Meeting the elders of an Erenga community, West-Darfur, on a Doctors’ without Borders exploratory mission, October 2004

Credit : Claude Iverné

Professional affiliation :

Arab and Mediterranean World Studies (EMAM)

A Team of  the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) :

  Cities, Territories, Environment, Societies  (CITERES) Research Institute

François-Rabelais University, Tours (France)

Contact :   Mail : collongue@gmail.com

Phone : +33 (0)6 89 32 07 72         

 BIOGRAPHICAL SUMMARY

Born in 1953, Marc Lavergne is a career Head Researcher (Directeur de recherche) at the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) in France. He is presently attached to the University of Tours (France), after having been assigned to the Universities of Lyons (2004-2015), Paris-10 (2000-2004) and Tours (1991-1999).

Pr Lavergne has a long field experience with the Middle East and the Horn of Africa, having completed his formal and field education in Arabic language and rural Geography in Syria (1972-1975), Egypt (1977-1980) and Saudi Arabia (1981-1982). His academic background consists of a diploma in International Relations from the Institut de Sciences Politiques de Paris (1977), a BA in Modern Arabic (Paris-3 University, 1976) and a Ph D. in Geography of Rural Development (Paris-7 University, 1980), with a thesis dedicated to « Egyptian Agriculture Ten Years after the Completion of the Aswan High Dam ».

His main research interest, first directed toward the prospects of Economic and Social Development, with a focus on Rural development, then on Urbanization and Local Empowerment,  is now extended  toward the Geopolitics of the Arab Middle East and the Horn of Africa, with an emphasis on the analysis of Crises and conflict situations.

His professional abilities have been widely recognized and mobilized, through his assignation by the CNRS and the french Ministry of Foreign Affairs to challenging tasks :

- establishment or rehabilitation of French Research Institutes throughout the Middle East (CEDEJ in Cairo, 2008-2011, CERMOC in Beirut and Amman 1988-1990, CEDUST at the University of Khartoum 1982-1988), in times of political unrest, civil strife or even warfare;

- assignment to several International Missions for Peace (Legal and Political Adviser to the Joint Military Commission in the Nuba Mountains Cease-fire in Sudan in 2002, Humanitarian Expert and Co-ordinator of the UNSC Panel of Experts for Darfur in 2006).

Besides, Pr Lavergne has been long committed to Humanitarian Action, as Board Member of prominent International NGO’s such as Doctors without Borders (2005-2008), Action against Hunger (since 2015), and Amel-France (since 2015), thus establishing strong links with civil societies throughout the Middle East. With a group of young scholars and professionals,  he opened in 2014 an office in the UAE, Sawaconsulting, in order to serve the international and regional humanitarian community and help INGO’s to better understand their environment and cooperate with local and regional authorities, charity and business communities.

Pr Lavergne is the author of several books, among which « Egypt, year 2 of the revolution », 2012, L’Harmattan, Paris ; « Contemporary Oman. State, Land, Identity », Karthala, Paris, 2002 ;  « Jordan », Karthala, Paris, 1996 : « Contemporary Sudan », Karthala, Paris, 1989.