René Lemarchand
Encyclopedia
René Lemarchand is a French
political scientist
who is known for his research on ethnic conflict and genocide
in Rwanda
, Burundi
and Darfur
. Publishing in both English and French, he is particularly known for his work on the concept of clientism. He is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Florida
, and continues to write, teach internationally and consult. Since retiring he has worked for US AID (Agency for International Development, Dept. of State) out of Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire) as a Regional Consultant for West Africa in Governance and Democracy, and as Democracy and Governance advisor to USAID / Ghana.
. After doing undergraduate work in France, he went to the United States for doctoral studies in political science. He completed his PhD
at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), specializing in studies of Central Africa.
in 1971. He worked there for his entire academic career. He has specialized in political issues in African nations, especially ethnic conflicts leading to warfare, and has published works in both French and English.
In July 1971, while on a two-month research trip to Chad
, Lemarchand was arrested and charged with visiting a restricted zone and failing to respond to a summons by the country's president. He was released at the end of August 1971.
Lemarchand has become an expert in ethnic populations and conflicts, such as that in Burundi
, the Rwandan Genocide
in 1994, and Darfur
. He is internationally known as an expert on the cycle of violence in central Africa. He has taught as a visiting professor at universities in Europe, Africa and North America.
Now Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Florida, Lemarchand has worked as a consultant in governance for the USAID
in Abidjan
, Côte d'Ivoire
and as governance and democracy adviser to USAID/Ghana.
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
political scientist
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
who is known for his research on ethnic conflict and genocide
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
in Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
, Burundi
Burundi
Burundi , officially the Republic of Burundi , is a landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Its capital is Bujumbura...
and Darfur
Darfur
Darfur is a region in western Sudan. An independent sultanate for several hundred years, it was incorporated into Sudan by Anglo-Egyptian forces in 1916. The region is divided into three federal states: West Darfur, South Darfur, and North Darfur...
. Publishing in both English and French, he is particularly known for his work on the concept of clientism. He is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
, and continues to write, teach internationally and consult. Since retiring he has worked for US AID (Agency for International Development, Dept. of State) out of Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire) as a Regional Consultant for West Africa in Governance and Democracy, and as Democracy and Governance advisor to USAID / Ghana.
Early life and education
René Lemarchand was born in 1932 in FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. After doing undergraduate work in France, he went to the United States for doctoral studies in political science. He completed his PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), specializing in studies of Central Africa.
Career
Lemarchand joined the Political Science faculty of the University of FloridaUniversity of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
in 1971. He worked there for his entire academic career. He has specialized in political issues in African nations, especially ethnic conflicts leading to warfare, and has published works in both French and English.
In July 1971, while on a two-month research trip to Chad
Chad
Chad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...
, Lemarchand was arrested and charged with visiting a restricted zone and failing to respond to a summons by the country's president. He was released at the end of August 1971.
Lemarchand has become an expert in ethnic populations and conflicts, such as that in Burundi
Burundi
Burundi , officially the Republic of Burundi , is a landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Its capital is Bujumbura...
, the Rwandan Genocide
Rwandan Genocide
The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass murder of an estimated 800,000 people in the small East African nation of Rwanda. Over the course of approximately 100 days through mid-July, over 500,000 people were killed, according to a Human Rights Watch estimate...
in 1994, and Darfur
Darfur
Darfur is a region in western Sudan. An independent sultanate for several hundred years, it was incorporated into Sudan by Anglo-Egyptian forces in 1916. The region is divided into three federal states: West Darfur, South Darfur, and North Darfur...
. He is internationally known as an expert on the cycle of violence in central Africa. He has taught as a visiting professor at universities in Europe, Africa and North America.
Now Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Florida, Lemarchand has worked as a consultant in governance for the USAID
United States Agency for International Development
The United States Agency for International Development is the United States federal government agency primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid. President John F. Kennedy created USAID in 1961 by executive order to implement development assistance programs in the areas...
in Abidjan
Abidjan
Abidjan is the economic and former official capital of Côte d'Ivoire, while the current capital is Yamoussoukro. it was the largest city in the nation and the third-largest French-speaking city in the world, after Paris, and Kinshasa but before Montreal...
, Côte d'Ivoire
Côte d'Ivoire
The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
and as governance and democracy adviser to USAID/Ghana.
Books
- Political Awakening in the Belgian Congo (University of California PressUniversity of California PressUniversity of California Press, also known as UC Press, is a publishing house associated with the University of California that engages in academic publishing. It was founded in 1893 to publish books and papers for the faculty of the University of California, established 25 years earlier in 1868...
, 1964) - Green and the Black: Qadhifi's Policies in Africa (1964)
- '"Rwanda and Burundi"' (Praeger, 1970).
- Selective Genocide in Burundi (1974)
- African Kingships in Perspective (1977)
- African Policy in Southern Africa (1978)
- Political Clientelism in Patronage and Development (1981)
- The World Bank in Rwanda (1982)
- Burundi: Ethnocide as Discourse and Practice (1994),
- Burundi: Ethnic Conflict and Genocide (Woodrow Wilson Center PressWoodrow Wilson International Center for ScholarsThe Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars , located in Washington, D.C., is a United States Presidential Memorial that was established as part of the Smithsonian Institution by an act of Congress in 1968...
/Cambridge University PressCambridge University PressCambridge University Press is the publishing business of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII in 1534, it is the world's oldest publishing house, and the second largest university press in the world...
, 1996) - The Dynamics of Violence in Central Africa (University of Pennsylvania PressUniversity of Pennsylvania PressThe University of Pennsylvania Press is a university press affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
, 2009)
Articles
- "Disconnecting the Threads: Rwanda and the Holocaust Reconsidered", Idea Journal, Vol. 7, No. 1, 29 Mar 2002
Legacy and honors
- 1971, Melville J. HerskovitsMelville J. HerskovitsMelville Jean Herskovits was an American anthropologist who firmly established African and African American studies in American academia. The son of Jewish immigrants, he obtained a Bachelor of Philosophy at the University of Chicago in 1923 and obtained his Master's and Ph.D...
Award for Rwanda and Burundi, African Studies AssociationAfrican Studies AssociationThe African Studies Association is an association of scholars and professionals in the United States and Canada with an interest in the continent of Africa. Started in 1957, the ASA is the leading organization of African Studies in North America. The associations headquarters are Rutgers... - The René Lemarchand Collection of African Political Papers at the University of Florida, featuring materials on Rwanda, Burundi, Zaire, Chad, Gabon, and Libya, mostly in French, with emphasis on the period of the 1950s through independence, and increasing democratization in the 1980s and 1990s.
External links
- "Lemarchand Collection of African Political Papers", University of Florida