In 1934, the University of São Paulo was created from the union of the then Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences, and Languages and Literature (FFCL) - founded at that time - with the Polytechnic School of São Paulo, the Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture (ESALQ), the School of Medicine, the Faculty of Law and the School of Pharmacy and Dentistry. The first years of formation of USP were strongly influenced by French researchers, a link which will be presented on November 27, at 9.00 am, during the French-Brazilian Conference.

Organized by IEA's Brazil-France Research Group and the Institut des Amériques, the event will feature panels on medicine and biology, humanities and social sciences. In addition to the legacy of USP's initial period, later and current experiences will also be presented. One of the sessions will discuss the French presence in the FFCL, as was the case of professor Roger Bastide and geographer Pierre Monbeig, both important figures in the founding of the Faculty.

Another example of how the Brazil-France relationship will be presented is the speech of physician Jorge Kalil on medical science and biomedical research. A professor at USP's School of Medicine, he will report on his experience during a visit to the Institute of Blood Diseases at the Saint Louis Hospital in Paris, where he undertook a doctorate research under the guidance of Jean Dausset, a Nobel Prize winner in Medicine. Kalil will also present the context in which the Brazilian Association of Organ Transplantation has emerged, making Brazil the second country in transplant numbers in the world. Another important influence of French science in Brazil was the creation of the Pasteur Institute in São Paulo, with which there was intense exchange during its almost 120 years, culminating in the installation of the representation of the Institute at USP. This exchange has also influenced the creation of the Butantan Institute, of which Kalil has been director.

On this occasion, the IEA and the Institut des Amériques will sign a cooperation agreement which aims to establish communication channels, exchanges of scientific and cultural knowledge, and stimulate research and training activities. The idealization of joint research projects and the facilitation of exchanges between researchers, doctoral students and post-doctoral students are also among the objectives of the agreement.

The 13 papers that comprise the work result from the series of conferences held by the group in 2009, within the official program of the Year of France in Brazil. The set outlines a broad overview of cultural exchange between Brazil and France from the points of view of literature, photography, music, history, anthropology, architecture, theater and visual arts.

Following the chronological order of the key moments of the relations between the two countries, the texts explore the reciprocal influences - initiated soon at the time of Brazil's discovery - from a historical perspective that goes from the 16th to the 20th century.

Among the episodes covered there are the two attempts of colonization undertaken by France in the 16th and 17th centuries, the Artistic Mission of 1816, when French artists have been invited by the court to establish the first school of arts in Brazil, the presence of French theater in Brazil in the 19th century, and the Brazilian influence in the avant-garde musical work of the French composer Darius Milhaud.

The last four texts extrapolate those five centuries and raise questions about recent artistic manifestations of France as well as propose a reflection on the supposed 'decline of French culture'. According to Perrone-Moisés, coordinator of the cycle that led to the book, 'these current references allow us to continue the dialogue with the letters and the arts of the country that has left such deep marks in our culture'.