Joseph Tonda (born 1952) is a sociologist and

anthropologist An anthropologist is a person engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropology is the study of aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms and ...

of Congolese and Gabonese background. He is a specialist of Congolese and Gabonese culture, society, and politics, and is currently professor of sociology at

Omar Bongo University Omar Bongo University (French: ''Université Omar Bongo'') a public university which was founded as the National University of Gabon in 1970. It was renamed in honor of President Omar Bongo in 1978. It is based in Libreville, and was the country' ...

Libreville Libreville is the capital and largest city of Gabon. Occupying in the northwestern province of Estuaire, Libreville is a port on the Komo River, near the Gulf of Guinea. As of the 2013 census, its population was 703,904. The area has been inh ...

. He is also a regular visiting instructor at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) in Paris, France. Tonda received his doctorate at the

University of Grenoble The Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA, French: meaning "''Grenoble Alps University''") is a public research university in Grenoble, France. Founded in 1339, it is the third largest university in France with about 60,000 students and over 3,000 resea ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and his

habilitation Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in many European countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excellence in research, teaching and further education, usually including a ...

in 2003 at the EHESS. He is the author of ''Le souverain moderne'' (The Modern Sovereign), an analysis of the modern state in central equatorial

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, its corporeal structure as an all-encompassing and "composite" power, whose sexualized imagery lies at the heart of its violent nature after independence. Tonda's areas of specialization include the anthropology of religion, of medicine, and of the cults of the body in modern central Africa. He has also written on the relationship between violence, power, and the imaginary in central Africa. He is one of the founding members of the Association, ''Rupture-Solidarité'', a network of Congolese dissident intellectuals. He is also the author of two unpublished novels: *''Myrtille'' *''Les chiens de foudre'' (Thunder Dogs)

Publications

*''Le souverain moderne: le corps du pouvoir en Afrique centrale, Congo et Gabon''. Paris: Karthala, collection "Hommes et Sociétés", 2005. *''La guérison divine en Afrique centrale''. Paris: Karthala, 2002. *''Les églises et la société congolaise aujourd'hui, économie religieuse de la misère en société postcoloniale'', eds. Joseph Tonda and Jean-Pierre Missie, L'Harmattan, collection "Etudes africaines", 2007. *''L'impérialisme postcolonial, critique de la société des éblouissements''. Paris: Karthala, collection "Les Afriques", 2015. -Articles- *"Pentecôtisme et 'contentieux matériel' transnational en Afrique centrale. La magie du système capitaliste," in ''Social Compass'' 58:1 (2011) 42-60. *“Le Mausolée Brazza, corps mystique de l'´Etat congolais ou corps du 'négatif'” in '' Cahiers d'études africaines'' 198-199-200. 2010. *“Omar Bongo Ondimba, Paradigme du Pouvoir Postcolonial,” in ''Politique africaine'' no. 114, juin 2009. *″La violence de l'imaginaire des enfants-sorciers,″ in ''Cahiers d'études africaines'' 189-190.2008. *“Entre communautarisme et individualisme: la 'tuée tuée', une figure-miroir de la ''déparentélisation'' au Gabon,” in ''Sociologie et sociétés'', 39:2 (2007): 79-99. *“Des affaires du corps aux affaires politiques: le champ de la guérison divine au Congo,” in ''Social Compass'' 48:403, 2001. *“Le syndrome du prophète, Médecines africaines et précarités identitaires,” in ''Cahiers d'études africaines'' 161. 2001. *“Enjeux du deuil et négociation des rapports sociaux de sexe au Congo,” in ''Cahiers d'études africaines'' 157. 2000.

References

External links

*http://ecoledessavoirs.blogs.rfi.fr/article/2010/03/29/joseph-tonda-et-la-reconstruction-des-identites-en-afrique-centrale-partir-de-lim. *http://www.iea-nantes.fr/fr/chercheurs/chercheurs-a-venir/bdd/personne_id/170. {{DEFAULTSORT:Tonda, Joseph 1952 births Living people Grenoble Alpes University alumni French anthropologists Republic of the Congo sociologists Republic of the Congo anthropologists