Dr. François Richard

Biography

François G. Richard is an Associate Professor specializing in Historical Anthropology and Archaeology at the University of Chicago. He received his PhD from Syracuse University in 2007. His research interests encompass agrarian capitalism, political economy, materiality, colonialism, and the social structures of rural communities. Richard's work focuses on the political changes in the Siin region of Senegal over the last 400 years and how these changes have influenced the lifeworlds of local peasant communities. He investigates the interactions between rural villagers and state power, emphasizing the historical and material dimensions of their experiences. His comparative studies also extend to Mexican contexts, examining the legacies of French colonialism and its implications on contemporary society. Richard teaches courses on political life, colonialism, and the methodologies of historical archaeology, highlighting relationships of race and materiality in Africa, Latin America, and France. He has published extensively in significant academic journals and books, contributing to the field's understanding of how material histories inform contemporary identities and engagements within the Atlantic world.

Research Interests

Experience