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
New publication
Paris, France,


Arts Asiatiques 79 (2024)

École française d'Extrême-Orient, Paris, 2025, 164 pages.

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EFEO Field Scholarships - 2nd Semester 2025
Paris, France, 31 March 2025
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 31st of March 2025.
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New Publication
Paris, France,

Bulletin de l'École française d'Extrême-Orient 110 (2024)
École française d'Extrême-Orient, Paris, 2025, 436 pages

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The EFEO leaves X
Paris, France, 20 January 2025

The École française d'Extrême-Orient (EFEO) is ceasing its activity on X (formerly Twitter). This decision is due to the editorial evolution of the platform which, by breaking with the European code of good practice against online disinformation, has become incompatible with the values of a French public institution of higher education and research. The EFEO, like a number of universities and higher education establishments, has therefore decided to no longer have an active account on the X network, a decision put into practice on 20 January 2025.
In Memoriam
Paris, France, 06 January 2025
Pierre-Sylvain Filliozat (1936-2024)

It is with great sadness that we learn of the death of Pierre-Sylvain Filliozat, which occurred in Paris on 28 December 2024.
Our thoughts are with his family and friends in Europe and India.

Read the In Memoriam (In French)
Winter School in Buddhist Textual Scholarship
Chiang Mai,Thailand, 25 November 2024
The call for applications for the Winter School in Buddhist Textual Scholarship to be held in Chiang Mai from February 24 to March 1st, 2025 is open until 25 November 2024.

Poster
Details of the program

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New publication
Kyoto,

Cahiers d'Extrême-Asie, vol. 33 (2024)
Approching the High Plateau from the Archipelago
Tibetan Studies in Japan  
Approcher le Haut plateau depuis l'Archipel
Les études tibétaines au Japon

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