Patrick Boucheron – External Activities

"Histoire de" on France Inter

A weekly program hosted by Patrick Boucheron, airing every Sunday at 1:20 p.m. on France Inter.

Produced by Xavier Pestuggia and Jérôme Boulet. Production assistant: Ophélie Vivier.

We ask too much of historians. Some expect them to judge the past and bring order to history. Others expect them to extol the nation’s greatness and reassure us of the strength of our sense of belonging. But historians are here neither to unite nor to accuse. They are here to complicate our relationship with the past. For while we ask too much of historians, we never ask enough of history itself. History is capable of more and better, as long as it remains open, diverse, engaging, and rebellious. Then anything goes—including discussing controversial topics. We will approach this with candor and simplicity, through a series of conversations with today’s thinkers and creators who are eager to embrace our entire history.

Making History

A series created by Patrick Boucheron in collaboration with Yann Potin on Arte.

Directed by Tamara Erde, Jean-Dominique Ferrucci, and Adrien Genoudet.

This new history series from Patrick Boucheron explores history through the lens of objects. Each week, historians recount the story of an object, combining narrative and analysis. Anything can “make history”: mass-produced items, iconic objects, one-of-a-kind pieces, cherished items, materials, and documents.

When History Makes History

A series directed by Patrick Boucheron.
Directed by: Denis van Waerebeke, Lucie Cariès, and Pascal Goblot.

33, 1492, 1789, 1945... How did these dates find their way into our collective memory? Who decided which of them were memorable? How is an event constructed—why, for whom—and how does it ultimately make its way into history textbooks? Historian Patrick Boucheron revisits some of these dates to explore how they help us today grasp the broader picture of global history. For there are many different calendars in the world... Not a single history, but a multitude of intertwined histories.

Technical Details

Featuring: Patrick Boucheron
Writers: Patrick Boucheron & Denis van Waerebeke
Co-producer: ARTE
Producers: Serge Lalou and Valérianne Boué - Les Films d’Ici.

“Encountering History” at the Théâtre National de Bretagne (TNB)

Patrick Boucheron has been an associate researcher at the Théâtre National de Bretagne (TNB) since 2017. Each month, drawing inspiration from the performances and current events throughout the season, he invites other collaborators—academics or artists—to join him in conceptualizing and creating the events for the “Encountering History” series, conceived and designed for the TNB.

“Villa Albertine”

In 2022, Patrick Boucheron is a resident at “Villa Albertine” in the United States (New York, Boston, Chicago) to develop a historical and theatrical project titled “The Plague in the U.S.”

“Our Entire History” at the Maison de la Culture de Seine-Saint-Denis

A series of talks curated by Patrick Boucheron.

We ask too much of historians. Some expect them to judge the past and bring order to history. Others expect them to extol the nation’s greatness and reassure us of the strength of our sense of belonging. But historians are here neither to unite nor to accuse. They are here to complicate our relationship with the past. For while we ask too much of historians, we never ask enough of history itself. History is capable of more and better, as long as it remains open, diverse, engaging, and rebellious. Then anything goes—including discussing controversial topics. We will pursue this with candor and simplicity, through a series of conversations with today’s thinkers and creators, who are eager to embrace our entire history.

Artist in Residence at Le Grand T in Nantes

Patrick Boucheron is an artist-in-residence at the Grand T in Nantes. He served as artistic director for the three editions of the Nous Autres festival (2015, 2017, and 2019). He is participating in the 2020 edition with *Boule à neige* , a performance created with Mohamed El Khatib, whom he met during Nous Autres.

Food for Thought

Since the start of the 2018 school year, Professor Patrick Boucheron has been hosting a monthly episode of the program “Matière à penser” on France Culture. Five guests are invited to discuss a historical topic with Patrick Boucheron. The podcasts are available on the France Culture website.

The "Nous autres" Festival, featuring Le Grand T Theater

Directed by Patrick Boucheron and Catherine Blondeau.
Guest of honor: Natalie Zemon Davis.

Bringing together artists, historians, curators, enthusiasts, and students to explore history in a new way—that’s the goal of the Nous autres festival! The festival’s third edition is dedicated to “men-of-the-world.” With its creative curator, Patrick Boucheron; its guest of honor, American historian Natalie Zemon Davis; its resident storyteller, Sébastien Barrier; and all manner of enthusiasts from every walk of life, “Nous autres” will blend the subtle ripples of unique personal stories with the resounding echoes of world history. By choosing to focus on “men of the world,” this edition pays tribute to the many incarnations of our humanity. Between the fiction of the self and the fiction of the other, between the tragedy of exile and the joy of encounter, between Pierre Michon’s deeply rooted giants and Édouard Glissant’s creolized existences, the aim is always to delve into the question of “We” with the same joyful tenacity.