Since its inception in 2002, FSU’s Winthrop-King Institute for Contemporary French and Francophone Studies has been a beacon for the humanities, and grown to be the foremost center of its kind in the nation and beyond. Directed by Dr. Martin Munro, Eminent Scholar Chair and professor of French in FSU’s Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics, the Winthrop-King Institute seeks to advance knowledge of France and the French-speaking world in the United States as well as to promote interdisciplinary work that encourages new understandings of France and its relationship to the world. With a focus on the contemporary, we aim to bring greater scholarly attention to the rich and diverse cultures belonging to the French-speaking world. In particular, we champion the voices of scholars, artists, musicians, filmmakers, writers, and citizens from France’s former colonies.

       Through our programs of distinguished guest speakers and conferences, we bring the world to Florida, and to generations of students, who benefit from a range of awards and scholarships that enable them to spend periods of time in the French-speaking world, to attend conferences, and to carry out research in archives and libraries across the world. Crucially, too, all of our events are open to the public, and we regularly invite, for example, high school students to attend. Our conferences are known worldwide for bringing together leading figures from French and Francophone cultures and American students—to date, we have organized more than one hundred such events. Our work is inherently interdisciplinary, and we regularly collaborate with colleagues in other humanities disciplines, such as History, English, Art History, Music, and other Languages programs. Our work is materialized in the dissertations, papers, and books published by our students, graduates, and affiliated faculty members. Our events have resulted in the publication of more than forty academic books and journal issues. Guided by a spirit of freedom, equality, and solidarity, the Winthrop-King Institute has become a vital resource for the enrichment of humanistic inquiry and education in the academic setting and the community at large.