DECADOCS: A new vision of “decadence” in European research

DECADOCS is a pioneering European doctoral network entirely dedicated to the interdisciplinary study of decadence, a concept traditionally associated with decline and degeneration, but which this programme aims to rethink and reinterpret from new angles.

A research project funded by the European Union

The DECADOCS project is funded by the European Union’s Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Networks (MSCA-DN) under the Horizon Europe research and innovation programme. It will run from 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2030 and has received several million euros in funding.
The main objective of DECADOCS is to completely rethink the meaning of decadence, detaching it from its purely negative connotations and approaching it as a rich and relevant concept for understanding cultural, artistic and societal practices today.

A multidisciplinary and transnational approach

Unlike traditional approaches focused on literature or history, DECADOCS extends to a variety of disciplines:

• Architecture (analysis of forms and typologies that suggest ‘decadent’ or transitional states);

• Fashion and textiles (reassessment of the decadence of materials from an ecological crisis perspective);

• Gastronomy (study of the symbolism of menus and eating practices between the 19th and 21st centuries);

• Media, tourism, and visual culture;

Literary studies and translation (translinguistic journeys of decadent texts between France and the United Kingdom).

This diversity reflects the ambition of the project: to show that decadence is not only a critical term from the past, but a conceptual tool for understanding contemporary European culture, its crises and its developments.

An extensive network of universities and partners

DECADOCS brings together 27 partners in 8 European countries, including 10 leading universities as well as cultural institutions and museums. The universities involved include the Université Bourgogne Europe, IUAV University of Venice, Goldsmiths (London), University of Glasgow, and Université Reims Champagne-Ardenne.

This network enables genuine mobility for doctoral students within Europe, promoting both intellectual collaboration and intercultural enrichment.

This network enables genuine mobility for doctoral students within Europe, promoting both intellectual collaboration and intercultural enrichment.

Doctoral training and thesis projects

DECADOCS offers doctoral fellowships (MSCA Fellowships) open to students from all over the world. These thesis projects allow selected candidates to work on topics as varied as:

• Decadence and literary translation between French and English between 1880 and 1914.

• The role of decadence in European cinema (1890-1930).

• The ecological and cultural impact of ‘decadence’ in contemporary fashion.

• Decadence in architecture and new types of hotels in Venice and beyond.

Each project combines academic research, specialised training, internships in partner museums or institutions, and participation in international conferences.

Redefining decadence for the 21st century

For DECADOCS, decadence is no longer synonymous with ‘end or loss of value’, but rather a concept in motion that can help analyse:

• The climate and cultural crisis;

• The transnational circulation of ideas and cultural objects;

• New forms of artistic and media expression.

Thus, decadence becomes a prism through which to consider the social, aesthetic, and environmental transformations of the contemporary world, while training a new generation of researchers capable of working in interdisciplinary contexts.