Discover the Story of the Institut français d'Écosse

Odile Hughson and Stéphane Pailler are taking to the stage at the Institut français d'Écosse on Friday 6 November at 16:00 for a talk on the history of the institute. It's part of a week of events from 2 to 7 November marking the institute's 80th anniversary, and the talk itself traces the institution's history, its predecessors, and the other organisations that have shaped the long cultural relationship between France and Scotland. Along the way, it looks at how France's Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs uses its cultural network as a form of soft power.

The two leading the conversation come from different sides of that relationship. Odile Hughson studied English in Aix-en-Provence and a Diploma in Social Studies at Edinburgh University, and taught French at the Yehudi Menuhin school; these days her historical interest is focused on relations between Britain and France. Stéphane Pailler is the consul general of France in Edinburgh and Glasgow and director of the institute, so he's speaking from inside the very organisation being discussed.

If you've never spent much time there, the Institut français d'Écosse is part of a worldwide network and runs as a cultural exchange space in Edinburgh, with French language courses, film screenings, library collections, activities for children and concerts. This anniversary week puts it centre stage: alongside the talk, there's a mapping projection on the façade, theatrical journeys, concerts, film screenings and a quiz. The talk sits right in the middle of that, looking back at where the institute came from and the wider French-Scottish connection it's been a part of for eight decades.

It's free to attend, and the talk starts at 16:00 on Friday 6 November at the Institut français d'Écosse, West Parliament Square, Edinburgh Old Town EH1 1RF.