French Provincial Centers of Documentation and Research on Africa

Extract

This article, the first of a series of three, is a checklist of French institutions outside of Paris which undertake research or documentation activities on the African continent. The second article will list institutions in the Paris area; and the third, unaffiliated periodicals.

Although many of the scholars and librarians interviewed expressed a growing interest in other parts of the continent, the major focus of activity remains “Afrique francophone,” i.e., the former French colonies south of the Sahara and Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia. A few centers, following the lead of the Secrétariat d'Etat chargé de la Coopération, are also interested in the former Belgian colonies.

The material is based on a series of field trips to Le Havre, Lyon, Marseille, Aix-en-Provence, and Bordeaux between September 1965 and April 1966, extensive correspondence, and research in relevant reference works when necessary. The centers visited were without exception extremely helpful and were interested to know more about research on Africa in the United States.