Collections

Photolibrary Collections

The EFEO's collection of photographs and glass plates constitutes an exceptional documentary resource (archaeology, statuary, architecture, epigraphy, ethnography, etc.) covering many different countries (Cambodia, Vietnam, India, China, Thailand, Laos, etc.). Based on photographs taken during archaeological excavations and expeditions carried out by the School since 1910, the collection gradually expanded thanks to a number of gifts (the Dalet, Bacot, Boulbet, and Bénisti holdings, among others). The photographs, most of them as yet unpublished, will all eventually be digitised.

The photographic collection is of major historic interest. Some of the images feature archaeological sites and monuments before they suffered the irreparable effects of war and pillage; used in conjunction with diaries from archaeological excavations, they make it possible to recreate the way in which restoration work and research was conducted on a day-to-day basis.

Some figures:

  • CAMBODIA: 30,000 indexed digital photos (archaeology, architecture, statuary, iconography, epigraphy, ethnography, etc.);
  • VIETNAM: approximately 7,000 photos (archaeology, iconography, museum collections, etc.) as well as 1,500 indexed digital photos of the Champa region;
  • CHINA: approximately 3,000 photos (archaeology, ethnology, art, museography, graphic documents, etc.);
  • INDIA: several thousand photos;
  • LAOS: 3,000 photos, of which approximately 1,200 dealing with ethnology;
  • SIAM: approximately 2,000 photos (archaeology, various sites, museum collections, etc.)
  • 7,000 glass plates - mostly of Cambodia and Vietnam - have been digitised (the H. Marchal, H. Parmentier, J. Bacot, L. Finot, Ch. Carpeaux collections).
EFEO News
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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Workshop
Pondicherry, India, 28 October 2024

The workshop "Alternative life projects in rural Southeast Asia: Reflecting on post-development through a study of diverse emplaced collectives" will be held from 28 to 30 October at the EFEO Centre in Pondicherry.