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Finding Aid for the James Smoot Coleman Papers, 1946-1987, bulk, 1964-1987
383
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Title: James Smoot Coleman Papers
Date (inclusive): 1946-1987, bulk, 1964-1987
Collection number: 383
Creator: Coleman, James Smoot, 1919-1985
Extent:
21 boxes (10.5 linear ft.)
Abstract: Collection documents the activities of James Smoot Coleman, teacher and scholar, whose academic career spanned from 1953 to
1985. The materials primarily document his professional involvement with the Rockefeller Foundation, but also include a small
amount of documentation on his teaching activities. The bulk of the collection consists of reports and reviews of the work
of the Foundation, but also some of Dr. Coleman's writings and his teaching material.
Language: Finding aid is written in
English.
Repository:
University of California, Los Angeles. Library Special Collections.
Los Angeles, California 90095-1575
Physical location: Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact the UCLA Library Special
Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Open for research. Advance notice required for access. Contact the UCLA Library Special
Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
Restrictions on Use and Reproduction
Property rights to the physical object belong to the UCLA Library Special Collections. Literary rights, including copyright,
are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright
and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
[Identification of item], James Smoot Coleman Papers (Collection 383). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young
Research Library.
UCLA Catalog Record ID:
4232696
Processed by Florence Akinyemi, with assistance from
Elizabeth Sheehan,in the Center For Primary Research and Training (CFPRT).
James Smoot Coleman was born in Provo, Utah on February 4, 1919. He earned
his bachelor's degree at Brigham Young University, his M.A. and Ph.D. at
Harvard, and joined the UCLA faculty as an instructor in 1953. He died from a
heart attack on April 20, 1985, at age 66.
Professor Coleman was among the first American scholars to recognize,
understand, and give voice to the significance of the African perspective. His
scholarly works include pioneering work on nationalism, education and
development theory. He also wrote on the topics academic freedom and political
economy. His books, "Nigeria: Background to Nationalism" and "Education and
Political Development," are classics in the field.
Professor Coleman's academic career was prolific. After teaching at UCLA for
11 years, Dr. Coleman left the university in 1965 to become Head of the
Department of Political Science and Public Administration at Makerere University
College at the University of East Africa in Uganda. In 1967 he was named
Director for the Institute for Development Studies at the University of Nairobi.
During that time he served as an associate director of the Rockefeller
Foundation and as its representative in East Africa and Zaire. He returned to
UCLA in 1978 as Professor of Political Science and Chair of the Council on
International and Comparative Studies. He was named Director of International
Studies and Overseas Programs in 1984.
In 1985, the African Studies Center at UCLA was named in honor of its
founder, Professor James S. Coleman, whose pioneering scholarship marks him as
one of the architects of African Area Studies throughout the world. Today, the
James S. Coleman African Studies Center is considered one of the top centers of
its kind in the United States.
Collection documents the activities of James Smoot Coleman, teacher and scholar, whose academic career spanned from 1953 to
1985. The materials primarily document his professional involvement with the Rockefeller Foundation, but also include a small
amount of documentation on his teaching activities. The bulk of the collection consists of reports and reviews of the work
of the Foundation, but also some of Dr. Coleman's writings and his teaching material.
Arranged in the following series:
- Rockefeller Foundation, 1946-1984. 4 linear feet
- University for Development / Education for Development, 1963-1984. 5.5 lf.
- Teaching and Writing Activities, 1963-1987. 1 lf.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Coleman, James
Smoot--Archives
Africanists--California--Los
Angeles--Archival resources.
Political
scientists--California--Los Angeles--Archival resources.
University of California, Los
Angeles--Dept. of Political Science--Faculty--Archival resources.