Laurent Fourchard

Short Biography

Laurent Fourchard’s research is located at the intersection of African history and African politics and his interest focused on youth, on vigiliantism and on the shaping of the colonial and postcolonial state and cities in Africa south of the Sahara. He has edited several books and has authored papers in these areas for Journal of African History, Africa, International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Politique africaine and Afrique et Histoire. He has done historical and anthropological fieldworks in Burkina Faso, Nigeria and South Africa in the past 15 years. He taught African and European History at Paris 7 University, he was director of the French Institute for Research in Africa (Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan) between 2000 and 2003 and was on sabbatical leaves at the Historical Studies department, University of Cape Town (2008–2009). He is currently senior researcher for the National Foundation of Political Science at the Centre d’Etude d’Afrique Noire, University of Bordeaux. He is also co-editor of the journal Politique africaine. He holds a PhD in African History from University of Paris 7.