Philippe Jarnoux

Philippe Jarnoux serves as Professor of Modern History at the University of Brest, affiliated with the Breton and Celtic Research Center (CRBC, EA 4451). His academic career spans decades of research on 16th-18th century Brittany, focusing on social and political structures, elite formations, and maritime/port communities. As former Director of CRBC (2012-2016) and current member of multiple research axes (Instruments and figures of identity, Creation to reuse, Maritime consciousness), he maintains active leadership in French historical scholarship.

His research interests encompass Social and Political History of Early Modern France, with specialized expertise in History of Elites, Rural Communities, and Maritime/Coastal Areas. Jarnoux examines how power structures operated across Brittany's urban centers, rural landscapes, and port zones, analyzing social mobility through land ownership, municipal governance, and maritime networks. His methodological approach combines prosopography, archival analysis, and spatial history to reconstruct pre-industrial societies.

Analysis of his 15 most recent publications reveals consistent focus on Atlantic Europe's socio-economic structures, with increasing attention to maritime networks and cross-regional comparisons since 2015. His work demonstrates how local communities navigated state centralization, economic shifts, and cultural transformations during France's Ancien Régime period.

Jarnoux has supervised numerous doctoral candidates including Olivier Michel (2022), Isabelle Guegan (2018), and current students Christophe Andre and Lucas Bosseboeuf. His administrative roles include directing two Master's programs (Cultures/Civilizations/Societies; Performing Arts), serving on the National Scientific Research Committee (2016-2021), and representing University of Brest at Presses Universitaires de Rennes.

As co-organizer of research colloquia on Church property (2020-2021) and member of GIS HSM (History and Science of the Sea), he actively bridges academic research with cultural institutions including the Musée de Bretagne's Scientific Committee. His digital humanities projects include online databases of Brest's penal colony records (2017-2020) in collaboration with SHD Brest.