To mark ScienzEstate 2026, the bibliographic exhibition “The Francolini Collection: from colonialism to post-colonialism”, was inaugurated on 15 September at the Social Sciences Library. The exhibition was organised in collaboration with all the libraries of the University Library System, the Historical Archives and the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnology of the University of Florence, the Department of Political Science and the FAF – Toscana Alinari Foundation for Photography.
The collection, donated by Francolini to the former Political Science Library during the 1969–70 academic year and subsequently transferred to the Social Sciences Library in 1999, comprises approximately 2,800 items, including monographs, booklets and journal titles (including Africa and Les Cahiers de Tunisie).
The disciplinary fields most heavily represented are sociology and physical, human, political and economic geography, with a particular focus on North Africa and Brazil. Although it has a distinctly Western slant, lacking African sources, the collection bears witness to the evolution of Francolini’s thinking, who for many years taught colonial and political geography at the University of Florence, spanning the colonial period and decolonisation.
The exhibition will be open until 30 September during the Library’s usual opening hours.