Huc-Hepher, S. and Kelly, D. 2024. Philanthropic Ideas and Activities of the Dispensaire Français-Société Française de Bienfaisance (19th-21st Centuries) . Philanthropy à la française? Philanthropic ideas and practices in Francophone Society. University of Reading (online) 10 Sep 2024
| Title | Philanthropic Ideas and Activities of the Dispensaire Français-Société Française de Bienfaisance (19th-21st Centuries) |
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| Authors | Huc-Hepher, S. and Kelly, D. |
| Abstract | This presentation focuses on work-in-progress concerning the largely unexplored archives of charitable institutions whose shared mission has been to support the health and wellbeing of French and Francophone migrants in Britain. The current Hammersmith-based Dispensaire Français houses the archives of the Société Française de Bienfaisance (1842); the Dispensaire (1861); l’Hôpital Français (1867); le Nouvel Hôpital et Dispensaire Français (1890) and Brighton-based Maison de Convalescence (1896). The collections offer multifaceted insights into French diasporic philanthropic practices spanning almost two centuries, while providing sociohistorical context for the current work of the Dispensaire Français in London. The charities’ founding benefactors are intriguing in themselves, including le comte d’Orsay – a Victorian cosmopolitan “dandy” of legendary status – and perfumer and cosmetics entrepreneur Eugène Rimmel (whose business is now the multinational Rimmel London). Awarded a Gold Medal at the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle for their philanthropic work, to this day the charities enjoy patronage from British royalty, as well as from French luxury and leisure brands such as Cartier and Accor, with a former Chanel CEO now chairing the Board of Trustees. As an intermediary between the French Consulate, NHS and British welfare systems, the Dispensaire occupies a pivotal transnational position and has played a key role during times of heightened medical need. It supported French-speaking AIDS patients in the 1980s and London Bridge terror attack survivors in 2017, remained operational throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and regularly helps survivors of violence, abuse and/or homelessness. Volunteers visit isolated French-speaking Londoners assisting with complex systems in English, such as dementia support and “settled status”. Many patients are from ethnic-minority French-speaking African backgrounds, lacking sufficient linguistic and/or cultural capital to navigate support mechanisms, and, in the case of undocumented migrants, fearing deportation. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, our work addresses the conference themes of religion, gender and ‘mécènes’ in philanthropy; the voluntary sector and ‘l’état-providence’; together with the central role of the French language, and the soft power dynamics of philanthropy à la française in Britain. |
| Keywords | Philanthropy; London; French diaspora; Dispensaire Français; health and wellbeing |
| Year | 2024 |
| Conference | Philanthropy à la française? Philanthropic ideas and practices in Francophone Society |