James Smoot Coleman (4 February 1919 – 20 April 1985) was an American scholar, professor and administrator in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

, but more specifically in

African studies African studies is the study of Africa, especially the continent's cultures and societies (as opposed to its geology, geography, zoology, etc.). The field includes the study of Africa's History of Africa, history (pre-colonial, Colonisation of Af ...

. He is noted for two of his books, ''Nigeria: Background to Nationalism''Coleman, James Smoot (1958) ''Nigeria: Background to Nationalism'' University of California Press, Berkeley
OCLC 166245
reprinted in 1963, 1971 and 1986. and ''Education and Political Development''Coleman, James Smoot (1965) ''Education and Political Development'' Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J.
OCLC 78409645
/ref> which have been called "classics of scholarship".Matthews, Kevin (2005) "Remembering James Smoot Coleman" UCLA African Studies Center 11 October 2005
accessed 29 December 2008

Biography

Coleman was born in Provo, Utah, to a

Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...

family, son of Jacob Coleman and Allie Smoot Coleman. He graduated from Brigham Young High School in 1936. He enrolled in Brigham Young University, but interrupted his college education to join the U.S. Army in 1941, and achieved the rank of Lt. Colonel before resigning in 1946 after the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

.Marquis Who's Who (1993) "James Smoot Coleman: 1919- " ''Who Was Who in America: A component volume of Who's Who in American History'' Volume 11, 1993-1996 ; ''Who's Who in American History'' Marquis, online version accessed 30 December 2008 Coleman received his

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

from

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU) is a Private education, private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is the flagship university of the Church Educational System sponsore ...

in 1947 and his

master's A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

(1948). He received a doctorate in (1953) from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. He was a teaching fellow at Harvard from 1949 to 1950, and again in 1953. In 1953, he became an instructor at the

University of California at Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the Ca ...

(UCLA), and soon was appointed as an assistant professor. In 1963 he was president of the

African Studies Association The African Studies Association (ASA) is a US-based association of scholars, students, practitioners, and institutions with an interest in the continent of Africa. Founded in 1957, the ASA is the leading organization of African Studies in North ...

. Coleman was the first director of the UCLA African Studies Center from its founding in 1959 until 1965. From 1965 to 1978, Coleman spent over twelve years as a university administrator in Africa. First in 1965 he was Head of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at Makerere University College at the University of East Africa in Uganda. In 1967 he moved to

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

to assume the position as Director for the Institute for Development Studies at the

University of Nairobi The University of Nairobi (uonbi or UoN; ) is a college, collegiate research university based in Nairobi and is the largest List of universities and colleges in Kenya, university in Kenya. Although its history as an educational institution dat ...

. Finally he went to the

University of Dar es Salaam The University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) (Swahili: ''Chuo Kikuu cha Dar es Salaam'') is a public university located in Ubungo District, Dar es Salaam Region, Tanzania. It was established in 1961 as an affiliate college of the University of London. ...

in Tanzania. From 1967 to 1978, while in Africa, Coleman was an associate director of the

Rockefeller Foundation The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The foundation was created by Standard Oil magnate John D. Rockefeller (" ...

and served as its representative for East Africa and

Zaire Zaire, officially the Republic of Zaire, was the name of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1971 to 18 May 1997. Located in Central Africa, it was, by area, the third-largest country in Africa after Sudan and Algeria, and the 11th-la ...

. Coleman returned to UCLA in 1978 as a full professor in political science and as chair of the UCLA Council on International and Comparative Studies (CICS). As head of CICS he was instrumental in leading the Southern California Consortium for International Studies from 1978 until his death in 1985. In 1984 he became the first director of UCLA's International Studies and Overseas Programs (ISOP) (now known as UCLA's International Institute). Coleman married Margaret Tate on 4 February 1944, and they had two sons. On 20 June 1965, Coleman married Ursula Finken. Coleman died suddenly of a heart attack in Los Angeles on 20 April 1985.

Awards and honors

* 1959 Woodrow Wilson Foundation Award for ''Nigeria: Background to Nationalism'' * Decorated Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) Honorary Member * 1966 Fellow of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

* 1985 the African Studies Center at UCLA was renamed the James S. Coleman African Studies Center in his honor."African Studies Center Newsletter"
accessed 29 December 2008

Notes

Sources

* Bowman, John Stewart (ed.) (1995) "James Smoot Coleman – 1919–1985" ''The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography'' Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England, * Gale Reference Team (1967) ''Contemporary Authors: A bio-bibliographical guide to current writers in fiction, general nonfiction, poetry, journalism, drama, motion pictures, television, and other fields'' Volumes 1-4 (1st revision) Gale Research, Detroit * Stren, Richard (1985) "In Memoriam: James Smoot Coleman, 1919–1985" ''Canadian Journal of African Studies'' 19(2): p. 292 * Lofchie, Michael (1986) "James Smoot Coleman, 1919–85: An Appreciation" ''Africa: Journal of the International African Institute'' 56(1): pp. 82–84 {{DEFAULTSORT:Coleman, James Smoot American Africanists American political philosophers Harvard University alumni Members of the Order of the British Empire Brigham Young University alumni 1919 births 1985 deaths American expatriates in Uganda American expatriates in Kenya American expatriates in Tanzania Presidents of the African Studies Association 20th-century American political scientists Brigham Young High School alumni