Jean-François Bayart

Profile

Jean-François Bayart, a specialist in historical sociology and comparative politics, is a professor at the Graduate Institute, Geneva, where he holds the Yves Oltramare Chair for Religion and Politics in the Contemporary World. He is also Director of the Chair of Comparative African Studies at the Université Mohammed VI Polytechnique, Rabat, and Director of the Fonds d’analyse des sociétés politiques (FASOPO) and of the Réseau européen d’analyse des sociétés politiques (REASOPO).

Jean-François Bayart was Researcher at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) from 1976 to 2015 and Director of the Centre de recherches internationales (CERI) from 1994 to 2000, and is Founder of the Politique africaine (1980) and Critique internationale (1998) journals, as well as Karthala’s Recherches internationale (1998) collection. He has been a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of African Affairs since 1983. Jean-François Bayart is particularly interested in the role of religion in the formation of states in Africa and the Middle East (Turkey, Iran), proposing a new problematisation of identity, culture and globalisation.

Published works include L’Etat en Afrique. La politique du ventre (Fayard, 1989, new edition 2006), L’Illusion identitaire (Fayard, 1996), Le Gouvernement du monde. Une critique politique de la globalisation (Fayard, 2004), L’Islam républicain. Ankara, Téhéran, Dakar (Albin Michel, 2010), Les Etudes postcoloniales, un carnaval académique (Karthala, 2010), Sortir du national-libéralisme. Croquis politiques des années 2004-2012 (Karthala, 2012), and Le Plan cul. Ethnologie d’une pratique sexuelle (Fayard, 2014). Jean-François Bayart has also led or co-led several books, including Religion et modernité politique en Afrique noire. Dieu pour tous, chacun pour soi (Karthala, 1993) and La Cité cultuelle. Rendre à Dieu ce qui revient à César (Karthala, 2015, with Ariane Zambiras). He has taught in Paris, Lausanne, Turin, Geneva and Rabat.

He has also held positions within the French government, as Permanent Consultant for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Centre for Analysis, Planning and Strategy (CAPS) (1990-2004) and as Member of the White Paper on Defence and National Security Commission (2012-2013).

Chaire d'études africaines comparées, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University

Areas of expertise

• Religion and politics
• Culture matérielle, techniques du corps et subjectivation politique
• La formation de l’Etat en Afrique et en Asie antérieure (Turquie, Iran)
• Sociologie historique et comparée du politique