François G. Richard

François G. Richard is an Associate Professor of Anthropology, Romance Languages & Literatures, and Social Sciences in the College at the University of Chicago. He holds a PhD from Syracuse University (2007) and specializes in historical anthropology and archaeology focused on West Africa, particularly Senegal's Siin province. His research examines political transformations from the 16th to 20th centuries, emphasizing how rural landscapes shaped peasant communities’ responses to state power. He is writing a monograph, Reluctant Landscapes: Historical Anthropologies of Political Experience in Siin (Senegal), 1600–1940, arguing that material landscapes constrained colonial and pre-colonial rule.

Key research interests include Catholic missionary history in Senegal, the transitional period before and after Atlantic contacts, materiality of empire, rural poverty, and the construction of 'Frenchness.' He teaches courses on materiality, political life, social theory, and Francophone African studies, including Racial France.

His publications span archaeological and historical analyses of colonialism, political landscapes, and material culture. He has edited volumes on colonial encounters and ethnic ambiguity in African history. Though no awards or grants are explicitly listed, his work bridges anthropology, archaeology, and history across multiple scales.