Presentation of the Germaine Tillion – Tomorrow, the Mediterranean – Région Sud/Iméra Chair
The Germaine Tillion Chair, a result of a partnership between the Région Sud, Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur, and Iméra (Institute for Advanced Study of Aix-Marseille), aims to develop top-level international interdisciplinary and forward-looking research on the general theme “Tomorrow, the Mediterranean,” focusing on the Mediterranean world and its future.
The name of ethnologist Germaine Tillion (1907-2008) was chosen for this chair because she embodies a prominent figure of action: a member of the resistance within the Musée de l’Homme network, deported to Ravensbrück, and a major figure in Western knowledge production on Mediterranean societies, particularly through her work on North Africa where she began her research in the 1930s. Her landmark book The Harem and the Cousins was published after the Algerian War, during which her complex humanist engagement against torture and for the creation of social centers remained central to her relationship with the Mediterranean world.
The Germaine Tillion Chair specifically focuses on “Tomorrow, the Mediterranean.” It aims to explore and imagine possible futures for the Mediterranean in the Anthropocene era, considering climate disruptions and the transformation of our planet, which prompt us to think of this world as an evolving bio-region, in both its human realities and the transformation of ways of life.
This call for applications is addressed to senior academics and researchers from all disciplines, with international scientific recognition (awards, publications, international expertise, etc.). The holder of the Germaine Tillion Chair, selected by a scientific committee, will be hosted in residence in Marseille to conduct research in collaboration with teams and laboratories of Aix-Marseille University and partner structures of the Région Sud. The duration of the residency is 10 months, or 5 months for two holders.
The general theme of the Germaine Tillion Chair, “Tomorrow, the Mediterranean,” particularly welcomes research topics such as:
- The major human challenges raised by the Anthropocene, on a Mediterranean scale
- The transformation of ways of life in the face of climate change
- Anticipating urban changes and territorial policies
- Social, democratic, and freedom movements
- National, political, religious and identity movements
- The expectations and horizons of younger generations
About the Chair partner
The Région Sud, Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur is a regional authority. Its role is to provide public service, ensuring the general interest of the inhabitants, their well-being, and equal opportunities in the regional territory.
