Florence Androver’s research focused on an as yet unexploited and uninventoried collection: that of one of the great explorers of Central Asia at the beginning of the 20th century (Manchuria, Afghanistan, Mongolia). The analysis aimed to place the explorer-photographer in the geopolitical context of his time and his representations of Central Asia, a commercial crossroads and a coveted strategic area. It also looked at the uniqueness of his photographic practice, contributing to a history of the techniques of exploration photography.
Enhancement
– Writing of a note on the collection, which will be used as a basis for consultation in the reading room
– Presentation of the research project at the Journée d’études des chercheurs associés à la BnF (site Richelieu), 5 April 2024
– Interview in Chroniquesn°100, April-July 2024: Dans les pas d’un photographe -explorateur.
– Bouillane de Lacoste’s early work on the Yunnan railway will be covered in a thesis currently in preparation
– Co-organisation of a study day on photographic practices used during the explorations that took place in Asia between 1860 and 1950 with Anne Dalles-Maréchal, an anthropologist and lecturer at the University of St-Etienne Jean Monnet, and a researcher associated with the Sociétés, Religions, Laïcités Group, a joint research unit under the auspices of the CNRS and the EPHE. She works as an associate researcher at the BnF, in the Philosophy, History and Human Sciences department, on the publications of Christian missionaries (Catholic and Protestant) in North Asia from the 18th to the 20th century. The event will take place on Friday 13 June 2025, at the Campus Condorcet.
Publication of the proceedings of the Study Day.