Mario Azevedo, dean of the College of Liberal Arts, recently published the book “Historical Dictionary of Chad” by Rowman & Littlefield. It is one of many published works he has released over the past ten years.
The book chronicles the history of Chad, a country of some 56 million people in North-Central Africa, focusing on alphabetical entries that highlight the country’s history, important personalities, history, politics, the economy, international relations, religion, health, and culture.
The book may be used by students, researchers, professors, statesmen, diplomats, and anyone else wishing to know more about the country that is known as “The Heart of Africa” due to its geographical position on the continent. Even though this is a revised edition, Azevedo wrote hundreds of new entries that cover about one-third of the 719-page volume. His colleague, political scientist Samuel Decalo, was unable to update the volume, which, until now, had not been done for over 30 years.
In his own words, Azevedo said, “I would like to continue to be an administrator-scholar who might inspire his students and the faculty in the College of Liberal Arts (and throughout the campus) to be more productive in scholarly works in the form of books, articles, book chapters, artistic performances, and conference presentations.”
Currently, Dr. Azevedo has just completed two long chapters for a volume on general history titled “Africa on the World Stage,” and the “Globalization of the Industrial Revolution.”