Berque, Jacques

(1910-1995)

   sociologist, orientalist

   Born in Molière, Algeria, Jacques Berque was a colonial administrator and director of studies at the École pratique des hautes etudes and professor at the collège de france. There, he dedicated himself to important studies of the Arab world from a sociological and historical perspective (Structures sociales du Haut-Atlas, 1955; Le Maghreb entre deux guerres, 1962; Égypte, Impérialisme et révolution, 1967; L'Intérieur du Maghreb, XVe-XIXe siècles, 1978). In his political writings, Berque advocated progressive decolonization (Les Arabes d'hier à demain, 1960), and in his later years, his interest turned toward the sacred writings of Islam (Le Coran, 1991). Through his style of writing and his erudition, Berque sought to represent the symbolic and actual dimensions of the Arab world, and hence had a great influence on contemporary studies in that field.