The missions of the EFEO

missions

Fieldwork in Asia

The mission of the EFEO, a public institution under the aegis of the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research, is to study the classical civilizations of Asia through the humanities and social sciences. From India, to China and Japan, and covering all of Southeast Asia, the EFEO's research areas include almost all the societies have been under Indian or Chinese influence in the course of history. Leading scholars working at the EFEO's 18 centres and branch offices in Asia have been essential in the development of the School's research programme. Interdisciplinary projects bring together leading scholars in the fields of anthropology, archaeology, history, philology, and religious studies. Since the vast majority of EFEO members carry out field studies in Asia, the emergence of contemporary issues is obviously of relevance for the School.

A Network of International Excellence in Scholarship

For decades the EFEO and its Asian centres have worked in many Asian and European partnerships. Today centres in Pondicherry, Chiang Mai, Siem Reap, Hanoi, Vientiane and Jakarta have their own premises, whereas several EFEO branch offices are hosted by prestigious universities, research institutes and museums. This is the case of Pune, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Yangon, Phnom Penh, Beijing, Hong Kong, Taipei, Seoul and Tokyo.

The EFEO regularly welcomes scholars for extended periods of field study in its Asian centres, particularly for EFEO led research projects. Visiting scholars benefit from the School's local academic partnerships and its rich documentary collections that represent over a century of research. In view of improving scholarly exchanges, the EFEO and 20 leading European institutions for higher education created the European Consortium for Asian Field Study (ECAF) in 2007. As such the EFEO is now in the centre of an international network of leading scholars in Asian studies.

EFEO News
Call for applications
Paris, France, 09 November 2025
As part of the ANR ChEDiL collaborative research project (Project ANR-23-CE27-0008), the EFEO is inviting applications for a position as a database and digital infrastructure engineer.

The call for applications is open until 9 November 2025.

Find out more
Call for applications
Paris, France, 22 October 2025
As part of PSL University's Grand Programme de Recherche (GPR) "Faire collection", the EFEO is inviting applications for a temporary position in documentary research on the constitution of collections at the EFEO library.

Application deadline: 22 October 2025

Learn more
Library
Paris, France, 21 October 2025
The EFEO library in Paris is open at its usual times, from Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm.
Please make your book reservation requests via the catalogue, and your archive consultation requests via the form on https://archives.efeo.fr/ (bottom left of the home page).

Consult the catalogs and digital tools:
Books and periodicals catalog
- Archives and manuscripts catalog
- Digital heritage library

Please check the EFEO's Facebook page and Twitter account regularly for any updates to the conditions of public access.
Welcoming delegations to the EFEO 2026-2027
Paris, France, 14 October 2025
The recruitment campaign for delegates to the EFEO for the year 2026-2027 is now open. Applications must be submitted no later than 14 October 2025.

Learn more (in French)
EFEO Field Scholarships - 1st Semester 2026
Paris, France, 10 October 2025

Call for applications for the EFEO Field Scholarships - 1st Semester 2026:

The deadline for submitting an application to an EFEO Field Scholarships for Master and PhD students enabling a field study in Asia at one of the EFEO centers is set to the 10th of Ocotber 2026.
New Publication
Pondicherry,

A Manual on the Practice of Haṭhayoga
An Edition and Translation of the Pune Manuscript of the Haṭhābhyās

By Jason BIRCH, Mark SINGLETON and James MALLINSON 

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Call for applications
Paris, France, 03 October 2025
As part of the ANR AltLife-SSEA collaborative research project (Project-ANR- 25-CE55-0805), the EFEO is inviting applications for a postdoctoral/contract researcher position in anthropology.

Application deadline : 3 October 2025

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