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Bender (Gerald J.) papers
5322
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Table of contents
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
USC Libraries Special Collections
Title: Gerald J. Bender papers
creator:
Bender, Gerald J.
Identifier/Call Number: 5322
Physical Description:
66.5 Linear Feet
73 boxes
Date (inclusive): 1960-2016
Date (bulk): 1973-1998
Abstract: This collection comprises the papers of Gerald J. Bender, a professor of international relations at USC from 1979 to 2011
and director of the School of International Relations from 1986 to 1991. Bender was a foremost expert on the study of politics,
languages, and culture of Angola and Southern Africa generally, with a particular interest in United States foreign policy
toward the region. The Gerald J. Bender papers contain Bender's personal, professional, and USC correspondence; files on Bender's
research, consultancies, and projects (including his work with oil companies in southern Africa); teaching materials relating
to the USC School of International Relations; an extensive collection of news clippings on topics relating to Southern Africa;
some realia and graphic materials; and manuscripts, published papers, and research proposals authored by Bender and/or his
colleagues.
Language of Material: English and Portuguese.
Gerald J. Bender (1941-2017) was a professor at the USC School of International Relations who specialized in the politics,
history, and languages of Portuguese-speaking African countries, with an emphasis on Angola. Born and raised in Minneapolis,
Minnesota, he became interested in African politics during his undergraduate studies when he lived in Nigeria to complete
a summer research study on community development. In 1963, he graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from
the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, and obtained his Master's and PhD from the University of California, Los Angeles
in 1967. He became a research fellow in the African Studies Center at UCLA, where he spearheaded the grant-funded Portuguese
Africa Project from 1971 to 1975. In 1979, he joined the faculty at the USC School of International Relations where he would
teach for three decades until his retirement in 2011. From 1986 to 1991, he was appointed as the director of the school. He
received seven teaching awards during his career at USC, including the USC Associates Award for Excellence in Teaching in
1985.
From the mid-1970s to the early 2000s, he published and lectured extensively about political issues in Angola and other Portuguese-speaking
African countries, Portugal, and South Africa under apartheid. He commented on the United States' policies toward southern
African countries in national newspapers and presented statements for the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs
and the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.
Additionally, Bender served as a consultant for the U.S. State Department, non-profits such as the Citizens Engergy Corporation,
and several multinational corporations and think tanks. He convinced Conoco, an oil company, to invest in local communities
in Angola, and worked on a project to reduce the incidence of AIDS in the Angolan Armed Forces. Throughout his career, Bender
maintained political alliances with African politicians and negotiated with organizations on behalf of governments to facilitate
the development of libraries and hospitals.
[See links under "External Documents" for biographical/historical sources]
This collection comprises the papers of Gerald J. Bender, a professor of international relations at USC from 1979 to 2011
and director of the School of International Relations from 1986 to 1991. Bender was a foremost expert on the study of politics,
languages, and culture of Angola and Southern Africa generally, with a particular interest in United States foreign policy
toward the region. The Gerald J. Bender papers contain Bender's personal, professional, and USC correspondence; files on Bender's
research, consultancies, and projects (including his work with oil companies in southern Africa); teaching materials relating
to the USC School of International Relations; an extensive collection of news clippings on topics relating to Southern Africa;
some realia and graphic materials; and manuscripts, published papers, and research proposals authored by Bender and/or his
colleagues.
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE. Advance notice required for access.
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Manuscripts Librarian.
Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended
to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
[Box/folder no. or item name], Gerald J. Bender papers, Collection no. 5322, University Archives, Special Collections, USC
Libraries, University of Southern California
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of the estate of Gerald Bender, October 2017.
Boxes 1 through 30 of this collection have been described at a folder level and rehoused into acid-free folders. The majority
of boxes with numbers following 30 contain material described at a box level. The material described at box-level is still
housed in Bender's original folders, but has been boxed into labeled acid-free boxes.
Bender collected a large run of
Jornal de Angola, along with a number of Portuguese-language monographs published in Angola and Portugal. These materials were separated from
the Bender papers and cataloged as part of the Boeckmann Center for Iberian and Latin American Studies. The Boeckmann Center's
holdings are accessible via the USC Libraries catalog search.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Africa, Portuguese-speaking -- Politics and government -- 20th century -- Archival resources
Africa, Southern -- Foreign relations -- 20th century -- Archival resources
Angola -- Politics and government -- 20th century -- Archival resources
International relations -- Study and teaching -- California -- Los Angeles -- Archival resources
National liberation movements -- Africa, Portuguese-speaking -- 20th century -- Archival resources
Petroleum industry and trade -- Angola -- 20th century -- Archival resources
clippings files
Correspondence
Manuscripts
Photographs
Photomontages (visual works)
Publications (documents)
Realia
Research (documents)
Student projects
Bender, Gerald J. -- Archives
Conoco Inc -- Archives
University of Southern California. School of International Relations -- Archives