Madagascar: Past and Present
Madagascar: Past and Present
After a brief overview of the history of human settlement in Madagascar, this talk will focus on the past century. During this period, Madagascar was a colony of France, regained its independence in 1960, and today faces many challenges. I will single out environmental issues, the role of the colonial administration in shaping the current narrative, and my long-term partnership with Malagasy colleagues and a community in the southwest to conserve the surrounding forests and wildlife while also improving local livelihoods and wellbeing.
Alison Richard is a Senior Research Scientist in the Yale Anthropology Department and Franklin Muzzy Crosby Professor Emerita of the Human Environment, and was Provost of Yale University from 1994-2002. She has studied the ecology and social behavior of wild primates in Africa, Central America, and the Himalayan foothills, but she is most widely known for her research on lemurs in Madagascar. Her most recent book, The Sloth Lemur’s Song: Madagascar from the Deep Past to the Uncertain Present, is a far-reaching account of Madagascar past and present. For fifty years, she has worked to help conserve the island’s unique natural heritage and enhance socio-economic opportunities for people living in and around forests in the southwest.
Richard served as Vice Chancellor of the University of Cambridge from 2003-2010. During her tenure, she led several major changes in University policy, reorganized management of the University’s endowment, expanded Cambridge’s global partnerships, and launched and completed a transformational fund-raising campaign. For her accomplishments, she was awarded a DBE (Dame Commander of the British Empire) for her services to Higher Education.
Richard is a trustee of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Liz Claiborne & Art Ortenberg Foundation. She chairs the Leadership Council of the Yale Peabody Museum, and serves on the Advisory Board of the Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies. Richard received her undergraduate degree in Anthropology at the University of Cambridge, and her doctorate from London University.
