Robert L Schuyler wrote:
> Luc:
>
>         Are you in Post-Medieval Archaeology? And if so, how is the field
> developing in France and specifically in your region of France?
>
>         I am sure the other subscribers to HISTARCH would be interested
> in a brief summary.
>
>         Are you a member of the SHA or the SPMA. If not, are the
> membership too expensive for students in France?
>
>                         Thank You,
>
>                         Robert L. Schuyler

Hello Robert,
It will be a pleasure to grant your wish.
Graduate student of the university of Poitiers, my own field of research is
military history of modern periods ( XVIe- XVIIIe century ), and basically,
according to academicals criterions, i'm an historian. But, as i refuse all
arbitrary frontiers, and because i consider that military history, so as to
better perceive the soldiers' condition of life and struggle, the realities
of the battlefield, must go down of his tower, i follow archeological
lessons of the professor Philippe Sénac, co-director of the national center
of medieval research of Poitiers, specialist of Aragon frontier archeology.
It means that i receive a  medieval archeological formation, not a modern
one. Maybe i deceive you ? ;) Despite this particularity i can try to answer
at the other questions. Concerning development of Archeology in France,
don't imagine professional armies of archeologist. Most of the times
excavations are led by amateurs, and each student of archeology know their
weak chance to become a professional archeologist. At this moment, a lot of
excavations are organised in urgence during urban or highway construction.
It 's very hard to get an excavations' licence. These pessimistic
observations must be tempered by the activities of the amateurs'associations
and dynamism of the research. In universities, archeology provides a real
labyrinth because sometimes you can have an independant department and,
that's the case at Poitiers, next,a special group in History ( like medieval
 archeology ), which depend of this department. Very confused,isn't it ?
Concerning the regional'activities i must confess my ignorance, but i know
existance of many associations, which gather together amateurs and
professional, as "la société des antiquaires de l'Ouest", alias Society of
West antique dealer.
Excuse my question but what is the SHA or the SPMA ?