Missions

The MSH at Clermont Ferrand is part of a national MSH network, as well as being a research unit in itself under the aegis of the UCA and the CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique). It comprises the 15 research departments in the humanities and social sciences at UCA. It is interdisciplinary, aiming to provide an environment in which projects can be conceived and launched, as well as carrying out its own research work. It also provides support for the HSS community by making various services available on a daily basis (accounting, documentation, IT, logistics, translation, etc.) and the expertise of its technological support platforms in different domains: geomatics (IntelEspace), digitization in the humanities (ArchiTex), audiovisual (Focale SHS) and large data handling (Plateforme Universitaire des Données). The MSH hosts the university press (Presses universitaires Blaise-Pascal), which specializes in university publications and coffee table books.

The MSH is the point of contact for numerous local authorities and cultural institutions in France and abroad, keeping dialogue alive between local stakeholders on major societal issues. It also partners national research infrastructures such as Huma-Num and Progedo.

Our History 

The successive directors

  •     1999 – 2004: Jean-Luc Fray, Professor of medieval history
  •     2004 – 2006: Sylviane Coyault, Professor of French literature
  •     2006 – 2009: Laurent Jaffro, Professor of philosophy
  •     2009 – 2013: Laurent Rieutord, Professor of geography
  •     2014 – 2020: Jean-Philippe Luis, Professor of contemporary history / Assistant director, Michel Streith (DR CNRS)
  •     2021 – …: Sophie Chiari, Professor of English literature

From 1999 to the present day 

The origins of the MSH can be traced back to a research department belonging to the former University of Blaise Pascal (UBP), the “Maison de la Recherche”, part of the “UFR Lettres, Langues et Sciences Humaines”, established in 1999. In May 2004, this department expanded to incorporate external researchers (including psychologists and education scientists) and it went on to apply for, and obtain, the national MSH network label, with the objective of stimulating inter-disciplinary collaboration.

Once it had been created, all of the SHS disciplines were regrouped under the same roof to encourage new interactions, and to avoid the problems associated with geographic scattering. However, the other Clermont-Ferrand university, the University of the Auvergne, which had been involved at the beginning of the project, rapidly pulled out, with the result that those SHS disciplines affiliated with it (law, management and economic sciences) did not join the MSH at this time. In 2006, the MSH initiated the procedure to be recognized as a UMS (“Unité mixte de service”, an entity composed of a university and a research unit). The label was acquired on January 1, 2008 (UMS 3108, under the aegis of UBP and CNRS), and enabled the MSH to develop teams of service providers, as well as innovative interdisciplinary programs. All this work led to its recognition as a USR (“Unité de service de recherche”) in 2012 with the same dual administration, involving a primary connection between the CNRS and the INSHS and a secondary one with the INEE (“Institut écologique et environnement”). The status that was set out in 2012 was officially signed in 2014.

On January 1, 2017, the fusion of the two universities (University of Blaise Pascal and the University of Auvergne) laid the way for the progressive integration of the three SHS laboratories of the former University of Auvergne, starting with the legal experts from the Centre Michel de L’Hospital. In 2018, the Clermont Recherche Management (CleRMa) institute joined the SHS, followed, in 2020, by the economic scientists from the Centre d’Etudes et de Recherches sur le Développement International (CERDI). Today, the MSH (UAR 3550) unites 15 laboratories across the whole Clermont site, including Ressources, a research group from the ENSACF (national school of architecture).

In 2000, the MSH relocated to Rue Ledru, into a newly renovated building with a surface area of around 3,450 m2. This convenient location – near the city center, the SHS departments and the university library – is a major asset for the institution and makes it very convenient for welcoming the public. Thanks to its geographic location and the quality of its equipment, the MSH has become a sought-after location for scientific events organized within the university, not only by SHS laboratories, but across the university as a whole (honorary doctorate ceremonies, Legion of Honor award ceremonies, interviews with people from outside the university, etc.), as well as for other key local players in the humanities.