The spring 2014 issue of Centerpiece introduces newly appointed Center Director Michèle Lamont in the feature interview “In Conversation with….” The issue's second feature, “Political Survival and the Modern African Prince” by Brett L. Carter, focuses on African politics after the Third Wave of democracy and the struggle between autocrats and democratic institutions. In addition, "Polyglot" is a tribute to the internationalism of the Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies written by departing Executive Officer, Laurence H. Winnie. Also highlighted are recent Center news and activities, undergraduate and graduate student updates, and new Faculty Associates.
In Conversation with...Michèle Lamont
Interview by Kristin Caulfield and Megan Margulies
Come fall 2015, Michèle Lamont will begin a five-year term as Center Director. As Lamont looks ahead to her upcoming directorship, she is hoping to contribute to reshaping the overall landscape of the social sciences at Harvard. Her plans for the Center will appear in a future Centerpiece article when her term begins.…
Political Survival and the Modern African Prince
by Brett L. Carter
The Third Wave of democracy reached Africa in January 1989 when throngs of Benin students protested the government’s failure to disburse scholarships. Five years later, with the Cold War over and food prices soaring, Africa’s autocrats bowed to popular demands for reform. Some fell, others survived.…
At the Center
 | Centerpiece: Spring 2014, Volume 28 Number 2 | 708 KB |