UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON ARCHIVES
ORAL HISTORY PROGRAM
Interview #1301
BECKETT, PAUL
BECKETT, Paul (1938-)
At UW: 1961-62; 1965-68; 1976-99
Interviewed:
Interviewer:
Index:
Length:
January 23, 2013
M. Crawford Young
M. Crawford Young
1 hour, 44 minutes
Abstract: In his January 2013 interview with M. Crawford Young, Paul Beckett
described his career at UW-Madison in the African Studies Program, as well as
his scholarship in African politics. This interview was conducted for inclusion
into the UW-Madison Oral History Program.
Keywords: University of Wisconsin-Madison African Studies Program; Nigeria;
Politics; Education; University of Wisconsin-Madison African Languages and
Literature Department; Title VI funding; International Studies & Programs
(ISOP); Area Studies Program; retirement.
First Interview Session (February 6, 2013): Digital File
Time
Keywords
00:00:00 Question: family background. Family originally from Illinois; father moved
to Los Angeles for doctoral study at UCLA in political science and public
administration. He then pursued his career at Washington State University in
Pullman, where I spent my school years. As a youngster, I was perhaps an
underachiever, a bit rebellious, and lacking strong ambition at the time. I
attended Washington State from 1956 to 1960, with a major in history.
00:02:50 Question: undergraduate experience; any interest in Africa? I chose a
history major partly because my father was in political science. At that
moment, I had no special interest in Africa. I loved university study, and did
much better than in high school, well enough to win a Fulbright fellowship to
study in France in 1960-61. On arrival in Strasbourg, despite years of French
study in high school and university, I found my language skills inadequate,
had to devote considerable time in mastering French.
00:04:17 Question: did you have a research project for your Fulbright? No, this was
not required. Though we were encouraged to seek a Strasbourg diploma, I
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preferred to take several courses of interest rather than meet a degree
requirement. There were several Fulbrighters at Strasbourg at the time.
00:04:53 Question: graduate study; choice of Wisconsin. I then applied for graduate
study, receiving a research assistantship in 1961-62. My choice for UW was
largely for personal reasons; Steve Mitchell (a 1961 UW Ph.D.) was a young
WSU faculty member whom I admired, and influenced my decision.
00:05:50 Question: you then broke off your graduate study. I was attracted to public
service, and passed the Federal Management Intern exam, which gave access
to senior level careers. I was assigned to the Bureau of the Budget in the
executive office of the President, then housed in the wonderful Old Executive
Office Building next to the White House. That proximity magnified the
impact of the Kennedy assassination in 1963. I spent three years in the
Budget Bureau.
00:08:15 Question: you then returned to UW to pursue doctoral study. How did you
choose an African focus? My Budget Bureau work was not related to Africa.
Though I am often asked why I chose an African specialization, I am not
entirely sure. Certainly the sense of excitement and hopefulness surrounding
newly won independence was an important attraction.
00:09:39 Question: high points of doctoral study? I particularly regret not having
studied an African language, especially Hausa. In addition to the MCY course
on African politics, I found Jan Vansina a particularly inspiring teacher – in
addition to his breadth of knowledge, he was a showman and dynamic
lecturer. I also enjoyed the political theory (normative) courses, especially
Hannah Pitkin.
00:12:05 Question: what was your dissertation focus? I did a comparative study of
four countries engaged in what they called revolutionary development
programs, especially Mali and Guinea, then secondarily Algeria and CongoBrazzaville. My wife and I were very close, and I was uncomfortable with the
extended separation field work would require: thus the choice for a library
dissertation. I never made any effort to pursue or publish the thesis work.
00:14:10 Question: You then landed a position at a major institution. I obtained a
tenure track position at Purdue University, where I spent 1968-69. Although
it was a good year, I was conscious of the need to spend time in Africa. A
position was advertised at Ahmadu Bello University in northern Nigeria,
whose department head was James O’Connell, a well-regarded specialist on
Nigerian and African politics, and also a Catholic priest. My application was
successful, and we arrived in Zaria in October 1969.
00:16:53 Question: In the midst of the civil war? The war was in its last stages, ending
in January 1970. Although there were various shortages, and the newspapers
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were full of war news, Zaria itself was not greatly affected and did not seem
deeply engaged, perhaps reflecting the lack of integration of the country.
