Katia Boudoyan (44), doctor in Arab-Islamic history, was appointed this summer director of IMA-Tourcoing, the branch of the Arab World Institute in Hauts-de-France. Having taken up her position last July, she succeeds Françoise Cohen, who joined the Giacometti Institute in November 2022.
After attending the French Institute of Arab Studies in Damascus and the Department of Arab Studies in Cairo, Katia Boudoyan defended a doctoral thesis at the University of Lyon 2 in 2002 on Armenia under Arab domination in the 7th century. and 9th century.
From 2011 to 2015, she was the director of the National Center for Armenian Memory in Décines – an institution she knows well having taken Armenian language courses there as a child – and also took over the National Center for Memory project. Armenian, then under construction, of which she assumes management.
After having been director of the French Institute of Sfax (Tunisia) and Honorary Consul of France in Sfax from 2016 to 2020, Katia Boudoyan was then culture and communication referent for the René Descartes school group in Tunis (2020-2023).
“Contributing to making known and promoting the diversity of the Arab world, through a set of cultural and artistic proposals, is the mission that I intend to carry out. My training as a historian of the Arab-Muslim world, my knowledge of Arabic, Arab-Muslim societies and its artistic and cultural scenes, are assets that I will mobilize in the service of IMA-Tourcoing”said Katia Boudoyan in a press release.
Inaugurated at the end of 2016, the IMA-Tourcoing is installed in part of the former swimming school in the center of the city and has a space dedicated to a permanent collection and a language center, as well as a venue for shows and conferences.
