Jean Laponce

Jean Laponce (1925-2016) joined our Department in 1956, as the first Full-Time political scientist. He directed the UBC political science honours program from the 1960s until his retirement in 1991. Jean left an indelible mark not only within our own community, but on the broader Political Science community. In particular, his service within the International Political Science Association (he was the only Canadian to become its president) and his commitment to international dialogue was monumental. Jean was interested in numerous areas of political science, and he established his expertise in linguistic politics, with remarkable works such as Langue et territoire (1990) and Loi de Babel et autres régularités du rapport entre langue et politique (2006). His academic contributions were prolific, and his service to the field was immense. He was a member of the Royal Society of Canada, and he will be remembered for his warm personality, modesty, and tireless energy.

Paris Lycée Carnot – baccalauréat 1943
Institut d’Etudes Politiques – Paris. Diploma 1947
University of California, Los Angeles. Ph.D. 1955
University of British Columbia, LLD honoris causa 2003

University Career

University of Santa Clara, 1955
University of British Columbia, since 1956
University of Ottawa, professeur invité‚ 1992-2002
Aichi Shukutoku University, instructor in the Language and Culture section of the Graduate Program in Communication, 1994-97.

Professional Associations

Executive Council of the North Western Political Science Association, 1961-1964
Executive Council of the Canadian Political Science Association, 1963-65; 1966-68
Executive Committee of the International Political Science Association 1966-70; 1970-73
Executive Council of the Social Science Research Council, 1966-1969
Executive Council of the Inter University Consortium for Political Research, 1969-72
President of the Canadian Political Science Association, 1972-73
President of the International Political Science Association, 1973-76
Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada since 1974
Council of Academy of humanities and social sciences of the Royal Society of Canada, 1981-84
Advisory Publications Committee of the SSFC, 1978-81
Co-editor of the International Political Science Review, (1985-2003)
President of the Academy of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Royal Society of Canada 1988-91
Director of the Institute of Interethnic Relations Political Science, University of Ottawa, 1993-2001.

Books

Loi de Babel et autres regularites des rapports entre langue et politique, Presses de l’iniversite Laval, 2006. 206 pp.

Le referendum de souverainete: comparaisons, critiques et commentaires, Presses de l’Universite Laval, 2010.

Articles

“Language and Politics” in M. Hawkesworth and M Kogan (eds.)Encyclopedia of Government and Politics London: Routledge, 2004, 587-602.

“Andre Siegfried and Others” in A. Micholos (ed.) The Best Teacher I Ever Had Althouse Press, 2003, 138-41.

“Turning Votes into Territories: boundary referendums in Theory and practice” Political Geography 23,2004,169-183.

“Using a Role by Role Interview to Measure the Minority Effect” Social Science Information ,2004, 3, pp 477-492.

“Ethnicity and Solidarity:Comments on Laitin and Grin” in P. Van Paryjs (ed) Cultural Diversity versus Economic Solidarity, Bruxelles:De Boeck et Larcier, 2004, pp. 203-209

“Changing Sovereignty and Changing Borders: vox dei or vox populi? in Calogero Muscara, ed., The Problem and Science of Human Settlements: in the steps of Jean Gottmann, Ekistics, 70, 2004, n.418-19.

“Canada’s Mismatching Federations” in Kesselman and P. Resnick (ed.) Insiders and Outsiders, Vancouver: UBC Press 2005, pp 213-212.

“La gouvernance du francais au Canada en cinq ou six lois” in J-P Wallot La Gouvernance lingustique au Canada Presses de l’Universite d’Ottawa, 2005, pp 3-18.

“Perception de soi et du monde par le minoritaire et par le majoritaire” in Jean Tournon & Ramon Maiz Ethnicisme et Politique Paris: L’Harmattan, 2005, 53-65.

“Minority Languages and Globalization” in W. Safran & J. Laponce Language, Ethnic Identity and the State, 2005, 15-24.

“Frontiere ou libre circulation: dilemmes de la diversite linguistique” in La Geographie, 2007, p 212-219; expended as “L’UNESCO et la diversité linguistique: billes et acquarelles” in Guy Lachapelle, dir. (2008) Diversité culturelle, identités et mondialisation, Québec: Presses de l’Université Laval, 214-221..

“La puissance politique du francais” in J. Maurais et al, L’avenir du francais, Paris:AUF,2008, 57-60

Research on Ethnies and Nations: Comparing is the Way, But Comparing What? Nationalism and Ethnic Politics, 2008, 14,2, 223-236.

Language and Sovereignty Referendums: The Convergence Effect, Nationalism and Ethnic Politics, 2012, 18:113-128.

Edited Works

with William Safran Language, Ethnic Identity and the State London: Routledge. 2005.

Barry Guggenheim Fellowship 1985-97

UBC Killam research prize 1988

Book prize of the SSFC for ‘Langue et territoire’ 1990

IPSA Karl Deutsch distinction for interdisciplinary research, 2001.