Transfopress: transnational network for the study of foreign language press

The international network of Transfopress is dedicated to the study of the press published in languages other than the national language(s). Its aim is to contribute not only to the history of the press, but also to the construction of national identities and cultures.
Founded in 2012, on the initiative of researchers from the Centre d'histoire culturelle des Sociétés contemporaines at the Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (Paris Saclay), the network boasts around a hundred members from over twenty countries. Transfopress research groups have been set up in Brazil (http://transfopressbrasil.franca.unesp.br), in Mexico in collaboration with the Hemeroteca de la Biblioteca nacional de Mexico, in Spain in conjunction with the University of the Balearic Islands, and in Italy in cooperation with the University of Rome III.

• How the network works

In the photo, the members of the steering committee from right to left: Diana Cooper-Richet (CHCSC/UVSQ/Paris-Saclay), Nicolas Pitsos (CHCSC/UVSQ/Paris-Saclay et CREE/Inalco), Krystian Klekot (Sorbonne Universté/Eur’ORBEM), Everton Vieira Barbosa (CHCSC/UVSQ/Paris-Saclay et Université Sorbonne Paris Nord/Pléiade), Ons Debbech (CHCSC/UVSQ/Paris-Saclay and Université Paris 8) and Isabelle Richet (LARCA/Paris Université).

The network operates flexibly. Members are free to take initiatives. A six-member Steering Committee (see photo) meets regularly in Paris or at meetings organized abroad.
In France, the network is associated with a number of institutions, such as the Service Presse de la BnF, LARCA, La Contemporaine (ex-BDIC), BULAC, and the Médias 19 program. Abroad, Transfopress is linked to the UNESP Franca campus, the Fundação Casa de Rui Barbosa and the Fundação Biblioteca Nacional (FBN) in Rio de Janeiro.
Transfopress is supported by the CHCSC, but has also been supported by a French Chair in Brazil (2013), by Patrima - in the form of a post-doctoral fellowship - (2014-2016), by a position as Directeur d'Étude Associé (DEA) at the Maison des Sciences de l'Homme in Paris (2015), by two Curran Fellowships awarded by the Research Society for Victorian Periodicals and by a grant from the Institut d'Etudes Avancées in Paris (2019-2020).
 

• Transfopress-Europe Seminar (2014-2019)

The Transfopress-Europe seminar has been organized as a forum for the exchange and pooling of the work of European researchers, enabling them to compare their results, define common lines of work and present their findings to the public. Programs are available on the Transfopress-Europe website, under « Activités », then « Séminaire ».
 

• Transfopress conferences

The programs are available on the website, under « Activities” than « Rencontres annuelles ».
- 1st Transfopress Conference, November 2013 at BnF Paris,
- 2nd Transfopress Conference, November 2014, at UNESP, Sao Paulo (Brésil)
- 3rd Transfopress Conference, November 2015 at University of Malaga (Espagne)
- 4th Transfopress Conference, November 2016 at Biblioteca nacional de México
- 5 th Transfopress Conference, October 2017 at Paris Diderot University
- Transfopress régional symposium, March 2018 at University of Bucarest (Roumanie)
- 6 th Transfopress Conference, May 2019 at Roma III University (Italie)
- 7 th Transfopress Conference, October 2021 at Valparaíso, Chili (Online, Covid)
- 8th Transfopress Conference, March 2022 at INALCO Paris
- 9th Transfopress Conference, May 2023 at University of Sarre in Sarrebruck (Allemagne)
- 10th Transfopress Conference, May 2024 at University of Seville (Espagne)
 

• Meetings, round-table discussions and other activities

The various activities organized by members of the Transfopress network enable reflection, analysis and discussion on the many dimensions of the allophone press (modes of production, circulation and reading; economic, political and cultural aspects; issues of language, literature and translation; the participation of professionals and other individuals; etc.) in a micro- and/or macro-spatial and temporal way.
The activities are available on the network's website, under the tab « Actualités ».
 

• Upcoming events:

Upcoming events are available on the network website, under the tab « Appels à communications ».
- Journée d’étude « La presse allophone et les arts du spectacle, 1830-1914 », 4 avril 2025, à l’Institut d’Études Avancées à Paris
- Colloque « Presse étudiante en résistances et dissidences fin XIXe – XXe siècle en Europe médiane », 22 et 23 mai 2025 à la Maison de Recherche de l’INALCO à Paris
- Journée d’étude « La presse francophone au Brésil : siècles XIX et XX », prévue septembre 2025 à l’Ambassade du Brésil à Paris
- Colloque international « La presse des exilés politiques en Méditerranée (XIXe-XXe siècle) : une pratique de résistance », 16-17 octobre 2025, à l’Université de Cagliari (Italie)
- Journée d’étude « La presse polonaise allophone en Europe: un enjeu (trans)national ? » est prévue le 4 décembre 2025, à la Bibliothèque Polonaise à Paris
- 11ème Rencontre Transfopress prévue pour 2026 à l’Université Paul Valéry, à Montpellier
- 12ème Rencontre Transfopress prévue pour 2027 à l’Université d’Athènes (Grèce)
 

• Projects :

The Transfopress network is currently considering the organization of a series of study days in and on cities that have welcomed large foreign communities and their presses: Salonika; Tunis; London, Rio de Janeiro, etc. The projects are available on the network's website, under the tab « Accueil ».
 

• Publications

Transfopress network members make every effort to publicize the results of their work. All publications, from the earliest days, are available on the network's website, under the « Ressources » tab, then « Publications », or click on the image below to see the different publications.