00:18:36 Question: Was this a moment of high expectations for Nigeria? Very much
so; the Nigerian government had won the civil war by January 1970. After
the disastrous misgovernment under the First Republic (1960-65) leading up
to the civil war, the military regime in power seemed well-meaning, and
corruption appeared in check. Although oil had been discovered in the 1930s,
production levels began to reach a high level only in the 1970s, with a
corresponding swift increase in government revenues. It was a moment of
boundless expectations, and in the urban areas nearly everyone seemed to
benefit: pedestrians acquired bicycles, bicycle riders graduated to motor
cycles, who in turn moved up to cars. It was remembered as a golden age.
00:22:32 Question: Did the expansive mood also apply to the University? ABU was
during my time in a phase of rapid expansion, which was to continue.
Founded in 1962 as the university to serve the Northern Region, it was named
after the great northern leader Sir Ahmadu Bello. By the time of my arrival
there were about 2000 students and 200 faculty. The faculty was
predominantly expatriate, primarily British. The students were generally
enthusiastic and very good, many excellent. They were a product of a system
on the British model, very selective by exam at each level. Nor all were well
prepared; English was a second or third language for all. The American staff
were enthusiastic supporters of the project of Nigerianization of the
University; I introduced a course on Government of African States, which
attracted some 300 students each year. However, the length of time required
to prepare staff qualified for university instruction meant that the flow of
Nigerian candidates could not meet the needs for expansion. ABU benefited
from the more difficult US job market by 1970 to keep up its rapid growth
rate; by the time I left the enrollment had reached 8,000, and I hear that ABU
is now the largest university in sub-Saharan Africa.
00:31:54 Question: Did ABU induce your affinity to administrative leadership? The
expansion and turnover were such that I quickly became one of the most
senior members of the Department. Although James O’Connell was normally
the leader, I became a close friend, and at times Acting Head or even Head of
what was titled the “Department of Government”. Interestingly, the role I
played as number two foreshadowed my future career at Wisconsin as
Associate Director of the African Studies Program.
00:34.36 Question: Were the main issues facing Department administration the
management of expansion, or were there tensions between Nigerian and
expatriate staff, or with students? There was little apparent tension between
Nigerians and expatriates; in this respect, I was struck by a book at the time by
one Claude Ike at Nsukka University (Eastern Region), who wrote of factions
and rivalries among Nigerian staff, with expatriates barely mentioned.
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Suspicions (perhaps not unfounded) were occasionally voiced that expatriates
were hired to in preference to qualified candidates from the southern region.
Students were generally appreciative of the instruction received, and there
little conflict with the Department. There were, however, frequent student
conflicts with the administration, and occasionally moments of closure of the
University, with unscheduled vacation for the faculty. Recruitment was the
major challenge, in identifying and hiring staff to accommodate the swift
expansion. Money, however, was not an issue in those years.
00:39:49 Question: You collaborated with Father O’Connell on a major study of
Nigerian university student attitudes. In my second or third year at ABU,
James O’Connell and I undertook a study of the attitudes, values and social
backgrounds of ABU students. The project soon expanded into a survey of
students at the then existing universities in all regions of the country. One of
the striking findings was the degree of homogeneity of attitudes and values we
discovered, despite the great difference between the regions. That student
generation was mostly destined to enter the public sector, with many soon to
become the leaders; thus the portrait of the future elite of the country at this
moment of history was of real significance. In the north, before and leading
up to independence traditional chiefs played a major role; by the time of our
research, their influence was fading in favor of the new highly educated elite.
In processing and analyzing the survey results we were hamstrung by the
rather primitive computer equipment at ABU, although we were able to
manage since our study relied on simple correlations, and not high-end
statistical manipulation. The study led to a co-authored volume,
EDUCATION AND POWER IN NIGERIA, published in 1977. We felt that
the book made an important contribution, although it did not attract the
attention that we might have hoped for. Perhaps the authors should have
promoted the volume more actively. I had become a somewhat lapsed
political scientist, out of sympathy with the jargon and numbers that had
become dominant. O’Connell, not trained in political science, had even less
sympathy for the direction of the field.
00:47:59 Question: After six years, perhaps you began to see a career crossroads
looming? By 1975, we did begin to see the need to consider returning to the
US. By that time, our son was two years old. We could not imagine
ourselves joining a small number of mostly British staff who seemed decided
to remain permanently in Nigeria. Thus we decided to return after the 197576 academic year. We left in July 1976 without a position in hand; I found a
temporary job at my alma mater, Washington State, for 1976-77. A new
position at the University of Wisconsin-Madison African Studies Program as
Associate Director was advertised; I successfully applied, and returned to
Madison in July 1977.
