Mathias Boussemart

Please tell us about your research project.

I am a PhD candidate in legal history at the CTAD (Centre de Théorie et Analyse du Droit, Université Paris Nanterre / CNRS / ENS), under the supervision of Anne Simonin and Jean-Louis Halpérin. My thesis focuses on a collection of revolutionary-era documents and its compiler, the conventionnel Louis Portiez de l'Oise (1765–1810). In particular, I examine how the creation of this unique collection — now held at the Bibliothèque de l'Assemblée nationale — along with its contents and organisation, reflects a broader set of ideas about public education during the French Revolution.

Among the topics explored in this research, I have looked at collections of documents assembled during the same period by other, more or less closely connected figures. One such "collection-soeur," for instance, was acquired by the Trustees of the British Museum in the 1810s through Sir John Wilson Croker (1780–1857), himself a major collector of revolutionary documents and the figure behind the British Library's French Revolutionary Tracts. My thesis sources show, however, that Croker was not the only British lord travelling to Paris during these years to collect historical traces of the Revolution. I would therefore like to use my stay in Oxford to look more closely at these English collectors, their motivations, and what became of their collections.

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

I hold a one-month research grant from the Maison Française d'Oxford (MFO). In addition to accommodation at the MFO, it gives me free access to the Bodleian Libraries network, which holds rich collections of documents relevant to my research.

First impressions of Oxford/the University?

I am absolutely delighted to be spending a month in Oxford. It is a beautiful city, and as a lover of libraries, I feel especially fortunate here. It is a wonderful setting to work in: the calm of the city, the parks (and their foxes) all make for excellent working conditions.