Augustin Berque#

Director of studies at the EHESS (School of advanced studies in the social sciences)
105 boulevard Raspail
75006 Paris, France

Born: 6 septembre 1942 in Rabat, Morocco
Nationality: French
Married, two children


Studies and employments
Studies geography, Chinese and Japanese at Paris University (1959-1963), at the School of oriental languages, Paris (1960-1963, 1965-1967) and at Oxford University, Wadham College (1963-1964). Diploma of Chinese of the School of oriental languages (1967). Doctor in geography (PhD, 1969, Paris University); thesis : Commercial hierarchies in Landes department, unpublished. State doctor in letters (professoral dissertation, 1977, Paris IV University), thesis: Colonisation and cultural change in Hokkaidô, a study in cultural geography, microfilm, Paris, Publications orientalistes de France. Military service at the Geographical Service of the French Army at Joigny and Baden-Baden (1964-1965).

Assistant lecturer at the School of Fine Art in Paris, 1967-1969. Since 1969, numerous stays in Japan, totaling more than 17 years. Teaches French at the Athénée français, Tokyo, 1969-1970, at the French-Japanese Institute, 1970. Lector in French at Hokkaido University, 1970-1974. Researcher at the Maison franco-japonaise, Tokyo, and invited researcher at Tohoku University, Sendai, 1975-1977. Researcher at the CNRS (National Centre for Scientific Research), 1977-1979. Since 1979 up to the present, director of studies at the EHESS, where he has directed the Centre for research on contemporary Japan from 1981 to 1999. Detached as Director of the Maison franco-japonaise in Tokyo, 1984-1988. Detached as Professor at Miyagi University, Sendai, 1999-2001. Detached as invited researcher at the Nichibunken (Centre for international research on Japanese culture, Kyoto), 2005-2006.

Awards:

• Prize of the French Geographical Society for his book Médiance, 1991
• Chevalier of the Order of Merit (Ministry of Environment), 1991
• Member of the Academia europaea, 1991
• Prize of the Japanese society for cultural design, for his works in the theory of landscape, 1995
• Yamagata Bantô Prize for his works in Japanese studies, 1997
• Silver medal of the CNRS for his works in geography, 2000
• Cultural prize of the Japanese society of architects, for his works on human settlements in Japan, 2006 *Fukuoka Asian Culture Grand Prize, 2009