"Germaine Tillion, wise, learned, and a fighter"
There is no shortage of adjectives to describe this great witness to the upheavals of the last century.
NOTRE
HISTOIRE
Creation of the Germaine Tillion Association
The Association was created in November 2004 with Germaine Tillion and her family, with the primary objective of ensuring the preservation of her archives. Germaine Tillion agreed to be its honorary president.
In 2004, around her were her family: Françoise TILLION, her sister, and Emilie SABEAU-JOUANNET, her niece; close friends: Tzvetan TODOROV, honorary research director at the CNRS, essayist, elected president of the Association, Anise POSTEL-VINAY, her fellow deportee and lifelong friend, Jean DANIEL, director of L'Observateur, Jean LACOUTURE, journalist, writer, who had been her publisher and biographer, Christian BROMBERGER, professor of ethnology at the University of Aix-Marseille, Julien BLANC, historian of the Resistance, Nelly FORGET, former employee of the Social Centers Service in Algeria.
By November 2020, most of the founding members had passed away; only Julien BLANC, Christian BROMBERGER, who became president, and Nelly FORGET, honorary president, remained.
The Association was declared in the Official Journal of December 18, 2004, No. 1578 (with a correction in the Official Journal of January 2005, No. 1169).
The Association holds the moral rights regarding the work, name, and archives of Germaine Tillion.
“The photographs and documents featured on our website are protected by copyright.”
Article 1 of the statutes: An association, operating on a non-profit and scientific basis, has been established under the name “Association Germaine Tillion.” Its purpose is to take all necessary measures for the preservation, consultation, dissemination, and promotion of—as well as the general protection of the moral rights pertaining to—the work, name, and archives of Germaine Tillion. The Association is tasked with selecting an appropriate institution to house these archives.
The Association facilitated the donation of Germaine Tillion’s archives to the National Library of France (Bibliothèque nationale de France), which took delivery of more than 300 boxes of archival material in July 2008.
Germaine Tillion’s archives concerning the deportation are held at the Museum of the Resistance and Deportation in Besançon.
In April 2008, the Association had the somber duty of organizing Germaine Tillion’s funeral—an occasion that drew both a public and official tribute.
In 2015, the Association had the honor of assisting the organizers of the ceremony for Germaine Tillion’s induction into the Panthéon.
From its inception until September 2015, the Association was presided over by the philosopher Tzvetan Todorov.
The Association is governed by a Board of Directors, which, as of May 27, 2025, consists of fifteen members:
Barbara Augustin
Murielle Baumet
François Béchu
Maxime Bonnefous
Isabelle Chalut, Treasurer
Véronique Garcin-Tillion
Agnès Guignard
Erik Guignard
Patrice Le Borgnic
Laurence Le Bras, President
Isabelle Mayeux
Anne-Marie Pavillard
Patrick Radjef
Jérémie Thérond
Geneviève Zamansky-Bonnin, Secretary General
Christian Bromberger, Honorary President
Nelly Forget, Honorary President
Executive Committee:
Laurence Le Bras, President
Patrice Le Borgnic, Vice-President
Geneviève Zamansky-Bonnin, Secretary General
Isabelle Chalut, Treasurer
Dissemination of the Thought and Work of Germaine Tillion
During its early years, the Association provided personal secretarial support to Germaine Tillion—notably around the time of her centenary—and assisted in the publication of her writings.
Publications
Under the presidency of Tzvetan Todorov, the Association’s first president, six books by Germaine Tillion were published:
-
In Search of the True and the Just* (2001)
-
The "Verfügbar" in Hell* (2005)
-
Complementary Enemies* (2005)
-
The Century of Germaine Tillion* (2007)
-
Battles of War and Peace* (2008)
-
Fragments of a Life* (2009)
Members of the Association have also authored books about Germaine Tillion and contributed numerous articles to the press.
Resource Center
The Association has established a collection of photographs and films available for loan, which it continues to expand:
photographs
two traveling exhibitions:
-
Germaine Tillion: Scholar, Militant, Sage Woman* (2009)—also available in an English-language version (2013)
-
Germaine Tillion: The Aurès Region of Algeria, 1934–1939* (2018), featuring 36 photographs taken by Germaine Tillion
-
a film: Germaine Tillion in Her Own Words (2015)—also available in an English-language version (2016)
-
the National Museum of Education (MUNAÉ) in Rouen offers a traveling exhibition: *The Educational Social Centers Service in Algeria, 1955–1962*. An initiative of Germaine Tillion.
Available upon request at: contact@germainetillion.fr
Events in memory of Germaine Tillion
The Association—represented by its members, who were either witnesses to Germaine Tillion’s commitments or are specialists in her body of work—participates in events organized in her memory, both throughout France and abroad, in collaboration with other partners. It provides information, documents, photographs, films, exhibitions, and guest speakers. It supports the creation and dissemination of :
-
Films: about a dozen, filmed featuring or focusing on Germaine Tillion
-
Performances: works by Germaine Tillion (such as *Le Verfügbar aux Enfers*) and works about her (e.g., *Lettre à Germaine Tillion*, *Il était une fois Germaine Tillion*, *Dialogue*, etc.)
-
Exhibitions: such as the one produced by the Center for the History of the Resistance and Deportation in Lyon
-
Research projects by French and international scholar
-
Inaugurations of sites, institutions, or academic cohorts named after Germaine Tillion (more than sixty as of 2021)
-
Commemorations in places where Germaine Tillion once lived
-
Symposia, radio programs, and lectures
The Association itself organizes screenings, debates, lectures, and symposia:
In 2008, the Association held a retrospective of films about Germaine Tillion at the *Musée de l'Homme*. In 2018, to mark the tenth anniversary of her death, it organized a symposium at the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE) titled "Ravensbrück: Memories for the Future."
At the heart of a network of social actors
The Association sits at the center of a network of social actors, including town halls, educational institutions, libraries, theater companies, museums, research centers, various cultural organizations, and other associations. It maintains close and friendly ties with four other local associations—established subsequently with its consent—that share the goal of honoring the memory of Germaine Tillion:
The “Maison Germaine-Tillion” association, chaired by Marie-Christine Bougant, in Plouhinec (56) – maisongermainetillion@orange.fr
The “À la rencontre de Germaine Tillion” (“Encountering Germaine Tillion”) association, in Besançon (25)
The “Sur les pas de Germaine Tillion” (“In the Footsteps of Germaine Tillion”) association, in Corbeil-Essonnes (91)
The “Germaine Tillion, mémoires d’Allègre” association, in Chamalières (63)
International Presence
The Association has an international reach through its members, friends, and those who translate her work for publications and performances. This includes connections in Algeria (with historians and anthropologists—notably the CNRAPH in Algiers, which houses Germaine Tillion’s library—as well as former staff of the *Services des Centres Sociaux* [Social Centers Service] established by Tillion); Germany (through historians and organizations for former female deportees); Austria; Brazil; Canada; the United States (involving historians of the Algerian War and organizers of performances); and even China and Japan.
Minutes – General Assembly of the association.
