> MIGRATIONS, TRANSFERS, LOYALties and citizenship : EUropes – AMERICAS

The research group will work on the migrations between Europe and America and on the transfers beyond three main ideas : the experience of exile on a space and time perspective, the diaspora phenomenon as a factor of ethnic solidarities and confrontations, the transfer systems by people smugglers on which a large written documentation is available on the Atlantic space :

1. Migrations, mobilities : spaces and experiences of exile
2. Diasporas, transnational loyalties (ideology, religion, culture), 19th  and 20th centuries
3. Cultural transfers, movements of ideas: actors, 18th to mid-19th centuries.

> ATLANTIC ECONOMIES and SOCIetieS

The main researches are developed around the exchanges through the following items :

1. Economic changes on maritime and costal spaces
2. Transatlantic economy and globalization
3. Transatlantic economy, national policies and consumer culture
4. The Dutch colonial empire
5. Exchanges in the Atlantic and slavery trade : goods and actors, 14th -18th centuries.

> The transatlantic state

As a first step the team studies socio-political, institutional and cognitive mechanisms used by the European empires to administrate large Atlantic, maritime and continental territories, and to rule plural and divided societies during the early-modern period.  As a second step, the team focuses on the impact of such racial and social logics of the colonial societies on the types of imperial « governance ».

1. Political construction and governance : to administrate imperial and republican spaces
2. Wars, revolutions and defence as regards the political construction of Atlantic territories.

> atlantic territories, cities and heritage

From a comparative perspective (in space and time) this research group focuses on the architectural and urban features of Atlantic cities and cities-ports.

The ocean space is regarded as a large “water” space marking out three continents (Europe, Americas and Africa), and important contact zone for different cultural and political societies. Besides the study of exchanges of men, ideas and goods (yet considered in classic historiography of cities-ports), we focus on the cities as a place of urban and architectural innovation, as much for the power (to assert oneself) as for the engineers (thanks to the circulation of techniques and know-how).

coordination of research theme 1: MArtine ACERRA, didier poton et YANN LIGNEREUX

> Identities and intercultural representations

The research team will dedicate to the history of representations (evolution of the points of view of people for one another since the modern age from a colonized world by European countries up to decolonization and the new role of emerging countries) and a history studying the political and cultural transfers, from which the societies are built and can grow. A special emphasis will be made, not only on representations and exchanges North-South (and South-North), but also South-South and North-North, by crossing disciplines such as History, Literature, Anthropology and Arts in a comparative perspective.

The Atlantic space is studied in relation with the sub-theme : “Cultural transfers, movements of ideas: actors, 18th to mid-19th centuries” (Research theme 1).

1. Vision and representation of the defeated
2. North-South transfers and nation building
3. Knowledge of the Other and identities building.

> France at the heart of international relationships changes : an influence in question

The scientific approach is based on the meeting between Diplomatic, Military, Political and Cultural Histories in relation with the influence and importance of France in Europe and in the World.

Relying on the diplomatic archives centre of Nantes (where information holdings of diplomatic and consular French posts in the World since the 18th century are preserved), the team studies the evolution of French policies in Europe and in the World beyond different thematic fields and geographical areas :

1. France and Europe of Defence: what influence, ideology and perceptions ?
2. The French presence in the World
3. Negotiators and diplomats facing the emergence of new actors in international relationships.

> REGIONAL IDENTITIES AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS

The appearance of the local and regional ideas in international relationships, and the consideration of the international idea at local and regional level is one of the main facts of globalization since the second half of the 20th century.

The major international changes still raise identity questions at local and regional level and have an effect on the citizens’ awareness. But these changes are accelerating and we have to deepen our researches with an emphasis on the major roles of local, regional and socio-political actors as regards a new vision of international relationships. That’s why we can study International Relations History linked to Sociology and Political Sciences

Since three years, a CRHIA research programme is devoted to the European Atlantic societies facing international changes ; the team is pursuing its research towards other spaces, especially in African and Asian countries in a comparative perspective.

1. Cultural, political and social identities and major international changes, 19th – 20th centuries
2. Cities, regions and international relationships.

coordination of research theme 2:  charles illouz, bernard salvaing et stanislas JEANNESSON

> SPACES of meetings : frontiers, spaces of mediation and spaces of memory

The physical and symbolic spaces of meetings. The research team studies the concept of “frontier”, its material aspects and its representations, in relation with the exchanges between different geographical entities (Empires, States, Cities, Churches, networks or communities). For example : the fortifications built to defend and mark a territory, the shifting of frontiers and new territorial organisation, especially the “peripolia” of southern Asia Minor.

1. A main research sub-theme dedicated to the places of mediation : the Ancient and Medieval worlds as spaces of meetings for States, communities and people in spite of distances and few means of communication.
2. A second one to the places of memory in a symbolic perspective and considered as a space of meeting for a community (to reinforce a collective identity or to weaken it).

> historical memory, political identity, cultural and diplomatic mediations : the building of the historical story in ancient and medieval worlds

The appearance of the historical story is linked to the building of a political identity which shows the image as it was perceived by the historians and by their lectors. This approach has great consequences on historical reality and on imagination (two elements which have also consequences on the creation and interpretation of the historical story).

Our project focuses on the building of the historical story as a mean of conservation of collective memory and creation of a cultural and political identity.

The project will cover a period going from the Greek Antiquity to the Medieval and Byzantine ages to reveal how the building of the past (historical story, images and symbolic spaces) becomes a structuring element of collective memory and lead to the creation of common values for each civilizations and periods. 

Research sub-themes : 

1. History of Rome and Greek models
2. The influence of Rome and historical stories during Medieval and Byzantine ages
3. The historical stories : priority sources of political history

> administrative, political and social exchanges standards

To supervise exchanges between groups and individuals, standards (written or not) control the definition of the actors (criterions based on the ethnic group, the language, the religion, the profession, the gender, the social class, etc.) and define the legal framework of exchanges. The research group studies these standards in a comparative perspective during the Ancient and Medieval ages.

coordination of research theme 3 : isabelle pimouguet-pedarros, john tolan et Eric guerber