00:50:03 Question: As first to hold this new position, how did it evolve during your
tenure? Over the years, the sheer scale of the administrative work to sustain
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the African Studies Program (ASP) had greatly expanded. This partly derived
from the competitive demands arising from the key funding source, the Title
VI program for language and area studies. Initially a part of the 1958
National Defense Education Act, over the years it had been incorporated into
the annual Higher Education Acts, with funding reallocated every two or three
years through a national competition. Before my appointment, the Program
had a faculty Director (Chair), with a half-time course release. In the several
years prior to my arrival, the Chair, David Wiley (Sociology), had shown
particular energy and dedication in expanding the activities of ASP; the
funding competition for Title VI support had the same effect. The very large
time commitment now required from the Chair came into growing conflict
with his research, teaching and service obligations to his Department; when
Wiley failed to win tenure from the Department of Sociology, the scope of
this tension became clear, and opened a number of eyes. The idea emerged of
an academic staff position as Associate Director with Africanist academic
training, teaching and research background, and some African experience.
Thus my role became one of providing administrative support for the Chair,
representing ASP in diverse meetings or national conferences with or in place
of the Chair. At the time of my arrival only Northwestern had such a post;
now all significant African Studies Programs do; this model quickly spread to
most other area studies programs as Madison. It soon came to be seen as
indispensable.
00:56:11 Question: How about your working relationships with the several faculty
chairs during your ASP years? Each faculty Director/Chair was somewhat
different. From my perspective I had good though different working
relationships with each. I particularly remember my enjoyable collaboration
with Fred Hayward, Bob Tabachnik, and Jan Vansina, though each had
differing interests and priorities. Immersed full time in the detail of Program
administration, I was inevitably more familiar with the daily flow of issues
than a faculty director, a possible source of tension. There were some
problems in the academic staff titling at the time. Relatively few of the
positions required the same formal qualifications as a faculty member as my
Associate Director post did. I represented the Program in national and
international meetings with faculty representatives, kept up some research and
writing, gave lectures and occasionally a course. There was a perhaps
paranoid fear in some quarters that academic staff positions could serve as a
back door to faculty status in a department. I hasten to add that I never
expected or sought such status. More recently, there has been more flexibility
in academic staff titles, with categories such as Faculty Associate.
01:00:50 Question: How did the ASP evolve during your years of service? The
Program was already very strong, and thus the main focus was upon
maintaining its quality and where possible seeking improvement. During that
period, federal and university funding was stable. We did make some effort to
expand its breadth and scope, and on occasion sought to persuade some
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departments to consider Africanist appointments for this purpose. We were
regarded as one of the top African Studies programs in the country. Our
African Languages and Literature Department, the only one in the country,
gave us particular strength in language instruction. Unfortunately, at present
new funding difficulties arise, and the African Languages and Literature
Department has lost some of its reach in language coverage. One area of
expansion during my service worth mention was in the field of outreach, with
Title VI support and insistence. This apparently began when David Wiley as
Chair; his wife was the first outreach director. Well qualified staff plus
student assistance provided the personnel. The effort appropriately focused
on the schools. Films, slides and library resources supported this substantial
effort. We also had an African curriculum consultant to work with schools.
01:05:17 Question: Any high or low points in your ASP career? There were recurrent
crises over Title VI funding in the federal budget. When I began, Title VI was
about 20 years old. Pressures on the federal budget regularly brought fears
that Title VI would be cut or even eliminated. African Studies Programs
nationally were keenly interested in preserving Title VI, as was I. We were in
close touch with David Obey, congressman from the Wausau area, and during
this time either ranking Democratic member or Chair of the House
Appropriations Committee. A digression on new technology: in a
conversation with our Obey staff contact, she started to read me the text of
proposed legislative language to get my feedback, then stopped to say that she
could fax it instead – my first encounter with that technology, which now
seems primitive. One occasional point of tension with chairs was over
management of ASP staff. I felt that this responsibility belonged to the
Associate Director, but at times difficulties arose on this point. Over the
years, I worked closely with many ASP faculty, and came to have a very high
regard for their abilities.
01:10:22 Question: You then moved to an International Studies post in liaison with
L&S? I can thank Fred Hayward, then L&S Associate Dean, for the idea of
creating an Assistant Dean position jointly with International Studies &
Programs (ISOP), half in each, in the late 1980s. Hayward was concerned that
L&S lacked staff able to focus on the Area Studies Programs, a major source
of University strength, with most of the faculty in L&S.
