The MFO celebrates its 80th Anniversary (1946-2026)
A night of debate, a special lecture, and an exhibition exploring the history, legacy, and future of the Maison Française.
The MFO Night
25 June 2026, 4.00-11.00 pm at Maison Française d'Oxford
Join us for an evening of scholarship, debate, and reflection on the challenges of our time. Bringing together scholars, writers, students, and researchers, The MFO Night will feature a series of interdisciplinary conversations exploring major contemporary issues and the role of the Maison Française d'Oxford in fostering Franco-British scientific and intellectual cooperation.
Through roundtables dedicated to scientific diplomacy, British politics, literature, the humanities and social sciences, and interdisciplinarity, the event will showcase the diversity of research and intellectual exchange supported by the MFO.
Discussions will be held in both French and English.
The evening will also provide an opportunity to pay tribute to two distinguished figures closely associated with the Maison Française d'Oxford, Agnès Alexandre-Collier and Alain Viala.
MFO Annual Alumni Lecture
26 June 2026, 5.00 pm at Reuben College, Oxford
The Maison Française Alumni Association is pleased to welcome Anne Dunan-Page for this year's annual lecture, entitled «Une « Maison de fous » ? La MFO au sortir de la Seconde Guerre mondiale».
Drawing on Henri Fluchère's private correspondence and French and British archival sources, the lecture examines the uncertain early years of the Maison Française d'Oxford between 1946 and 1950. It explores the personal, institutional, and political challenges faced by its first director and shows how, despite considerable obstacles and competing projects, the institution not only survived but established itself as a lasting presence within the British academic landscape.
Please note that this lecture will be delivered in French.
Exhibition
'The MFO Turns 80: Celebrating Research, Culture, & Scientific Diplomacy (1946-2026)'
From 30 June 2026, MFO Gardens
Drawing on archives, photographs, books, and testimonies, this exhibition explores the evolution of the MFO
from its original conception to its contemporary role as a place of research, cultural life, and scientific diplomacy
