adpf-publications

The Association for the Diffusion of French Thought (Association pour la diffusion de la pensée française, adpf) operates on behalf of the French foreign affairs ministry in the domain of books and writing. It is the special partner of the French cultural network abroad, which includes cooperation and cultural action departments, cultural centres and institutes, and Alliances Françaises.

Its mission is to promote the French language and French-speaking culture, support international cooperation activities by publishing and distributing works, and set up services in charge of training and the purchase of equipment and material.

The ADPF is an association that was created in 1946 under the French 1901 act. In 1999, it merged with the AUDECAM (association of universities for development, education and communication in Africa and throughout the world) and the CLEF (club for readers of French writing).

It currently consists of:

Translations of a number of works published by the ADPF can be downloaded.



Download the english version of the review Vient de Paraître


Purchasing group

The purchasing group supports action in cultural and educational cooperation carried out by the French cultural network abroad. It is designed for set-ups abroad with funds to be spent with the ADPF as part of their programme, and for those ordering directly on their local budget. The purchasing group's numerous activities include buying and sending out books, periodicals and multimedia products; setting up automatic book deliveries and theme projects; selecting, purchasing and dispatching all the material and equipment needed for cooperation and cultural projects; providing advice on equipment and logistics; assisting with bibliography compilation; supplying expertise for technical and educational back-up operations, and organising conferences, seminars and congresses. It has some 600 correspondents abroad, consisting of embassies, cultural departments, French cultural centres and institutes, Alliances Françaises and various other local institutions.

3 publishing structures

The ADPF publishes books and documents using all types of media (exhibitions, booklets, portfolios, reviews, directories, indexes, reports, etc.) designed to publicise French and French-language works within cultural, scientific and technical domains:

ADPF-publications
ADPF-publications offer up-to-date information on French publications with a view to encouraging the build-up or renewal of documentary reserves, educational activities, and the organisation of cultural events based on books and writings. ADPF-publications produce attractive media, including exhibitions, documentaries, bibliographical and theme booklets, portfolios, and reports on newly-issued works in "Vient de Paraître" ("Just out"), all aimed at a wide public: teachers, university professors, librarians, students, etc. At present, ADPF-publications have 110 titles in their catalogue and distribute 89% of their output abroad.

ERCs (civilisation research editions)
ERCs publish the results of work financed by French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and carried out by French researchers abroad. This includes the work of archaeologists, whose missions and publication projects are examined by the consultative commission of archaeological research abroad. This meets every year with the social sciences and archaeology department at the DGCID (international cooperation and development general division). The 300 titles in the ERC catalogue cover the following domains: archaeology, epigraphy, history, ethnology, religion, oriental studies, human science and the social sciences. Over half of these works, issued in French, are sold abroad.

The review Notre Librairie
Notre Librairie, a review dealing with literature from the Southern hemisphere, is a quarterly reference review containing news and criticism on literature from countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Indian Ocean. Every quarter, Notre Librairie puts out thematic, national and bibliographical issues with in-depth articles and a survey of publications, either originally in French or translated into French. Notre Librairie also organises exhibitions on literature from the Southern hemisphere to make authors from these countries and their works accessible to the general public and in particular to schools, universities and libraries.

The African film library

The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs' African film library aids the distribution of films by African film directors. The works, covering over 30 years, include fiction and documentaries devoted to French-speaking Africa and its developmental problems. Films are distributed in France (in informative, educational and sociocultural organisations, establishments and institutions), abroad (in the French cultural centres of countries covered by the ex-Ministry for Cooperation), and film festivals, on condition that permission is granted by the interested parties.