Cultural Studies Faculty and Staff

Jean-Jacques Sene

JSene@chatham.edu
Assistant professor of History; Cultural Studies; Conflict Studies; Global Focus coordinator
Hometown : Dakar, Senegal
Joined Chatham : 2007

Academic Areas of Interest

Mythological dimensions of political power in West Africa; political philosophy and neo-marxism in the global arena; historiography of conflict; international education.

Personal Areas of Interest

Trends in “global culture”, mythology, philosophy, social anthropology, élite vs. people’s power, political activism, basketball, soccer, bass guitar.

Biography

DR. JEAN-JACQUES SÈNE is Assistant Professor of History, Cultural, and Conflict Studies. He also coordinates the Global Focus program. In his native Senegal, he spearheaded a number of community development initiatives with the regional bureaus of UNICEF and UNESCO in the late 1980s-early 1990s. His doctoral dissertation (Université de Rennes 2 Haute Bretagne, Brittany, France, 1999) explored the patterns of survival of ancient myths and rituals in post-colonial Africa, and how they can help establish the matrix of a new social consciousness to meet the global challenges of today. He has lived and worked in Japan and the Netherlands. Dr. Sène also holds a degree in Social Anthropology (Paris XIII), and a Certificate in Conflict Resolution and Peace Studies (Duquesne University, 2001). His current research focuses on myth, religion, power, sub-regional integration programs in West Africa, the African renaissance movement, and neo-Marxist movements in the global arena. Jean-Jacques is married to a compatriot, Valerie. They are raising 2 young girls in Squirrel Hill.