Missions and activities
Since the outset, the History Committee has been involved with setting up and supervising the opening up of the Institution's archives. In this capacity, it oversees and spearheads work on the collections, promotes the creation and production of archival tools and inventories, in addition to planning campaigns to gather private collections and audio-visual archives, as well as ensuring legacy collections are digitised and indexed.
The History Committee plays a role in the Institution's staff's initial and continuous training, and its operations enhance Ofpra's documentary collection. Understanding Ofpra's history and how its missions have evolved over time allows its staff to approach day-to-day operations from an enlightened perspective, in addition to fostering cohesion and dedication to the crucial public service mission entrusted to the Institution.
The History Committee has set up a research programme that examines how asylum is administered in France, with a focus on actors and practices rather than an overall analysis of policy.
To this effect, it is actively involved in organising round tables, seminars, colloquia and other events, in addition to publishing a series of collaborative works.
The first: Refugees and Stateless Persons. Administering Asylum in France (1920-1960), edited by Aline Angoustures, Dzovinar Kevonian and Claire Mouradian, was published in June 2017 by Presses Universitaires de Rennes. It is available online here.
The second one, which is dedicated to the period between 1960 and 1980, is due to be published soon.