Jacques Maquet

Maquet, Jacques Jerome August 4, 1919 - January 18, 2013 Jacques Jerome Pierre Maquet (b. 1919, Belgium) passed way in Los Angeles, California. This eminent professor taught at UCLA, Department of Anthropology, from 1971 through the 1990s. He earned doctorates in four disciplines: law and philosophy - University of Louvain; social anthropology - University of London; social sciences (sociology) - The Sorbonne, Paris. It was his interest in philosophy across societies that launched his research producing "The Sociology of Knowledge" (1951, French). His quest was to study African ways of ordering the world. Other titles include: "The Premise on Inequality in Ruanda," "Power and Society in Africa," "Civilizations of Black Africa," and "Africanity: Cultural Unity of Black Africa." In 1950 he produced a seminal ethnographic film on the social structure in Rwanda. From the 1970s, Maquet researched Southern Asia, especially Buddhism and meditation in Sri Lanka. His seminal works on aesthetic anthropology (i.e., "The Aesthetic Experience") were published through the 1980s and 1990s. In 2005, the UCLA African Studies Center recognized Prof. Maquet for his numerous contributions to African studies. Professor Maquet is survived by his wife Gisele, former wife, Emma, two sons, Bernard and Denis, and grandchildren. He has the gratitude of his many students who hold him in highest esteem.