It all started from a simple observation, shared by the founders of the magazine Istor Breizh : “The History of Brittany is little or not taught. To know it, you have to enroll in History school. Our project is therefore to make this History available to Breton women and men, in an affordable magazine, with long and sustained articles” explains Christian Gouérou, the editor-in-chief, also a journalist at West France for over 20 years. The first issue contains, over a hundred pages, articles written by historians, researchers and enthusiasts. With one objective: to offer a different reading of Brittany's past.
“We want to work with the support of researchers, historians and all the institutions that work on Brittany. We want to show that we ourselves here can analyze what happened in our History with our own vision. We does not permanently depend on researchers in Paris or London with their vision”, explains Jacques-Yves Le Touze, the publication director, himself passionate about Breton history.
Varied subjects, without avoiding controversies
The founders of Istor Breizh were inspired by a magazine created in the 1980s whose title was Let us remember, which means “let's remember” in Breton and had been broadcast for several years. With this newcomer, they promise to address all possible subjects, without holding anything back. They therefore do not intend to avoid controversies.
This is also the case from the first issue with a file on the exhibition “Celtic?”presented in Rennes in 2022, which created a lively debate. The goal is also to make connections between the past and the present. Example with this article on the occasion of 100 ans du Gwenn ha Duwritten by the geographer Mikael Bodlore-Penlaez, who reviews the evolution of the Breton flag: “Trying to understand how initially a political flag it was received by the Breton people”, he summarizes, to the point of becoming a popular emblem today. Throughout the pages, there will also be some articles written in Breton but without setting a precise percentage, it will be based on the numbers.
The biannual must now find its audience. The first issue of Istor Breizh, printed in 1,500 copies, is on sale for 20 euros. It is available in bookstores and on the site the Coop Breizh.
Léo Rozé
France
