Courses

Group of students

MARSEILLE AND PROVENCE IN THE MODERN ERA (19th-21st centuries)

Using examples from the Marseille and Provence regions, this course provides an introduction to contemporary French history. Designed for non-specialists, the sessions provide a general overview of political, economic, and social developments since the beginning of the 19th century, focusing on the basic chronological landmarks and key figures of each period.

Whether the succession of political regimes, the onset of industrialization, or the migratory phenomenon, local events are examined through the prism of national and international contexts. This historical perspective provides the key to understanding the contemporary state of the city and, more broadly, of the South of France in the Mediterranean region.

Typical site visits include the Marseille History Museum, the City Archives, the Vieille Charité Cultural Center, ...

(Syllabus)

MARSEILLE, FROM GLOBAL TO PROVINCIAL: The transformation of a Mediterranean port city in the post-industrial era

This course draws on the resources of social geography, economic history, political sociology and anthropology to describe and make visible the transformations that have taken place in Marseille since the crisis of what experts have called the "industrial-port system". Ten thematic class meetings will open students to a detailed knowledge of the city through its history and social boundaries, while introducing them to the methods of urban anthropology, methods they can reproduce for analyzing other cities.

Typical site visits include a guided tour of the Panier neighborhood, a meeting with the non-profit resource center for cultures and memories of exile, Ancrages Marseille, meetings with urban renewal activists,...

(Syllabus)

CULTURAL AND ARTISTIC DYNAMICS IN MARSEILLE TODAY: Cultural policies, artistic scenes, actors and audiences

With a strong identity based on its local contexts, the Marseille arts scene has nonetheless enjoyed a striking international and national reputation since the 1970s, distinguishing itself from the Parisian scene. Key features include a large number of artists, the second-largest number of theaters in France, and a rich network of non-profit organizations in various fields (visual arts, theater, street arts, music, etc.), led by the artists themselves. Marseille's status as a primarily Mediterranean city, a "city of refuge" and a former port open to the world and to French colonies, facing Algiers, has undoubtedly had an impact on the cultural perception of the city and on the cultural projects undertaken.

This course familiarizes students with the actors, geography and spaces of artistic creation and cultural programming in Marseille, via a back-and-forth look at local, regional, national and international levels.

Typical site visits include a guided visit of the Mucem (Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations), a day trip to Arles (LUMA Foundation, Actes Sud publishing house, etc), shows at local theaters,...

(Syllabus)

THE MEDITERRANEAN IN THE MODERN WORLD (19th-20th centuries)

This course is an introduction to Mediterranean Studies, aimed at non-specialists and taking a long-term perspective. Class sessions compose a thematic exploration of the specificities of a complex region, a cultural and economic crossroads that is also an interface between land and sea. Unity versus diversity, appropriation versus cooperation, or common trajectories versus inequalities, such contrasts and conflicts characterize the Mediterranean area and more than ever call for this region to be examined in relation to the rest of the world.

During the sessions, students will work with first-hand sources (manuscripts, prints, iconography, films) and cartographic data (diagrams, sketches). They will be invited to discuss these documents critically and thus discover the methods of historical research and geographical reflection.

Typical site visits include a guided tour of the port of Marseille, a hike in the Calanques (Mediterranean geology and ecology), ...

(Syllabus)