Each year, the Roberte Hamayon Lecture honors a researcher in the field of Mongolian studies (across all disciplines) whose work has garnered international recognition and who defended their doctoral thesis less than six years prior to the call for applications. Accompanied by a €1,000 prize, the lecture is organized by the Mongol Studies Team (POEM) of the East Asian Civilizations Research Centre (CRCAO), with the support of the École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE) and the Society for Mongolian and Siberian Studies.
An anthropologist and linguist, Roberte Hamayon pioneered Mongolian studies in France; she founded the “Center for Mongolian and Siberian Studies” and the journal Études mongoles in 1970 (which became Études mongoles et sibériennes in 1981, and subsequently Études mongoles et sibériennes, centre-asiatiques et tibétaines in 2006). A Director of Studies at the EPHE and an internationally renowned theorist of shamanism and the concept of “play,” she transformed the landscape of North Asian studies both in France and globally. Her decisive contribution to understanding the mechanisms of belief, the use of metaphor, and the ritual lives of Mongolian and Siberian populations marks her as one of the great French anthropologists of our time.
In honoring the memory of Roberte Hamayon, this lecture also pays tribute to her dedication to supporting early-career researchers. Whether through her EPHE seminar or the close relationships she maintained with her doctoral students, Roberte Hamayon placed great importance on the academic training of the next generation of anthropologists and Mongolists. By encouraging an early-career scholar to address an international audience and give their research broader scope, and by supporting their initial theoretical or comparative endeavors, this named lecture aims to extend Roberte Hamayon’s pedagogical legacy for generations to come.
Candidates are invited to submit the following documents to the head of the Mongol Studies Team at the CRCAO (bureau.etudes.mongoles@college-de-france.fr) by October 30, 2026:
- a cover letter,
- a provisional title and abstract for their lecture,
- a CV,
- a 3,000-word thesis summary (including defense reports, if applicable),
- a letter of recommendation from the PhD supervisor,
- one or two significant publications.
In addition to delivering this named lecture, the selected scholar will be invited to conduct a masterclass for students from CRCAO and partner institutions. The lecture will take place in Paris during the second half of April; international travel and accommodation expenses will be covered.
Contact : bureau.etudes.mongoles@college-de-france.fr, gregory.delaplace@ephe.psl.eu
Organizing committee
Raphaël Blanchier (Université Clermont Auvergne), Isabelle Charleux (CNRS), Grégory Delaplace (EPHE), Aurore Dumont (Université Paris Cité), Gaëlle Lacaze (Sorbonne Université), Charlotte Marchina (Inalco)
Scientific Committee
Agata Bareja- Starzyńska (Uniwersytet Warszawski), Joseph Bristley (University of Cambridge), Irina Garri (Russian Academy of Sciences), Meng Gencang (Inner Mongolia University), Peter Marsh (Cal State East Bay), Daniel Murphy (University of Cincinnati), Rebekah Plueckhahn (University of Melbourne), Ines Stolpe (Universität Bonn), William Taylor (University of Colorado), Uranchimeg Tsültem (IU Herron School of Art)
Contact
bureau.etudes.mongoles@college-de-france.fr, gregory.delaplace@ephe.psl.eu
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