Institute of Civilizations

This institute, created in 2012, aims to bring together, coordinate and develop the chairs, teams and specialized libraries housed on the Cardinal-Lemoine site within an interdisciplinary entity. This institute was born out of an observation : born out of " cabinets " linked to chairs, the libraries on the Cardinal-Lemoine site do not correspond to the traditional standards of French university libraries. Instead, we are dealing with research centers that draw on a variety of documentary resources, and the new architectural framework has enhanced this symbiosis. The Institute of Civilizations also contributes to the development of an interdisciplinary approach, with shared research projects led by different professors, based on the pooling of specific skills and a number of services and facilities. Without claiming to be exhaustive, the institute draws on long-established fields of excellence, such as the study of the Greco-Roman world and the various Orientalist specialties that emerged in the ^19th century, as well as others developed more recently.

The Institute of Civilizations was set up following the complete renovation of the Cardinal-Lemoine site. Work began in December 2016, and installation in the renovated premises took place progressively from summer 2020. The Institute of Civilizations is organized into four pôles :" Ancient Egypt and Near East ", " Mediterranean and African Worlds ", " Asian Worlds ", " Anthropologie ". It brings together a number of specialized libraries, heirs to a rich past and also providing access to abundant digital resources : there are many places to consult documents, but the catalogs have now been brought together.

UAR 2409(" Centre de documentation de l'Institut des Civilisations ") enables the CNRS to contribute staff and funding to the Institute's libraries and publications. The site hosts all or part of several research units that unite the Collège de France with the CNRS and various university entities : the " Laboratoire d'anthropologie sociale " (UMR 7130 " LAS ") and " Proche-Orient - Caucase : langues, archéologie, cultures " (UMR 7192 " PROCLAC "), as well as the " Centre d'histoire et civilisation de Byzance " (part of UMR 8167 " Orient et Méditerranée "), the " Centre d'études ottomanes " (one of the components of UMR 8032 " CETOBAC "), the " Centre de recherche sur les civilisations de l'Asie orientale " (UMR 8155 " CRCAO ").

Institute of Civilizations
52, rue du Cardinal-Lemoine - 75005 Paris
Phone : 01 44 27 18 41

Portraits of researchers at the Institute of Civilizations

Researchers from the Institute of Civilizations present their careers and work.

Architectural project

The winning firm, Moussafir Architectes in association with François Cusson, began design studies in January 2015, based on a functional and technical program drawn up in 2013/2014 by Bernard Coby and the ABCD agency in close collaboration with users.

The project was led by Collège de France as part of the Campus operation and IDEX (initiative for excellence), of which Université PSL was a winner.

Some details of the project :

a common reception area
a conference room and exhibition areas
redevelopment of the central garden, now the unifying element of the new institute
7 000 ^m2 of workspace
17 000 linear meters of documentary collections, with capacity to grow to 19 000 linear meters
5 seminar rooms
200 reading places in 6 rooms

Financing :

Project financed for a total budget of 30 million euros as part of the Campus operation of the future investment program, with financial support from the Île-de-France region as part of the State-Region plan contract, support from the Collège de France Foundation and its donors, and the Collège de France Foundation's own equity contribution.

French government as part of the PIA 1 - Plan Campus : €20 M
Collège de France equity : €7 M
Île-de-France Region as part of the CPER : €2 M
Collège de France Foundation : €1 M