Antonin Place

Sociology

Please tell us about your research project.

I am a second-year PhD candidate in sociology at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS), affiliated with the Centre Maurice Halbwachs. My thesis focuses on the formulation of publishing contracts by publishing houses. This project aims to examine these documents, as well as the processes through which they are drawn up, as a proxy to understand not only the conflicting dynamics at play in the publishing world, but also the specific ways in which the legal norms are applied within these organisations, especially through the study of the agents who draft these contracts. It also seeks to analyse the contemporary forms of negotiation between the organisations representing publishers and those advocating for authors, as publishing agreements legally codify the relationship between authors and publishers and set out the current state of interprofessional relations, reflecting the specific division of labour in this field.


Could you please tell us a bit more about your scholarship/exchange programme?

I am benefiting from the EHESS-MFO cooperation agreement, which allows me to spend Michaelmas term as an academic visitor in Oxford, with a grant and the chance to study in the many Bodleian libraries. Since my thesis also compares France and the United Kingdom and seeks to establish how legal standards circulate between the organisations I study, staying at the MFO offers very comfortable accommodation in which to work peacefully. Also, Oxford is very close to Reading, where many of the records I am interested in are held. I am very grateful to have been given this opportunity.


First impressions of Oxford/the University?

What surprised me the most at first in Oxford was the teeming wildlife in the city itself. For instance, there are many squirrels living in the gardens of the Maison Française. Oxford seems so peaceful right before the start of term, with its abundance of majestic trees and the vast parks. The architecture of the city makes it almost impossible not to think of the academic life that infuses this place.