Research workshop organised by the Technische Universität Berlin (Fachgebiet Digitale Provenienzforschung) and the Institut national d’histoire

Since the 19th century, diplomatic actors have been involved not only in the management of cultural policies abroad, but also in the transnational circulation of artworks. Purchases, donations and loans often passed bureaucratically and physically through the political spaces of embassies and consulates, forming a link with the cultural policies of the nations involved. In the turbulent history of the neighbouring countries of France and Germany, in times of peace as well as in times of violence, the role of the actors of cultural diplomacy constitutes an important field of research for art history, the exploration of which should be continued and encouraged.

Starting from this Franco-German framework, this three-part research workshop will examine the complex transnational links between embassies and foreign offices between 1870 and 1989, and will question the complex nature of the sources in the Politischen Archiv des Auswärtigen Amtes in Berlin and in the Centre des archives diplomatiques du ministère des Affaires étrangères in La Courneuve. The main aim is to create a space for professional exchange between young researchers.

The first part of the workshop will take place in Berlin (20-22 March 2023), the second in Paris (26-28 April 2023), and a final event in the form of a public event in Berlin in spring 2024. In the first two workshops, the selected participants will present the contributions submitted to this call and discuss their research in a safe and supportive environment. On the basis of these discussions, each participant will then be able to write an article that will be published in an open-access scientific blog. The participants will share the results of their work at a conference in 2024.

This research workshop is aimed at young researchers (students at an advanced stage of their master's degree, doctoral students, post-doctoral students) whose studies relate to the themes explored here. Special consideration will be given to candidates who have already carried out research in one of the above-mentioned archives. However, work on primary sources of a comparable nature and on the subject of the workshop will also be considered. Applications on topics outside the Franco-German pairing that take advantage of the sources in Berlin and La Courneuve are also welcome and encouraged.

 Contributions may address, but are not limited to:

  • The impact of cultural diplomacy actors on the circulation of works of art, their encouragement or prevention
  • Temporary exhibitions and cultural diplomacy
  • The relationship between cultural diplomacy and the art market, museums, galleries, and/or private collections
  • The collections of diplomatic institutions
  • The relationship between art and cultural policy actors in times of conflict or violence
  • Works of art as diplomatic gifts, bilateral loans, and the political, cultural, and symbolic significance of these gestures
  • Methodological insights into the study of diplomatic actors and their networks.

The participants are expected to attend all three sessions in Berlin and Paris. Travel and accommodation costs may be covered on a flat-rate basis in order to enable each person to participate in this workshop, provided that they do not have individual support in the form of doctoral funding or employment. 

At least a passive knowledge of both German and French is expected, but the common working language will be English. Spontaneous translations between French and German are explicitly encouraged and will be supported by the project leaders. 

 Please send an abstract of your contribution for a 20-minute presentation (max. 3000 characters incl. spaces, in English), as well as a short description of your research focus (e.g. dissertation topic or planned master's thesis, max. 500 characters incl. spaces, in English, French or German), and a curriculum vitae by email by 30.11.2022, 23:59 (Berlin-Paris time) to: Iñigo Salto Santamaría ([email protected]), Anna-Jo Weier ([email protected]) and Dr. Victor Claass ([email protected]).

This research workshop is funded by the Franco-German University. It is jointly organised by the Technische Universität Berlin (Fachgebiet Digitale Provenienzforschung) and the Institut national d’histoire de l’art.