Groupe de recherche Achac

What Groupe de recherche Achac does

Groupe de recherche Achac is a Paris-based non-profit research collective founded in 1989 at Université Paris I-Panthéon-Sorbonne and the Centre de recherches africaines (CRA), focused on colonial history, post-colonial discourses, and extra-European migratory flows. Its core offering is structured around seven thematic research programs — Histoire & culture coloniale, Racisme & zoos humains, Immigration des suds, Mémoires combattantes, Sports & diversités, Portraits de France, and Sexe, alterité & corps colonisés — which together generate books, documentary films, and traveling exhibitions. The collective comprises approximately 5 researchers, academics, writers, documentarians, and scenographers producing scholarly content rather than technology products.

The organization's business model relies on three revenue streams: exhibition production commissioned by museums and cultural institutions (notably Musée du quai Branly, Musée de l'Homme, and AfricaMuseum Belgium), book royalties from major French publishers (La Découverte, Gallimard, Hazan, Autrement, Philippe Rey), and documentary co-productions broadcast on French public television (France Télévisions, Arte, France 5, TV5). Go-to-market is event-driven rather than sales-driven, with content distributed through institutional partners rather than direct consumer channels. There is no proprietary technology platform, no app, no disclosed pricing model, and no public revenue disclosure.

Customer segments are primarily French museums and cultural institutions, with secondary audiences in academic institutions and the general public. The collective maintains strategic partnerships with Université Paris I-Panthéon-Sorbonne and Université de Lausanne's CRHIM (through historian Pascal Blanchard), and operational relationships with production houses Bonne Pioche, Cinétévé, and La Compagnie des Phares et des Balises. No parent company, venture backing, or public ownership structure has been disclosed; the organization appears to be self-sustaining through project-based commissions and grants.

Name

Groupe de recherche Achac

Legal name

Groupe de recherche Achac

Website

https://achac.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Groupe de recherche Achac is a Paris-based non-profit research collective founded in 1989 that produces exhibitions, scholarly publications, and documentary films on French colonial history, post-colonial studies, and migration for museums, broadcasters, and academic audiences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Historical Research

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Scholarly Societies & Conference Proceedings Publishing (MPAJABAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Research Collaboration & Joint Labs (International Partnerships) (EDAIABAC)

Keywords

• Colonial history research
• Post-colonial studies
• Migration studies
• Museum exhibitions
• Scholarly publications

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Exhibition Production: Design and production of traveling exhibitions on colonial history and migration for museums and cultural institutions.
2. Publications: Publication of books and scholarly works through established French publishers.
3. Documentary Production: Production of documentary films for broadcast on French television networks.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Groupe de recherche Achac is a Paris-based, non-profit research collective founded in 1989 that conducts scholarly research on colonial and post-colonial history, immigration, and cultural diversity in France. Its core offerings consist of seven thematic research programs covering subjects such as colonial history, human zoos, southern immigration, combatant memories, sports diversity, French portraits, and colonized bodies. These research outputs are delivered as traveling museum exhibitions, peer-reviewed scholarly books, documentary film series, and scientific events.

