Origin of the Network Project

The idea for a network of researchers working on Franco-British cultural relations since the nineteenth century originated in two conferences organised in 2004 to mark the centenary of the Entente Cordiale. One was held in Paris at the Ecole normale supérieure and British Embassy, and the other at the Maison francaise in Oxford and the Courtauld Institute of Art in London.(The proceedings of both conferences are to be published by Créaphis in Paris in 2006.) Secondly, a number of researchers on both sides of the Channel felt a need to regroup in such a way as to prioritise the long-neglected cultural approach to studying Franco-British relations.

Objectives of the network

• to bring together from different disciplines and different countries researchers working on Franco-British cultural relations from the nineteenth century onwards;

• to contribute to the dissemination of information and development of work in this field;

• to help establish, and continue to support, thematic research groups;

• to jointly organise interdisciplinary scholarly events;

• in the long-term, to work towards the creation of a Franco-British historical research institute.