ROMAIN GAIGNARD: ADMINISTRATOR OF THE AMERICANIST RESEARCH (1936-2020)

From Wednesday september 22nd to Friday, september 24th

Centre de Colloques, room 100

Organization : Mona Huerta (CNRS), Daniel Pouyllau (RAFID) and Loup Renaudineau (Institut des Amériques)

Romain Gaignard (1936-2021), Geographer and Latin American specialist, focused on Argentina, was a teacher at the Université de Toulouse before becoming president from 1996 to 2001. He was formerly the director of the cooperations and international relations of the Ministère de l’Education Nationale during the period of Alain Savary and the presidency of François Mitterrant. During his professional career he was able to consolidate and develop studies on Latin America in France while supporting an existing structure (Institut des Hautes Etudes de l’Amérique Latine) while also creating new ones (Institut Pluridisciplinaire pour les Etudes sur l’Amérique Latine à Toulouse, Le Groupe de Recherche sur l’Amérique Latine et le Centre de Documentation sur l’Amérique Latine à Toulouse).During the course of his actions he proved to be a very strong networker, creating links between the principal French establishments of geography and culture in the Americas (GRECO 26, GDR 26, GIS Amérique Latine) and on a European scale (Réseau Européen de Documentation et d’Information sur l’Amérique Latine, Consejo Europeo de Investigaciones sobre Amérique Latina). He continued to follow the evolution of the work he pioneered which permitted the transition from the Latin American network toward the GIS Amérique Latine. He also contributed significantly to the consolidation and the transmission of the studies of this cultural area in France and on a global scale. The goal of this exibition is to carry on his actions and promote the visibility and value of the scientific sectors and international cooperation surrounding the Americas.