Laurent Fourchard

Laurent Fourchard is a Research Director at Sciences Po specializing in the intersection of history, political sociology, and comparative urban studies with a focus on Africa. He holds a doctorate in history from the University of Paris 7 and an HDR in political science from Sciences Po.

His research focuses on:

• Policing and state formation in urban contexts
• Criminal organizations and informal power structures
• Trade unions and labor movements
• Political uses of public spaces
• Autochthony and xenophobia in bureaucratic relations

Fourchard's work combines historical and ethnographic methods to trace the genealogies of exclusion, sorting, and policing systems in working-class neighborhoods in Nigeria and South Africa. His current book project examines transport organizations in Nigeria at the crossroads of trade unionism, 'mafia' structures, political patronage, and 'para-state' regulation. Since 2023, he has coordinated a research group on subaltern historicities in Africa with Greg Mann of Columbia University.

His publications reveal consistent attention to urban governance, state-society relations, and political economy in African contexts, particularly Nigeria. His concept of 'twilight institutions' challenges conventional development narratives by highlighting how services emerge through informal arrangements where formal state capacity is limited.

Professional Experience:

• Director of the French Institute for Research in Africa (IFRA) in Nigeria (2000-2003)
• Visiting researcher at University of Cape Town (2008-2009), University of Turin (2021), Columbia (2022), and Oxford (2023)
• Member of section 40 of the CNRS (2016-2019)

Editorial Boards:

• Africa
• Journal of African History
• International Journal of Urban and Regional Research
• Politique africaine
• Sources

Teaching:

• "Introduction to Political Science: Africa Module" (1st year)
• "Governing the Large Metropolis in Africa" (Master's degree)