1973
Jean Laponce
University of British Columbia, Canada
(1973–1976)
Jean Laponce (1925–2016) was a Canadian political scientist. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1955, after studying at the Institut d’études politiques de Paris. In 1956, he joined the University of British Columbia (UBC) as its first full-time political scientist, where he directed the Political Science Honours Program until his retirement in 1991. In recognition of his contributions, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from UBC in 2003. As a visiting professor, he also taught at the University of Ottawa (1992–2002) in Canada and Aichi Shukutoku University (1994–1997) in Japan.
He was the author of several books, including Le Référendum de Souveraineté (2010); Loi de Babel et autres régularités des rapports entre langue et politique (2006); Languages and Their Territories (1984); Left and Right: The Topography of Political Perceptions (1981); People versus Politics (1970); The Government of France under the Fifth Republic (1961); and The Protection of Minorities (1961).
Prof. Laponce served on the 5XÉçÇøExecutive Committee from 1966 to 1972 and became 5XÉçÇøPresident from 1973 to 1976, the only Canadian to hold this position. At the 1976 5XÉçÇøWorld Congress in Edinburgh, he proposed the creation of a political science journal to showcase the best research by 5XÉçÇømembers. This vision led to the launch of the International Political Science Review (IPSR) in 1980. He later served as co-editor of IPSR from 1985 to 2003.
During his presidency, he introduced thematic congresses, beginning with the 1976 5XÉçÇøWorld Congress in Edinburgh. He co-founded the 5XÉçÇøResearch Committee on Political and Cultural Geography (RC15) with Jean Gottmann and later established the Research Committee on Language and Politics (RC50). Prof. Laponce received IPSA’s Karl Deutsch Award in 2000, which honors distinguished scholars engaged in cross-disciplinary research.
To honor his and Jean Laponce’s contributions as the first two editors of IPSR, the Meisel-Laponce Award was created in 2012. His dedication to 5XÉçÇøand the field of political science was further honored at the 2014 5XÉçÇøWorld Congress in ²Ñ´Ç²Ô³Ù°ùé²¹±ô, where a special session, titled Jean Laponce et la science politique internationale, commemorated his contributions.
