Senegalese poet and statesman, founder of the Senegalese Democratic Bloc. Senghor was elected president of Senegal in the 1960s. He retired from office in 1980. Senghor was one of the originators of the concept of Négritude, defined as the literary and artistic expression of the black African experience. In historical context the term has been seen as an ideological reaction against French colonialism and a defense of African culture. It has deeply influenced the strengthening of African identity in the French-speaking black world.



Hymans earned his doctorate in history in 1964 from the University of Paris. His doctoral thesis was later published as the book "Leopold Sedar Senghor: An Intellectual Biography," Hymans was a pioneer teacher and researcher in the academic field of African History. He taought at San Francisco "State University