01:12:58 Question: Describe your experience in serving two bosses. When I assumed
this position, the ISOP Dean was from CALS (Agriculture), had little
background or connection to the Area Studies Programs. Initially my post
was not very clearly defined. In 1990, David Trubek from the Law School
became ISOP Dean, and my job became much more exciting, sometimes too
exciting. ISOP had long been a backwater, with little connection to the Area
Studies Programs. Trubek was anxious to transform this relationship, to make
ISOP a dynamic center drawing on the strengths of Area Studies, crown
jewels of international studies, top ranking strengths nationally. His
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maximum goal was to bring the Area Studies Programs fully under his
umbrella, to foster greater administrative integration. (MCY: When I was
ASP Chair in the 1960s, and Area Studies Programs were clearly under the
jurisdiction of then Dean Henry Hill, who was engaged in promoting a
Federal International Education Act to ensure funding support for
international studies. This Act did pass Congress, but was never funded; after
Hill, the ISOP Dean post lost some of its initial luster. Area Studies Programs
were then still relatively small; perhaps over the years their growth
overshadowed the deanship of ISOP.) I was unaware of that background.
The Trubek ambitions came into conflict with the strong L&S collections of
most Program faculty, and the Programs themselves. Trubek had a more
forceful style than previous ISOP Deans; he built his staff, obtained some new
resources. In the tensions with L&S, I was in the middle, personifying the
conflict; in staff meetings, Trubek at times appeared to see me as an L&S
agent. He was reticent towards Title VI, perceiving it as locking the Area
Studies Programs into L&S. Benefiting from my knowledge of the Programs,
and personal relationships, I was able to mediate on occasion some of these
tensions. Trubek came to realize that most faculty did not want L&S
connections reduced, and looked for a new formula to pursue his goals. He
assigned me to draft a document exploring ways and means to this end. In
addition to his forceful style, he was also very egalitarian; he liked the
proposals contained in my draft, and after two or three iterations this traced
the outlines for what became the International Institute. He recruited Mark
Beissinger, a political scientist then Chair of CREECA (Russian, East
European, and Central Asia), which Trubek envisioned as a coordinating
agency for International Studies. In my last years, my work was always
interesting and challenging.
01:31:03 Question: Were you involved with the MacArthur grant, one of Trubek’s
major fund-raising accomplishments? I was not involved with the MacArthur
project. Another of his achievements was the launch of a European Studies
Program. He was very good at identifying faculty who could be drawn into
International Studies. Mark Beissinger was one example. Another was
Barbara Stallings (Political Science), with whom he launched the Global
Studies Program. Michael Hinden (English) became his Associate Dean.
Gilles Bousquet helped with the European Studies project, than became the
Trubek successor as ISOP Dean.
01:35:08 Question: You were co-editor and contributor to a major volume entitled
DILEMMAS OF DEMOCRACY IN NIGERIA published in 1997. This
originated in a series of linkage grants funded by USIA with African
universities, beginning in the 1980s. We had such multi-year linkages, for
example, with Burundi and Senegal (Saint-Louis), involving faculty
exchanges and other cooperation. To my personal regret, we had felt
necessary to avoid a Nigerian linkage at first, given the instability of the
country and its universities. However, in the early1990s conditions seemed to
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improve, and we established a linkage with the University of Jos. This was
facilitated by a leading Jos university administrator, Shamsuddin Omali, a
UW doctoral alumnus. A delegation of seven Jos faculty visited Madison, and
their sojourn was very successful. However, the University of Jos was soon in
crisis, and closed for an extended period, nullifying plans for a return UW
delegation. USIA then permitted Jos and ourselves to recast the remaining
grant to fund a major conference on democracy in Nigeria, then a critical
issue. I went with MCY to Jos to plan for the conference, and to identify
leading Nigerian academics from Jos and other Nigerian universities who
might participate and contribute to an informed and balanced discussion. The
conference, which also included a number of leading American Nigeria
specialists, took place in Madison in March 1994. Simultaneous with its
opening, shocking news came of the execution in Nigeria of activist Ken
Saro-Wiwa, whom a number of the Nigerian participants knew personally.
We then drew upon the conference papers to put together the co-edited
volume, with some editing help from student assistants. The book had some
very good chapters, and was favorably reviewed.
01:42:34 Question: Any reflections on retirement? I think there are two types of
retirees; those for whom separation from their working careers leaves at loose
ends, and those who find retirement a liberation permitting exploring a variety
of interests and hobbies. I fall in the latter category, and welcome the
opportunity to pursue a number of different interests. Among others various
forms of civic engagement have been very rewarding.
01:44:38 End of Interview.
End of Interview #1302
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