Laboratories
ANHIMA (UMR 8210) – Anthropology and History of Ancient Societies(CNRS, Paris 1, EPHE, EHESS).
CESSMA (UMR 245)
The Centre for Social Science Studies on the African, American and Asian Worlds (CESSMA) is a joint research unit (UMR 245) created in 2014 following the merger of various scientific teams. CESSMA is affiliated with three institutions, namely Université de Paris, the National Institute for Eastern Languages and Cultures (INALCO), and the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD).
The laboratory’s mission is to analyze developments and transformative changes in the Global South, in light of the effects of globalization, using socio-historical and territorial criteria as part of its analyses. The members of our research unit have diverse backgrounds ranging from cultural studies to development issues, but they all share a common practice of social sciences rooted in interdisciplinarity, comparative studies, and dialogue with scientific stakeholders who reside in the countries of study.
The unit covers a range of disciplines and benefits from the contributions of historians, geographers, sociologists, anthropologists, economists, demographers and urban planners. Fieldwork is conducted in Central and South America, Africa and the Arabic-speaking world, and South, Southeast and East Asia.
GÉOGRAPHIE-CITÉS (UMR 8504) – (CNRS, Paris 1, EHESS)
The Géographie-Cités research unit boasts over 60 professors, researchers, engineers, and technicians, and around 80 doctoral candidates. Members carry out research using theoretical and epistemological considerations, quantitative and qualitative methods, empirical data, and comparative approaches. Using this shared foundation, the three teams in the unit, namely CRIA, EHGO and PARIS, develop their research on their specific areas of interest.
ICT (EA 337) – Identities, Cultures, Territories
The Identities, Cultures and Territories (ICT, EA 337) Laboratory is a research unit made up of history and civilization specialists focusing on medieval, modern and contemporary periods of history, both in and outside of Europe (the English-speaking, German-speaking and Spanish-speaking worlds). The laboratory is affiliated with two departments, namely the Department of Geography, History, Economics and Societal Studies (GHES) and the Department of Intercultural Studies and Applied Languages (EILA).
The scientific goals of the ICT were designed based on an interdisciplinary and intercultural approach to history. The laboratory also strives to work with other disciplines in social sciences and the humanities, and even with the natural sciences and medicine. Interculturality, which is defined as the interaction between cultures, the analysis of movement dynamics and translation, and which includes scope and links between global and local matters, is one of the fundamentals of our research. Our researchers work in a variety of areas and examine territorial dynamics, matters relating to the movement of people and knowledge, and forms of exclusion and conflict. Gender is one of the essential research areas of the laboratory, as well as issues pertaining to heritage. This is made possible thanks to an agreement with the professors of Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture Paris Val de Seine (ENSAPVS) who conduct research in our laboratory.
LADYSS (UMR 7533) – Laboratoire Dynamiques Sociales et Recomposition des Espaces (CNRS, Paris 1, Paris 8, Paris Nanterre).
The Laboratory of Social Dynamics and Spatial Reconstruction (LADYSS) is a multidisciplinary research unit with locations on four university campuses, namely Université Paris 1, Université de Paris, Université Paris 8 and Université Paris 10. Its research focuses on the processes by which individuals and social groups lay roots in communities, and the ways in which both collective and public actions are created, at different levels (locally, regionally and internationally) and at varying levels of population density (scarcely populated rural areas to metropolitan centers and suburban areas). The laboratory’s geography specialists focus more specifically on biodiversity at the local level and examine the relationship between the environment and social issues. Questions raised include the role of nature in cities, sustainable management of the environment, human and non-human conflicts, “alternative” development practices, environmental movements, among others. The methods used are both qualitative (interviews, participant observations) and quantitative (charts, remote sensing, modeling).
LADYSS (UMR 7533) – Laboratoire Dynamiques Sociales et Recomposition des Espaces website
PRODIG (UMR 8586) – (CNRS, Paris 1, IRD, AgroParisTech).
PRODIG is a joint research unit which incorporates the CNRS, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Université de Paris, the IRD, AgroParisTech, and Sorbonne Université. The unit has over 150 members, including 61 permanent members (researchers, professors, engineers, technicians, administrative staff), 5 professors emeritus, 65 doctoral candidates and 37 associate members. Members conduct their work in a number of fields with a focus on Africa, Latin America, Asia and Europe. Their research covers three themes and one interdisciplinary project:
- Theme 1 – Productive Processes and Exchange, Territorial Regulations and Dynamics
- Theme 2 – Metropolization, Circulation and Urban Dynamics
- Theme 3 – Environmental Changes and Societal Issues
- Interdisciplinary Project: AVIGéo
PRODIG places significant importance on the use of geographic information in its research, through the implementation of the AVIGEO project. Members of PRODIG lecture at the graduate level and contribute to a range of training programs both locally and internationally. The unit leads more than 30 research projects in collaboration with French and international organizations. PRODIG is affiliated with three doctoral schools, and over 80 doctoral candidates have defended their theses since 2014. Our members’ publications can be found on the HAL open archive. Thanks to its four locations, PRODIG benefits from tremendous synergy.
RIATE (UMS 2414)
The Interdisciplinary Network for European Spatial Planning (UMS RIATE) participates in projects that focus on methodologies and tools used for territorial analysis. It supports research by developing cross-sectional skills and sharing knowledge relating to geographic, scientific and technical information. Since 2002, the RIATE unit has participated in a large number of European projects and has acquired extensive expertise, particularly through the ESPON program. Thanks to its expertise in digital humanities, the unit’s pattern of research activities promotes the dissemination of free and open source data and methodologies.
RIATE has developed and continues to maintain the thematic cartography starter tool Magrit for its students. It has also developed a range of open source geomatics programs using the R programming language with its team of engineers, which are available on Riatelab. Each year, one or two students can carry out an internship at RIATE (particularly students of the master’s in Geographical Modelling or Cartography; internship announcements are published in the first semester for ongoing projects). It also hosts “resident” researchers and professors who work on methodologies and development issues. RIATE’s engineers also contribute to the geomatics courses at Université Paris Cité.
For more information, visit the website
LIED (UMR 8236) – unit (Université Paris Cité, Chimie Paristech, CNRS), which is managed by the Physics Department, also participates in the work of the GHES Department
The main focus of the LIED’s research is the past, present and future of energy transitions. The study of an issue as complex as an energy transition involves the use of expertise from a broad range of disciplines, and our laboratory features research from the fields of physics, biology, the humanities, and social sciences. The collaboration among specialists from distinct disciplines does not seek to create an “interdisciplinary science”, which may be difficult to conceive. Rather, it incites researchers to open their minds to other ways of examining issues and produce data that shows multiple perspectives and insights.