse, and philanthropic contributions similar to those from the Wellcome Trust and Gates Foundation.
Category:Research institutes in France