Research Interests:
African Politics, Democratization, Political Economy, International Security Program Areas: Politics and Governance; Conflict Resolution; Collaborative Learning
Biography:
Richard Joseph is John Evans Emeritus Professor of Northwestern University and Honorary Fellow of New College, Oxford University. He previously taught at Emory University, Dartmouth College, the University of California at Los Angeles, the University of Ibadan (Nigeria), and the University of Khartoum (Sudan). He has been a visiting researcher at Boston University, Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Institute of Development Studies (Sussex, UK), Chr. Michelsen Institute (Norway), the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (France), the National Endowment for Democracy, and the United States Institute of Peace. Joseph has devoted his scholarly career to the study of politics and governance in Africa with a special focus on democratic transitions, state building, and conflict resolution. He directed the African Governance Program at the Carter Center, coordinated election missions in Ghana and Zambia, and participated in peace initiatives in Ethiopia, Liberia, and Sudan. He has been a longtime member of the Council of Foreign Relations and served on the Boards of the American Council of Learned Societies and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Joseph is the recipient of numerous awards including a Fulbright Scholarship, Rhodes Scholarship, and Guggenheim Fellowship. He has served as a Program Officer of the Ford Foundation and held non-resident positions at the Brookings Institution and the United States Institute of Peace. Many of his publications are available online at Arch Library of Northwestern University and AfricaCLI.org.
Books:
- Radical Nationalism in Cameroun: Social Origins of the UPC Rebellion (1977)
- Le Mouvement Nationaliste au Cameroun (translation, 1986)
- Gaullist Africa: Cameroon under Ahmadu Ahidjo (editor, 1978)
- Democracy and Prebendal Politics in Nigeria: The Rise and Fall of the Second Republic (1987)
- State, Conflict, and Democracy in Africa (editor, 1999)
- Smart Aid for African Development (co-editor, 2009)