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Review of the site of Ivry (ex SPAN)
Created in October, 1962, the co-operative Research on Programme n°11, « Object and methods of an ethnosociologie compared of the Black Africa » regrouped 36 researchers (among whom 24 of the NATIONAL CENTRE FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH), among whom several thought before were attached to centres in Africa (who knew a change of status further to independence). Among its members, this RCP counted several researchers whose careers are going to persist in URA 221 : Mr Cartry, There. Cissé, G. Dieterlen, G. Moal, J. Rouch, A. de Surgy, and J.F. Vincent.
Jean Rouch was indicated by the NATIONAL CENTRE FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH as representative for the RCP 11, the standing committee of which included subcommissions of ethnology, of sociology, of geography and of psychology. Archaeology, prehistory and cinematography found a place there. RCP centered its attention on the ancient colonies of Western and equatorial Africa, and notably on the region going from the Senegal to Chad.
During first three years of the existence, RCP 11 tried hard to raise an inventory of the researchers and of organisms, to set up a normalised administration and to prepare the installation of true interdisciplinary research programmes. The importance of missions among its activities is read in figures : 56 missions of a length from 4 to 15 months during first three years. Under the aegis of the NATIONAL CENTRE FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH, RCP 11 organised a symposium from 21 till 26 October 1968 in Paris dedicated to the phenomena of possession under the presidency of J. Rouch and R. Bastide.
At the end of 1968, members of the RCP 11 formed, conducted by German Dieterlen, the Research group 11, with its seat in 44, street of Bellechasse, 75007 Paris and, then, in 23, street of Morocco, 75019 Paris. This new called training « Study of religious phenomena in Western and equatorial Africa » dedicated itself to comparative researches of myths and of rituals bantu and in study : rituals and initiatory societies in Mali, voltaic religions, and worship of possession and geniuses in Niger. In its programme, this GR put down « as a precondition in any study of religions the elucidation of the systems of thoughts worked out by those the same which are the supporters ». These about fifteen researchers tied a particular importance to the establishment of permanent links with Africain research institutes on the ground.
With the help of the NATIONAL CENTRE FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH, GR 11 organised international symposium « The notion of nobody in Black Africa » under the presidency of G. Dieterlen from 11 till 17 October 1971 in Paris. In 1973 appeared to Editions of the NATIONAL CENTRE FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH the book, The notion of nobody in Black Africa. At the end of 1973, GR 11 moved to the site of the current Regional Delegation Paris A in 27, street Paul Bert in Ivry. The same year, it subjected a plan for the creation of a laboratory linked to the Practical Section of Sciences Religieuses de l' École of High Studies to the Sorbonne.
So had been born 221, Systems of thought in Black Africa, in January, 1974 under the joint direction of Luke de Heusch and of Michel Cartry. From 1978, Mr Cartry assured alone the direction of the laboratory until 1990 ; and in 1991, Alfred Adler took over till the end of 1997. This linked laboratory (become in 1989 Unit of Linked Research [URA] 221]) regrouped about fifteen researchers and teachers interested by the study of myths, classificatoires systems and magico-religious practices of the Africain societies. He devoted itself as objective « to multiply and to deepen the experiments of ground with the worry of a permanent reappraisal of theoretical hypotheses [in religious anthropology] according to the indigenous models of explanation ». Inquiries into the ground remained a priority. The field of study « goes beyond widely all practices and representations commonly qualified as nuns [and] honest of problems which raise other disciplines, as for example history, linguistics, aesthetics and psychoanalysis ».
In 1975 is appeared conducted by L. de Heusch the first number of the notebook of the laboratory, also called Systems of thought in Black Africa. Published by the Practical School of High Studies since 1983, this notebook has as objective, from collective researches led as part of the laboratory and of the its teams, to ask questions on major topics of religious anthropology. Every volume is dedicated to a topic : sacrifice (5 volumes), mourning and its rituals (3 volumes), fetishism (2 volumes), traditional calendars, sacred kingship, ritual treatment of the murderers, and totémisme. Thanks to sales and to exchanges of publications, the printing (currently 800 copies) is exhausted over a period of nine years. About a third of sales takes a destination out of France, and most exchanges take place with foreign partners.
In its collective job, led as part of fortnightly meetings, the laboratory deepened its researches on the sacrifice. Besides five numbers of the notebook dedicated to this topic (from 1976 till 1983), are appeared : in 1986, the book The sacrifice in Africain religions of L. de Heusch ; and in 1987, the joint publication, Under the mask of the animal. Trials on the sacrifice in Black Africa conducted by Mr Cartry.
From 1980, 221 restructured itself in teams regrouping several researchers around a common topic : the notion of fetish and the object ; the rituals of mourning ; the initiatory societies ; small childhood ; the ritual and its film representation ; sacred kingship ; language and ritual ; the anthropology of Africain arts ; new religious movements ; and political anthropology.
In 1998, URA 221 became him IN UPRES-A 8048 (Clean Research unit of Higher education Linked to the NATIONAL CENTRE FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH), conducted by Michael Houseman.
Since 2002 and for the new four-year contract between the NATIONAL CENTRE FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH and EPHE, her IN UPRES-A was transformed into UMR 8048 (Mixed Research unit CNRS-EPHE), always conducted by Michael Houseman.
At the end of 2004, SPAN introduced with MALD (UMR 8054) and IEA (UMR 6124) a plan of fusion for the creation of new UMR from January 1st, 2006 which will be called Centre of studies of the Africain worlds (Donatecarcenter.com) and who is run by Pierre Boilley. The direction of the team of Ivry is assured by Odile Journet, additional head of the Donatecarcenter.com.
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