Federation of Ecomuseums and Society Museums

The Fédération des Ecomusées et Musées de Société (FEMS) is a French non-profit association created in 1989 on the initiative of 28 founding ecomuseums to promote the ecomuseum concept in France. It federates structures that, beyond their differences, place people and territory at the heart of their project and approach. Described as a unique network in Europe of around 180 establishments, it acts as a representative body for non-profit heritage institutions interested in how people organise themselves in society, their relationships with their environment, and the development and evolution of their territory. FEMS members adhere to the museological and ethical principles of the ecomuseum. The association brings this community together around values such as diversity, heritage(s), participation, conviviality, transmission and sustainability, and around shared projects and debates. Its network includes existing structures that focus on human beings and territory and that address societal issues such as the evolution of the rural world, urban cultures, the recomposition of territories and sustainable development. The federation works to question society across time and space in relation to a given reality — a territory, a way of life, a population, a group, professions or know-how. It seeks to create conditions for encounter and dialogue with the population, audiences, socio-professional groups and public authorities. It acts in favour of solidarity-based development, crosses perspectives and contributes to collective reflection through scientific interdisciplinarity. FEMS's role is both to represent its members to institutional and financial partners and to provide technical and logistical support through advice, expertise and personalised training. Since 2009 it has been a partner of the State in deploying the Qualité Tourisme brand for visitor sites, supporting cultural establishments in developing their services and improving the quality of their welcome. The federation's headquarters is hosted in the Tour du Roy René at the Mucem in Marseille. In 2017 it counted 119 members representing 169 structures; 75% were public-law establishments and 25% were associative establishments, and 60% of members held the Musée de France label. FEMS also publishes and co-publishes works on ecomuseums and society museums, and maintains a website and YouTube channel for its network.

The Fédération des Ecomusées et Musées de Société (FEMS) was created in 1989 on the initiative of 28 founding ecomuseums to promote the ecomuseum concept in France. From its origins, the federation brought together structures that, despite their differences, placed human beings and territory at the centre of their project and approach. It positioned itself as a representative body for non-profit heritage institutions concerned with how people organise themselves in society, their relationships with their environment, and the development and evolution of their territory. Over the decades, FEMS grew into a network described as unique in Europe, counting around 180 establishments. Its members adhere to the museological and ethical principles of the ecomuseum, and the association federates this community around values such as diversity, heritage(s), participation, conviviality, transmission and sustainability, as well as around shared projects and debates. The network addresses societal issues including the evolution of the rural world, urban cultures, the recomposition of territories and sustainable development. In 1992, under the direction of Marc Augé, the federation co-published 'Territoires de la mémoire. Les collections du patrimoine ethnologique dans les écomusées', with a postface by Claude Lévi-Strauss, through Éditions de l'Albaron/Fédération des écomusées et des musées de société. In 2007 it published 'Transmission, trans-missions : écomusées et musées de société entre rupture et continuité' in Besançon. That same year, a colloquium 'Musées et société, aujourd'hui' was held on 24 and 25 May 2007, with proceedings edited by Jean-Claude Duclos and published by the Musée dauphinois / Conseil général Isère in 2008. Since 2009, FEMS has been a partner of the State in deploying the Qualité Tourisme brand for visitor sites, accompanying cultural establishments in developing their services and improving the quality of their welcome. In 2011, Angèle Fourès, Delphine Grisot and Serge Lochot published 'Le rôle social du musée : agir ensemble et créer des solidarités' with the Office de coopération et d'information muséales in Dijon. In 2017, the federation counted 119 members representing 169 structures, of which 75% were public-law establishments and 25% associative establishments, with 60% of members holding the Musée de France label. Its headquarters is hosted in the Tour du Roy René at the Mucem in Marseille. In 2021-2022, FEMS held professional meetings on museography according to ecomuseums and society museums, published in 2023 as a 101-page volume. In 2022, a special issue of the journal Culture & musées, 'Le musée de société aujourd'hui. Héritage et mutation', was co-edited by Fabien Van Geert and Mathieu Viau-Courville. The federation continues to maintain a website and YouTube channel, and to organise events such as the MuséOc trade fair and the OFF Festival for its network.

• 2023

  Publication of the 2021-2022 professional meetings proceedings, 101 pages.

• 2022

  Special issue of Culture & musées, 'Le musée de société aujourd'hui. Héritage et mutation', co-edited by Fabien Van Geert and Mathieu Viau-Courville.

• 2021

  Professional meetings on museography according to ecomuseums and society museums are held (2021-2022).

• 2017

  FEMS counts 119 members representing 169 structures; 75% public-law, 25% associative; 60% of members hold the Musée de France label.

• 2011

  Publication of 'Le rôle social du musée : agir ensemble et créer des solidarités' by Angèle Fourès, Delphine Grisot and Serge Lochot.

• 2009

  FEMS becomes a partner of the State in deploying the Qualité Tourisme brand for visitor sites.

• 2008

  Proceedings of the 2007 colloquium published by Musée dauphinois / Conseil général Isère, edited by Jean-Claude Duclos.

• 2007

  Publication of 'Transmission, trans-missions : écomusées et musées de société entre rupture et continuité' in Besançon; colloquium 'Musées et société, aujourd'hui' held on 24-25 May.

• 1992

  Publication of 'Territoires de la mémoire. Les collections du patrimoine ethnologique dans les écomusées', edited by Marc Augé, with a postface by Claude Lévi-Strauss.

• 1989

  FEMS is created on the initiative of 28 founding ecomuseums to promote the ecomuseum concept in France.

A representative and support network for non-profit ecomuseums and society museums in France, placing people and territory at the centre of heritage practice.

• 1992

  Territoires de la mémoire. Les collections du patrimoine ethnologique dans les écomusées

  Book edited by Marc Augé, postface by Claude Lévi-Strauss, co-published by Éditions de l'Albaron and FEMS.

• 2007

  Transmission, trans-missions : écomusées et musées de société entre rupture et continuité

  Publication by FEMS in Besançon.

• 2011

  Le rôle social du musée : agir ensemble et créer des solidarités

  Book by Angèle Fourès, Delphine Grisot and Serge Lochot, published with the Office de coopération et d'information muséales in Dijon.

• 2023

  La muséographie selon les écomusées et musées de société : actes de rencontres professionnelles de la FEMS 2021-2022

  101-page volume of professional meetings proceedings.

1. 1FEMS - Fédération des écomusées et des musées de sociétéfems.asso.fr
2. 2Musée d'histoire de la vie quotidienne - Exposition "La Ménagère - Entre mythes et réalité : l'histoire oubliée des femmes au foyer"fems.asso.fr
3. 3Fédération des Ecomusées et Musées de Société - Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4Fédération des écomusées et des musées de société - Wikipédiafr.wikipedia.org