Rosberg (Carl Gustav) papers

University of Southern California

Carl Gustav Rosberg was a pioneer in the study of African politics in the United States and was instrumental in establishing and maintaining African Studies at UC Berkeley. Rosberg was born in Oakland, California in 1923. He served in the U.S. Army Air Force as a navigator during World War II, was shot down over Romania in 1944, and was a prisoner of war until liberated by Russian troops in 1945. Rosberg earned his Doctorate from Oxford University in 1954 and taught at UC Berkeley from 1958 until his retirement in 1991. While at Berkeley he directed the Institute of International Studies (IIS) from 1973 to 1989, served as chair of the Department of Political Science from 1969 to 1974, and led the Center for African Studies for many years. Rosberg also taught at Makerere University in Uganda, and the universities of Nairobi and Dar es Salaam. He played a key role in organizing scholarly exchanges with the former U.S.S.R. and China and in facilitating an exchange program between students in Berkeley and Kenya. The IIS thrived under his leadership, and Rosberg mentored many African students who went on to assume leadership roles universities throughout the world. Rosberg's research and numerous scholarly publications were vital contributions to scholarship on modern Africa. He died in Oakland in 1996

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Type

Finding aids

Country

United States of America

Cartons 1-23, boxes 1-2, and cardfile boxes 1-2 are open for research. Box 3 includes restricted personnel information and is closed to researchers until 2050

Dates Covered

1931-1996

Language

English

Locations Discussed

Africa

Undetermined

Note

This collection documents the work of UC Berkeley Political Science professor, Carl Gustav Rosberg, a pioneer in the study of African politics in the United States. Rosberg's papers detail his scholarship on Africa, his contributions to the field of African Studies, and his leadership in the fields of African and international studies at Berkeley. The collection is divided into seven series: Correspondence, Writings, Subject and Research Files/Primary Source Documents, Professional Activities, Administrative Materials, Course Materials, and Writings by Others. Original folders and folder titles were retained when possible. Some of Rosberg's files were coded, but his system wasn't implemented consistently, so categories were merged for ease of researcher access. (Codes are written on the documents.)

30.65 Linear Feet (23 cartons, 3 boxes, 2 cardfile boxes)