Luc de Heusch
Encyclopedia
Luc de Heusch is a Belgian filmmaker, writer, and anthropologist, professor emeritus at the Free University of Brussels
.
. From 1949 to 1951 he lived in an artists' commune, the Ateliers du Marais. In 1951, under the pseudonym Luc Zangrie, he directed Perséphone, the only film produced by the CoBrA
artistic movement.
In 1953 and 1954 he carried out anthropological fieldwork
in the Belgian Congo
. Like Henri Storck and Charles Dekeukeleire
, he also made documentary films about the Congo.
From 1955 to 1992 he was professor of social and cultural anthropology at the Université Libre de Bruxelles
Free University of Brussels
The Free University of Brussels was a university in Brussels, Belgium. In 1969, it split into the Université Libre de Bruxelles and the Dutch-speaking Vrije Universiteit Brussel....
.
Life
Luc de Heusch began his career in film in 1947 as assistant to Henri StorckHenri Storck
Henri Storck was a Belgian author, film-maker and documentarist.In 1933, he directed, with Joris Ivens, Misère au Borinage, a film about the miners in the Borinage area. In 1938, with Andre Thirifays and Pierre Vermeylen, he founded the Cinémathèque Royale de Belgique...
. From 1949 to 1951 he lived in an artists' commune, the Ateliers du Marais. In 1951, under the pseudonym Luc Zangrie, he directed Perséphone, the only film produced by the CoBrA
COBRA (avant-garde movement)
COBRA was a European avant-garde movement active from 1948 to 1951. The name was coined in 1948 by Christian Dotremont from the initials of the members' home cities: Copenhagen , Brussels , Amsterdam .-History:...
artistic movement.
In 1953 and 1954 he carried out anthropological fieldwork
Participant observation
Participant observation is a type of research strategy. It is a widely used methodology in many disciplines, particularly, cultural anthropology, but also sociology, communication studies, and social psychology...
in the Belgian Congo
Belgian Congo
The Belgian Congo was the formal title of present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo between King Leopold II's formal relinquishment of his personal control over the state to Belgium on 15 November 1908, and Congolese independence on 30 June 1960.-Congo Free State, 1884–1908:Until the latter...
. Like Henri Storck and Charles Dekeukeleire
Charles Dekeukeleire
Charles Dekeukeleire was a Belgian film director. He pioneered modern Belgian film with Henri Storck. He was inspired by French avant-garde cinema, particularly the works of Germaine Dulac.-Biography:...
, he also made documentary films about the Congo.
From 1955 to 1992 he was professor of social and cultural anthropology at the Université Libre de Bruxelles
Université Libre de Bruxelles
The Université libre de Bruxelles is a French-speaking university in Brussels, Belgium. It has 21,000 students, 29% of whom come from abroad, and an equally cosmopolitan staff.-Name:...
Select bibliography
- Essais sur le symbolisme de l'inceste royal en Afrique, Brussels, 1958.
- The Cinema and Social Science. A Survey of Ethnographic and Sociological Films, UNESCO, 1962.
- Le pouvoir et le sacré, Brussels, 1962.
- Le Rwanda et la civilisation interlacustre. Études d'anthropologie historique et structurale, Brussels, 1966.
- Pourquoi l'épouser? et autres essais, Paris, 1971.
- English translation by Janet Lloyd as Why Marry Her? Society and Symbolic Structures, Cambridge, 1981.
- Le roi ivre ou l'origine de l'État. Mythes et rites bantous I, Paris, 1972.
- English translation by Roy Willis as The Drunken King, or, The Origin of the State, Bloomington, Indiana, 1982.
- Rois nés d'un cœur de vache. Mythes et rites bantous II, Gallimard, ColI. Les Essais, Paris, 1982.
- Sacrifice in Africa: A Structuralist Approach, translated by Linda O'Brien and Alice Morton, Manchester, 1985.
- Ecrits sur la royauté sacrée, Editions de l'Université de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, 1987.
- Du pouvoir: anthropologie politique des sociétés d'Afrique centrale, Nanterre, 2002.
Select filmography
- Perséphone (1951)
- Fête chez les Hamba (1955)
- Ruanda (1956)
- Michel De Ghelderode (1957)
- Six mille habitants (1958)
- Gestes du repas (1958)
- Magritte ou La leçon de choses (1960)
- Sur les traces du renard pâle (Recherches en pays Dogon, 1931–1983) (1984)
- Une république devenue folle: Rwanda 1894-1994 (1995)
- Quand j'étais Belge (1999)
External links
- Luc de Heusch at Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
. - Biography at Fonds Henri Storck website.
- Perséphone