Maurice Godelier

"Words from Asia and the Pacific" is a series of interviews conducted by Jean-François Sabouret, Director of the Asie-Imasie Network (CNRS), with humanities researchers and experts on Asia and the Pacific.
Maurice Godelier is a French anthropologist who was born on February 28, 1934 in Cambrai in northern France. A philosopher by training, he very quickly became interested in economics. He entered the EPHE as works supervisor to Fernand Braudel, then became assistant professor to Claude Lévi-Strauss. He joined the CNRS in 1966, left for Papua New Guinea and remained there until 1969. He returned several times in 1970, 1974 and 1988 to complete his field work. He published numerous works on this region of the world, including"La Production des Grands Hommes. Pouvoir et domination masculine chez les Baruya de Nouvelle-Guinée" (awarded a prize fromy the Académie française in 1982). In 1975, he was appointed Director of Studies at EHESS. He was Scientific Director of the Department of Human and Social Sciences of the CNRS from 1982 to 1986. Godelier has received several prestigious awards, including the CNRS Gold Medal in 2001.
An illustrated bibliographical selection is presented at the end of the film as an additional bonus (4 min.).