French Graduate Research in Art History and Archaelogy: an Introductory Appreciation for America, Librarians, Students, and Researchers by Jean-Pierre V.M
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French Graduate Research in Art History and Archaelogy: An Introductory Appreciation for America, Librarians, Students, and Researchers By Jean-Pierre V.M. Herubel Graduate research represents a unique archaeologists researching international art window into disciplines and their respective historical literature often find reference to research agendas as well as the sustained French intermediate graduate theses and efforts of advanced students. Often theses and doctoral dissertations, without a sense of dissertations not only offer new information what this grey literature means or comprises and knowledge, but they represent the latest (Hérubel, 2008; Rutledge,1994). This study trends in research, methodologies, and addresses such concerns with a preliminary techniques. Moreover, they offer the librarian examination of this grey literature. and researcher valuable indicators of research strengths and future scholarly direction. Researchers’ intent on examining art With this in mind, each discipline’s efforts historical research need to understand degree in acculturating students into disciplinary nomenclature and the various specializations culture and its research philosophies, further produced in French universities and institutes inculcates research interest and leaves in charged with graduate education and research tangible form theses and dissertations. This in art history. For non-French art historians and grey literature is often difficult to find and often librarians working with art history collections, does not find the light of publication. However, knowledge however cursory, of French graduate theses and dissertations are the graduate art history in general and specialized most genuine indicators of a discipline’s core terms can be invaluable. For this reason, this values when research becomes the penultimate study attempts to offer the first preliminary evaluation for advanced students (Buchanan examination of French graduate art historical and Hérubel, 1995). Additionally, this grey research as produced in French institutions of literature remains a rich accumulation of higher education. knowledge verified and vetted by disciplinary faculty who train and educate advanced A preliminary bibliometric profile students into the core values and protocols of French graduate research for 2000- governing a discipline’s intrinsic acculturative 2007 offers an interesting recent profile of principles governing knowledge. graduate specialization, research trends, and institutional affiliations. Librarians Graduate education in art history and researchers have benefited by the follows its own disciplinary cultural practices development of an online database which and emphasizes research at the graduate gathers graduate level research culminating level, especially at the master’s and doctoral in intermediate and doctoral research degree level. It goes without question that art projects. This database contains penultimate historical scholarship is strongly emphasized in graduate research for degrees granted 200- graduate programs where specialization occurs 2007. Regularly augmented, it is housed in and theses and dissertations offer capstone the bibliographic system hosted by INHA, research experiences to advanced students L’Institut national d’histoire de l’art based in who wish to enter various fields where Paris, the National Institute for Art History in advanced and formally trained art historical Paris, France. Although not retrospective, it research are desirable. So it is with the French promises to continue enhancing the database’s art historical discipline. French art history range as it continues to improve functionality programs have a rich heritage producing and coverage. As is the case in France, research at a very high level for a country archaeology and art history can be combined that has fewer programs than North American within departments, depending upon whether universities (Therrien, L. and Monnier, G., archaeology is an integral part of the area 1998; Hérubel, 2007). Art historians and studied, e.g., ancient Egyptian art, or classical Indiana Libraries, Vol. 30, Number 2 52 art, or medieval art where archaeological theories of taste, nowhere more so than analysis and perspectives contribute to within the French academy. For this reason, understanding those periods. and especially for researchers unfamiliar with French graduate art history research, it is French Universities, Art History, and instructive to examine French graduate theses Graduate Studies and dissertations and the specializations they Since the founding of the first universities in represent. medieval Europe, French universities have continued to evolve and produce graduate French graduate studies pose research (de Ridder-Symoens, H., ed., 1992). several problems for North American Especially since the institutionalization of researchers and librarians unfamiliar with disciplines, i.e. art history, history, geography, French university degree structures. Unlike and literature in the latter 19th century, French the Anglo-Saxon version of graduate degrees, higher education has continued to produce i.e. masters (usually the M.A.) and doctoral, advanced research oriented scholarship. Art (usually the Ph.D.) such uniformity does not history has evolved within Frenchinstitutions exist in the French context. French higher of higher education, both within universities education has undergone several periods of and within such tertiary institutions as the reform with corresponding changes in degrees, Ecole de Louvre, or the Ecole des Chartes- especially changes in nomenclature. For -the first trains students in art history and purposes of this study, the most important curatorship and the latter is chiefly responsible reform is that pertaining to the doctorate. for the training of archivists and historians, Prior to the reform of 1984, there existed three as well as art historians. Both contribute to distinctive doctoral degrees, each requiring the corpus of scholarly activity pertaining different intellectual demands and results to the fine arts in general and art history in for very specific purposes. These doctorates particular. Additionally, in France archaeology were research oriented and were considered may be nestled within art history departments. different, but contributory to a discipline’s Often archaeology will exclude the more research base (Hérubel, 2005, 2006, 2007, anthropological and ethnographically oriented 2007): archaeology as practiced in North America. Here Egyptology, Assyriology, Medieval Types of French Doctoral Degrees Archaeology, or Sinology and its more material culture based studies reflect the more art doctorat d'université--Established in 1897 historically oriented interests. However, for all disciplines; for both French & foreign interests attendant to prehistoric archaeology, students [principle population]; most diverse in including settlement studies, or metallurgical quality and duration of studies; did not confer practices are intellectually situated within any professional status in France; ambiguous prehistory and its ethnological perspectives. and least prestigious; dissertation range & strength is only guarantor of quality. Very French art history represents a oriented to autodidactic research and useful to topography of various specializations, replete the sciences. with diverse approaches, philosophical interests and prerogatives, as well as doctorat de 3ième cycle--Established in methodological and technical innovation 1954 for sciences & in 1958 for humanities, and practice. To be certain, as a discipline, social sciences; three year long research French art history is more diverse in its technique oriented, with dissertation in very practice, reflecting an equally diverse and narrow subject within a discipline; indication richly textured intellectual landscape which of pursuing research techniques.; qualifies for can be mapped for its disciplinary research beginning research or university post. Primary characteristics. As art history has evolved, professional doctoral qualification for university incorporating new approaches, and testing teaching at entry level prior to 1984. new critical techniques from literary studies to doctorat d'état--Established in 1810, anthropological readings of art, both aboriginal representing the highest research contribution and contemporary, it has explored well-worn in all fields; 10-20 years (not unusual) subjects, i.e. iconographic research in Medieval of preparation ending in massive chef or Renaissance painting to Internet art and d’oeuvre; necessary for full professorship; its phenomenological aspects. Everywhere art most prestigious doctorate. Upon special historical practice has exploded into social and examination, could be granted for a corpus of political history, economic studies of historical published research over a span of time. art markets, to incorporating sociological 53 Indiana Libraries, Vol. 30, Number 2 doctorat nouveau régime--Established in degrees are abolished since 2004 and starting 1984 for all disciplines; 3-5 years in duration; with 2005-2006 French universities and higher equivalent to and modeled on the American education institutes only offer the degree of Ph.D. master (English spelling used by French), indicating the change. This sample includes habilitation à diriger les recherches-- older degree designations; but as researchers Established in 1984; no time constraint; open examine post 2004 theses, the latter to holders of the