Book Transfers
Transferts de fonds
Research on the Displacement of French Document Collections in Europe (1930–1950)
Recherche sur les déplacements de fonds documentaires français en Europe (1930-1950)
Published on Friday, March 20, 2026
Abstract
In June 2027, La Contemporaine will host an international symposium dedicated to the study of the displacement of documentary collections across Europe, including France, between the 1930s and 1950s. At the crossroads of historical studies, book history and provenance research, this event aims to document and analyse the trajectories of these documentary collections, whether or not they were subject to spoliation. An overview of similar research in other countries and of the challenges posed by the documentary processing of collections will complete this analysis.
Announcement
2027, June 02-03
Argument
Hardly a month goes by without the discovery, in the collections of French documentary or archival institutions, of documents from foreign collections of uncertain origin. These documents, arrived in the institutions during the Occupation or after the Liberation, bear traces of transfers that took place between the 1930s and 1950s throughout Europe. Mixed in with propaganda writings produced at the time by the Occupation authorities, these books have not always been the subject of thorough or successful investigation into the circumstances and reasons for their transfers.
Taking advantage of the ongoing development of provenance research as well as of studies initiated in the 1990s, this two-day conference aims at taking stock of the information available on these collections with a view to improving their accessibility for research and public consultation. Reversing the historiographical perspective, which often focuses on the fate of collections taken from France and transferred to German and Soviet territories, this conference is dedicated to documents currently held in French libraries. The idea will be to contextualise and retrace the often chaotic itineraries of these collections, pointing out how this can contribute to research but also what challenges remain to be addressed. An overview of the initiatives undertaken abroad will provide a basis for comparison with the measures taken in France to document and to process these collections. With a strong focus on historical investigations and related historiographical reflections, this conference will also address issues relating to indexing and cataloguing these collections by the institutions that hold them.
Possible topics for contributions include:
- German Libraries in France in the 1930s and 1940s
- The library of the Centre d'Études de Politique Étrangère (Centre for Foreign Policy Studies) and other institutions in France that came under German influence during the Occupation
- Collections from France sent to territories under German control during the Occupation and returned to France after the Liberation: Masonic libraries, Hebrew libraries, military libraries, diplomatic archives, etc.
- Collections from Central European territories in French documentary collections
- French documentary missions in Germany and Austria, and French seizing requests in the post-war period (‘reverse seizures’)
- Marks of provenance and the reconstruction of the routes taken by the documents
- The documentary processing of collections returned to their country or even their institution of origin
- Law and practice of restitution
Submission of proposals
Proposals for papers, in French or English, including a short CV (maximum 1 page) and a 300-word abstract, should be submitted by 1 September 2026 to: pauline.belveze@lacontemporaine.fr.
The scientific committee will respond by 1 November 2026 at the latest.
The proceedings of the conference are expected to be published.
Organising committee
- Anne Quinchon-Caudal (Université Paris Dauphine - PSL)
- Pauline Belvèze (La Contemporaine)
Scientific committee
- Sophie Coeuré (Université Paris Cité)
- Anne Quinchon-Caudal (Université Paris Dauphine - PSL)
- Vincent Négri (Institut des Sciences sociales du Politique - École normale supérieure Paris-Saclay)
- Martine Poulain (ENSSIB, Centre Gabriel Naudé)
- David Zivie (ministère de la Culture)
- Pauline Belvèze (La Contemporaine)
Subjects
- History (Main category)
- Mind and language > Information > Information sciences
- Periods > Modern > Twentieth century
- Mind and language > Information > History and sociology of the book
- Zones and regions > Europe
- Mind and language > Information
- Mind and language > Representation
- Mind and language > Epistemology and methodology
Places
- La Contemporaine - 184 cours Nicole Dreyfus
Nanterre, France (92)
Event attendance modalities
Hybrid event (on site and online)
Date(s)
- Tuesday, September 01, 2026
- Thursday, June 03, 2027
Attached files
Keywords
- livre, lecture, national-socialisme, bibliothèque, destruction, pillage, deuxième guerre mondiale, confiscation, France, Europe
Contact(s)
- Pauline Belvèze
courriel : pauline [dot] belveze [at] lacontemporaine [dot] fr
Reference Urls
Information source
- Elise Lehoux
courriel : elise [dot] lehoux [at] lacontemporaine [dot] fr
License
This announcement is licensed under the terms of Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal.
To cite this announcement
« Book Transfers », Call for papers, Calenda, Published on Friday, March 20, 2026, https://doi.org/10.58079/15x3l
