Larson, Pier Martin

Biography

Pier Larson, renowned scholar of African history, was born in Paris to American educators. He spent his childhood in Madagascar. He came to the United States in 1980 for university training. He lived in the United States in his adult life until his death in 2020 at the age of 58. He was married to Michelle Laura Boardman.

As a respected professor and historian in African history, Larson spoke English, French, Malagasy and conversant and able to read in Norwegian and Kiswahili. Larson first received his B.A. in History from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities in 1985, then received his M.A. and Ph.D. in History from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1987 and 1992 respectively. His Ph.D. dissertation was titled Making Ethnic Tradition in a Pre-Colonial Society: Culture, Gender, and Protest in the Early Merina Kingdom, 1750-1822. He carried out his Ph.D. field research via the Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Grant in 1989, and would later continue to receive various fellowships and awards, including being a finalist for the 2010 Melville Herskovits book prize in all disciplines of African Studies, The African Studies Association of the U.S., for his 2009 book, Ocean of Letters: Language and Creolization in an Indian Ocean Diaspora (Cambridge University Press).

Larson’s interests revolved around Africa in world history. His teaching and research revolved around the history of East and Southern Africa, Madagascar, and the Francophone islands of the Western Indian Ocean, slavery, literacy, religion, and the history of the French Empire. He specialized in Madagascar and the Indian Ocean islands, focusing on social, cultural, and intellectual history. His scholarship was based on extensive research in archives throughout Europe, East Africa and the Indian Ocean, and he was known for his extensive use of Malagasy documents as well as interviews with local informants.

Larson worked as a visiting assistant professor at Stanford University (1993-1994), assistant professor at the Pennsylvania State University (1994-1998), visiting professor at the Institut d’Études Politiques de Madagascar, Antananarivo (2012-2020), assistant professor (1998-2003), and as associate professor (2003-2008), and professor (2008-2020) at Johns Hopkins University. At the Zanvyl Krieger School of the Arts and Sciences (of Johns Hopkins University), he served as the director for the International Studies Program (2013-2014), vice dean for Humanities and Social Sciences (2013-2015), and program chair for Master of Liberal Arts Program, Advanced Academic Programs (2013-2020). On top of his commitments to research institutions, he carried out editorial and consultation work for international and national organizations, such as the Journal of Natal and Zulu History and Centre for Research on Slavery and Indenture (University of Mauritius).

Larson was a highly detailed-oriented person and had a passion for archival work. He created catalogs with transcriptions and translations for archive collections and materials that he utilized for his research, and he was committed to his own field research and data, investing time and energy into them throughout his life. His vast collection of discourse research also reflects his devotion to details; he jotted notes and comments to expand and challenge the discourses in his field, and engaged in intersectional work that benefits his research.

After his first book History and Memory in the Age of Enslavement: Becoming Merina in Highland Madagascar, 1770-1822. (Portsmouth: Heinemann; Oxford, U.K.: James Currey; Cape Town, South Africa: David Philip, 2000), he continued to publish Ratsitatanina’s Gift: A Tale of Malagasy Ancestors and Language in Mauritius. (Réduit: University of Mauritius Press, 2009) and Ocean of Letters: Language and Creolization in an Indian Ocean Diaspora. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009). Before his death, he had finished preparation works for his fourth book, Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic in an African Kingdom (Madagascar) & The Corrollers: An Indian Ocean Family (France, Madagascar, Mauritius, Réunion, South Asia). On top of book publishing, his writings also exist as journal articles, book chapters, book reviews, and encyclopedia entries.

Larson’s interest in pedagogy was also prominent; he spent efforts on the variety of courses he taught, from introduction classes to electives, from senior seminars to graduate seminars, from directing undergraduate theses students to Ph.D. students, from sitting on Ph.D. committees to writing pages after pages for his colleagues’ recommendation letters.

During his life Larson collaborated with numerous colleagues, students, travelers, locals, organizations, and institutions to contribute to the international discourses of Madagascar, Africa, and beyond.

Topics

• Africa--History--Study and teaching

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