French consul sees ‘clash of civilizations’

Dominique Decherf, Consul General of France in Chicago, will visit campus and give a talk on “Clash of Civilizations: A French View,” Friday, Feb. 22 at 3:30 p.m. in 206 Ingraham Hall, 1155 Observatory Drive, Madison.

Decherf’s free public talk is drawn from the title of the controversial thesis by Harvard University professor Samuel Huntington. Both men were colleagues last year when Decherf was a fellow at Harvard’s Weatherhead Center for International Affairs.

The consul general will take issue with several of Professor Huntington’s conclusions and discuss Jacques Chirac’s recent proposal to initiate what the French president calls a “dialogue” of civilizations, instead. Before assuming his current post in Chicago, Decherf had been deputy head of personnel in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Paris.

His previous positions include service as deputy chief of mission in the French embassies in Africa and Saudi Arabia. He has also served as deputy spokesman for the Foreign Ministry in Paris (1987-1989) and deputy consul general in Jerusalem (1982-86).

Decherf’s talk is sponsored by the Department of French and Italian, the Center for Interdisciplinary French Studies, the European Studies Alliance and the International Institute. For information, contact Ronnie Hess, director of communications/ publications, International Institute, (608) 262-5590, rlhess@facstaff.wisc.edu; or the Department of French and Italian, (608) 262-3941.