FRANCOIS ROBINET

François Robinet serves as a Lecturer in Contemporary History at the University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ), where he is an elected member of the Council of the Institute of International Cultural Studies. He concurrently directs the Graduate School of Humanities and Heritage Sciences at the University of Paris-Saclay and holds appointments with the Laboratory Center for the Cultural History of Contemporary Societies (CHCSC) and the 22nd section of the CNU.

Education:

• Doctor of History (2012)

Robinet's research centers on 20th-21st century cultural and political history, with concentrated expertise in the Rwandan Tutsi Genocide, post-colonial Franco-African memory politics, and media history since 1990. His work critically examines French journalistic coverage of African conflicts, international information manufacturing during wartime, and the cultural history of colonial and post-colonial societies. He employs interdisciplinary approaches bridging media studies, genocide research, and digital humanities to analyze historical narratives and memory construction.

His 15 most recent publications (2016-2023) reveal consistent thematic focus on Rwandan genocide documentation, Franco-Rwandan historical accountability, and media's role in shaping political memory. Key trends include digital methodologies for genocide archives, analysis of French state-media interactions during crises, and evolving commemorative practices through digital platforms. The work demonstrates increasing engagement with digital humanities tools while maintaining rigorous historical analysis of colonial legacies.

No scientific awards were documented in the source material.

Robinet coordinates the international RwandaMAP2020 research network mapping genocide documentation sites and serves as Vice-president of the Association for the Development of Cultural History. He is an active member of the Society for the History of Media (SPHM) and editorial board of Le Temps des Médias, demonstrating significant scholarly leadership beyond traditional academic advising.

His institutional presence spans laboratory governance (CHCSC), university administration (UVSQ Board of Directors), and major conference organization including the 2014 Rwanda international conference and 2022 International Communication Association pre-conference on empires in media history.