Product overview

Groupe de recherche Achac is a research collective created in 1989 at Université Paris I-Panthéon-Sorbonne and the Centre de recherches africaines (CRA), consisting of researchers, academics, writers, collectors, documentary filmmakers, scenographers/museographers, and journalists. The organization does not offer a technology product but rather a portfolio of thematic research programs, publications, documentary films, and exhibitions focused on colonial representations, discourses, postcolonial imaginaries, and extra-European migratory flows. The core offering comprises seven distinct research programs (Histoire & culture coloniale, Racisme & zoos humains, Immigration des suds, Mémoires combattantes, Sports & diversités, Portraits de France, and Sexe, alterité & corps colonisés), complemented by scholarly publications including books on colonial history, immigration, and French diversity, as well as documentary film series and traveling exhibitions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Histoire & culture coloniale (Research Program) Thematic research program examining the history and culture of French colonialism, forming the scholarly foundation for Achac's exhibitions, publications, and documentaries.
• Racisme & zoos humains (Research Program) Research program on racism and the history of human zoos, addressing how colonized peoples were exhibited and stereotyped in European spectacles.
• Immigration des suds (Research Program) Research program dedicated to the study of immigration from southern regions to France, including labor migration, colonial migrations, and contemporary flows.
• Mémoires combattantes (Research Program) Research program examining the combatant memories of soldiers from former colonies who served France, including the memorial and historical dimensions of their contributions.
• Sports & diversités (Research Program) Research program studying the role of sports in the construction of French diversity, including the contributions of athletes from immigrant and colonial backgrounds.
• Portraits de France (Research Program) Research program constructing portraits of France's diverse population, exploring identity, diversity, and the plural histories of those who shaped the nation.
• Sexe, alterité & corps colonisés (Research Program) Research program exploring sexuality, otherness, and the colonized body in the French colonial context, examining gender, intimacy, and representations of colonized subjects.
• Sexe, race & colonies 544-page scholarly book published by La Découverte that examines the relationships between sexuality, race, and French colonial history for academic and general readers.
• La France arabo-orientale 360-page scholarly book published by La Découverte that documents the long history of Arab, North African, and Oriental presence in France.
• La France noire Scholarly book published by La Découverte that traces the history of Black populations in France from the colonial era to the present.
• Atlas des immigrations en France 96-page atlas published by Autrement that maps and visualizes the history of immigration in France across geographies, periods, and populations.
• Série Frères d'armes Two-season, 50-episode documentary series co-produced with France TV and TV5 that explores the combatant memories of colonial and immigrant soldiers who served France.
• Traveling museum exhibitions Commissioned traveling exhibitions that bring Achac's research programs to museums and cultural institutions, packaged for installation in partner venues.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Université Paris I-Panthéon-SorbonnecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginal founding institution where Groupe de recherche Achac was created in 1989, alongside Centre de recherches africaines (CRA)
• CRHIM (Université de Lausanne)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration with Centre de recherche sur les croisements humains-inhumains at University of Lausanne, with Pascal Blanchard serving as historian
• MHC-BDIC (Mémorialorial de la France combattante - Bibliothèque de documentation internationale contemporaine)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost of the 'Images et Colonies' exhibition in 1993 at Les Invalides
• Institut du monde arabeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost of the Colonial Film Festival 'Maghreb et Afrique noire au regard du cinéma colonial' in 1994
• Musée du quai BranlycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost of exhibition 'Exhibitions. L'invention du sauvage' (November 2011-June 2012)
• Musée de l'Homme (Paris)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost of 'Portraits de France' exhibition in 2022
• AfricaMuseum (Belgium)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost of 'Zoo humain. Au temps des exhibitions coloniales' exhibition in 2021
• France TélévisionscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBroadcast partner for documentary series including 'Frères d'Armes' (2014), 'Champions de France' (2015), and 'Artistes de France' (2017)
• ArtecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBroadcast partner for documentaries including 'Zoos Humains' (2002) and 'Sauvages. Au cœur des zoos humains' (2018)
• France 5coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBroadcast partner for documentary 'Noirs de France' (2012)
• Bonne PiochecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProduction partner for documentary series 'Artistes de France' (2017) and 'Sauvages. Au cœur des zoos humains' (2018)
• TV5coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBroadcast partner for documentary series 'Frères d'Armes' (2014)
• CinétévécoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProduction partner for documentary 'Décolonisations. Du sang et des larmes' (France 2, 2020)
• La DécouvertecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor publishing partner for numerous books including 'Zoos Humains et exhibitions coloniales' (2002), 'La France noire' (2011), 'La France arabo-orientale' (2013), and 'Sexe, race & colonies' (2018)
• La Compagnie des Phares et des BalisesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProduction partner for documentary 'Noirs de France' (France 5, 2012)
• IGENSIAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost of exhibition 'Tirailleurs d'Afrique. Histoire croisée et mémoire commune' in the context of Le Temps des Mémoires
• Maison de l'AfriqueminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue for conference 'Doit-on s'excuser de la colonisation?' by Pascal Blanchard (2026)

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tropenmuseum: Amsterdam museum on world cultures with a strong focus on colonial history and postcolonial critique. Directly comparable to Achac in addressing colonial-imperial legacies through exhibitions and public programming.
• Institut du monde arabe: Paris-based cultural institution promoting Arab culture, with which Achac has previously partnered (hosted the 1994 Colonial Film Festival). Comparable in producing exhibitions and publications on cultural exchange between France and the Arab world.
• Musée de l'Homme: French museum of anthropology and human biology that hosted Achac's 'Portraits de France' exhibition (2022). Comparable in producing exhibitions and programming on human diversity, racial science history, and postcolonial themes.
• Mémorial ACTe: Caribbean memorial and cultural center in Guadeloupe dedicated to the memory of slavery and the slave trade. Comparable to Achac in producing scholarly exhibitions and programming on colonial history and postcolonial identity.
• International Slavery Museum: Liverpool museum focused on transatlantic slavery and its legacies, with comparable research and exhibition work on colonial-era violence and postcolonial memory that overlaps with Achac's 'Racisme & zoos humains' and 'Sexe, alterité & corps colonisés' programs.
• Cité nationale de l'histoire de l'immigration: French national museum and cultural institution dedicated to the history and memory of immigration in France. Highly comparable to Achac's 'Immigration des suds' program and similar postcolonial/migration-themed research and exhibition work.
• AfricaMuseum (Royal Museum for Central Africa): Belgian museum that has hosted Achac's 'Zoo humain' exhibition (2021) and serves as a peer institution focused on colonial history in Central Africa, with substantial research and exhibition programs on colonial representations.
• Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac: Paris-based museum dedicated to non-European cultures and one of Achac's core institutional partners (hosted 'Exhibitions. L'invention du sauvage' in 2011-2012). Comparable in its focus on colonial representations and curatorial work on cultural diversity.

Others

• Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS): France's largest public research organization, hosting social-science and humanities laboratories addressing colonial and postcolonial history. Comparable as an upstream research ecosystem that produces scholarly work feeding into Achac's exhibitions and publications.

Emerging players

• Weltmuseum Wien: Vienna's ethnographic museum that has undergone a major decolonization redesign and re-opening, addressing colonial-era collections. Comparable in the thematic focus on colonial heritage and the production of exhibitions on cultural diversity.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ACHAC_Officiel
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCqphcLSoceKPRFMPoD9WE6w
• Facebookfacebook.com/groupe.achac
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/groupe-de-recherche-achac
• Instagraminstagram.com/achac_officiel/?hl=fr
• Pinterestpinterest.fr/achac_officiel

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Groupe de recherche Achac