Théodore Monod
Encyclopedia
Théodore André Monod was a French
naturalist, explorer, and humanist scholar.
and founded the Institut Français d’Afrique Noire
in Senegal. He became a member of the Académie des sciences d'outre-mer in 1949, member of the Académie de Marine
in 1957, and member of the Académie des Sciences in 1963. In 1960 he was one of the founders of the World Academy of Art and Science
.
He began his career in Africa with the study of monk seals
on Mauritania
's Cap Blanc
peninsula. However, he soon turned his attention to the Sahara
desert, which he would survey for more than sixty years in search of meteorite
s. Though he failed to find the meteorite he sought, he discovered numerous plant species as well as several important Neolithic
sites. Perhaps his most important find was the Asselar man
, a 6,000-year-old skeleton of the Adrar des Ifoghas
that many scholars believe to be the first remains of a distinctly black person.
in Rouen. His father was a pastor of the Temple Protestant de l'Oratoire du Louvre
which Theodore also attended. He subsequently became the founding president of the Francophone Unitarian Association (1986-1990), the first openly-Unitarian religious organization established in France, and later sponsored a spin-off of the AUF known as the Fraternal Assembly of Christian Unitarians.
Monod was also politically active, taking part in pacifist and antinuclear protests until only some months before his death. He wrote several articles and books that adumbrated the emerging environmentalist
movement. He described himself as a Christian anarchist
.
Monod was the great-grandson of Frédéric Monod
. He shared a common ancestor with biologist Jacques Monod
, the musician Jacques-Louis Monod
, the politician Jérôme Monod and director Jean-Luc Godard
.
):
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
naturalist, explorer, and humanist scholar.
Exploration
Early in his career, Monod was made professor at the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelleMuséum national d'histoire naturelle
The Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle is the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, France.- History :The museum was formally founded on 10 June 1793, during the French Revolution...
and founded the Institut Français d’Afrique Noire
Institut Fondamental d'Afrique Noire
IFAN is a cultural and scientific institute in the nations of the former French West Africa...
in Senegal. He became a member of the Académie des sciences d'outre-mer in 1949, member of the Académie de Marine
Académie de Marine
The Royal Naval Academy of France was founded at Brest by a ruling of 31 July 1752 by Antoine Louis de Rouillé, comte de Jouy, Secretary of State for the Navy...
in 1957, and member of the Académie des Sciences in 1963. In 1960 he was one of the founders of the World Academy of Art and Science
World Academy of Art and Science
The World Academy of Art and Science is an international non-governmental scientific organization, an informal and non-official world network of individual fellows elected for distinguished accomplishments in the fields of natural and social sciences, arts and the humanities...
.
He began his career in Africa with the study of monk seals
Mediterranean Monk Seal
The Mediterranean monk seal is a pinniped belonging to the Phocidae family. At some 450-510 remaining individuals, it is believed to be the world's second-rarest pinniped , and one of the most endangered mammals in the world.It is present in parts of the Mediterranean Sea and the eastern Atlantic...
on Mauritania
Mauritania
Mauritania is a country in the Maghreb and West Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, by Western Sahara in the north, by Algeria in the northeast, by Mali in the east and southeast, and by Senegal in the southwest...
's Cap Blanc
Cap Blanc
Cap Blanc may refer to:* Ras Nouadhibou, a place in Mauritania and the Western Sahara.* Ras al-Abyad, the northernmost point on the African continent near Bizerte.* Cap Blanc , a place in Southwest France....
peninsula. However, he soon turned his attention to the Sahara
Sahara
The Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
desert, which he would survey for more than sixty years in search of meteorite
Meteorite
A meteorite is a natural object originating in outer space that survives impact with the Earth's surface. Meteorites can be big or small. Most meteorites derive from small astronomical objects called meteoroids, but they are also sometimes produced by impacts of asteroids...
s. Though he failed to find the meteorite he sought, he discovered numerous plant species as well as several important Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
sites. Perhaps his most important find was the Asselar man
Asselar man
Asselar Man is a neolithic skeleton discovered by Theodore Monod and M.V. Besnard in 1927, in the Adrar des Ifoghas, near Essouk in what is now Mali's Kidal Region...
, a 6,000-year-old skeleton of the Adrar des Ifoghas
Adrar des Ifoghas
The Adrar des Ifoghas is a sandstone massif in Mali's Kidal Region, having an area of about 250,000 km².The area is characterized by wide, shallow valleys, and is strewn with piles of eroded granite blocks...
that many scholars believe to be the first remains of a distinctly black person.
Private life and activism
Monod, the son of Wilfred Monod, attended the Lycée Pierre CorneilleLycée Pierre Corneille (Rouen)
The Lycée Pierre-Corneille is a school in Rouen, France. It was founded by the Archbishop of Rouen, Charles, Cardinal de Bourbon and run by the Jesuits to educate the children of the aristocracy and bourgeoisie in accordance with the purest doctrinal principles of Roman Catholicism...
in Rouen. His father was a pastor of the Temple Protestant de l'Oratoire du Louvre
Temple Protestant de l'Oratoire du Louvre
The Temple Protestant de l'Oratoire du Louvre, also Eglise Réformée de l'Oratoire du Louvre, is a Protestant church located at 145 rue Saint-Honoré - 160 rue de Rivoli in Paris....
which Theodore also attended. He subsequently became the founding president of the Francophone Unitarian Association (1986-1990), the first openly-Unitarian religious organization established in France, and later sponsored a spin-off of the AUF known as the Fraternal Assembly of Christian Unitarians.
Monod was also politically active, taking part in pacifist and antinuclear protests until only some months before his death. He wrote several articles and books that adumbrated the emerging environmentalist
Environmentalist
An environmentalist broadly supports the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that seeks to improve and protect the quality of the natural environment through changes to environmentally harmful human activities"...
movement. He described himself as a Christian anarchist
Christian anarchism
Christian anarchism is a movement in political theology that combines anarchism and Christianity. It is the belief that there is only one source of authority to which Christians are ultimately answerable, the authority of God as embodied in the teachings of Jesus...
.
Monod was the great-grandson of Frédéric Monod
Frédéric Monod
Frédéric Monod was a French Protestant pastor.The brother of Adolphe Monod, he was greatly influenced by Robert Haldane. Along with Count Gasparin, Monod founded the Union of the Evangelical Churches of France; his son, Théodore, followed in his footsteps.Naturalist and explorer Théodore André...
. He shared a common ancestor with biologist Jacques Monod
Jacques Monod
Jacques Lucien Monod was a French biologist who was awarded a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1965, sharing it with François Jacob and Andre Lwoff "for their discoveries concerning genetic control of enzyme and virus synthesis"...
, the musician Jacques-Louis Monod
Jacques-Louis Monod
Jacques-Louis Monod is an influential French-born, American domiciled composer, pianist and conductor of 20th century and contemporary music.-Paris 1940s: early years under Messiaen and Leibowitz:...
, the politician Jérôme Monod and director Jean-Luc Godard
Jean-Luc Godard
Jean-Luc Godard is a French-Swiss film director, screenwriter and film critic. He is often identified with the 1960s French film movement, French Nouvelle Vague, or "New Wave"....
.
Selected works
Works re-edited and released by Actes Sud (ArlesArles
Arles is a city and commune in the south of France, in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, of which it is a subprefecture, in the former province of Provence....
):
- Méharées, (Paris, 1937), rééd. 1989.
- L'Émeraude des garamantes, (éditions de L'Harmattan, Paris, 1984), rééd. 1992.
- L'Hippopotame et le philosophe, rééd. 1993.
- Désert lybique, éditions Arthaud, 1994.
- Majâbat Al-Koubrâ, Actes Sud, 1996.
- Maxence au désert, Actes Sud, Arles, 1995.
- Tais-toi et marche ..., exploration journal from El Ghallaouya-Aratane-Chinguetti, Actes Sud, 2002.