Higher Education in Paris
After obtaining his first high school diploma (baccalaureat) in 1947, Samir Amin left for Paris where he obtained his second high school diploma, with a specialization in elementary mathematics, at the Lycee Henri IV, one of the most prestigious
1 This text was first published as “Notes bibliographiques”, in: Demba Moussa Dembele (Ed.): Samir Amin, Intellectual organique au service de l’Emancipation du Sud (Dakar: Codesria, 2011).
This text was translated from French into English by Charlene Cabot, Sete (France) and language-edited by Mike Headon, Colwyn Bay, Wales (UK). More information on Samir Amin, including links to his podcasts and a selection of the covers of his major books are at: http://www.afes-press-books.de/html/SpringerBriefs_PSP_Amin.htm.S. Amin, Samir Amin, SpringerBriefs on Pioneers in Science and Practice 16, 3
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-01116-5_1, © The Author(s) 2014 lycees in France, where students prepared for the competitive entrance examinations for the Grandes Ecoles, the most selective French universities. He then completed his higher education in Paris. Initially he was not destined for economics but rather for physics, because, according to his teachers, he had demonstrated an excellent aptitude in this discipline. For this reason they advised him to attend preparatory classes in mathematics and advanced mathematics (math sup and math spe) in order to prepare for the entrance examination for the Ecole Normale Superieure.
To his teachers’ great disappointment, Samir Amin decided to study economics. This decision caused his teachers to write to his parents to try to discourage him from giving up physics to study law! At the time it was indeed necessary to start with a bachelor’s degree in law to then be able to go on to study economics.
But fortunately for him, his parents were very tolerant and had decided to support their son’s choice. Samir Amin had decided to enrol in Sciences Po at the same time. He would say later that his decision was guided by the conviction that this path would give him the option of having a professional life much closer to his militant concerns, whereas physics would have encouraged him to fully separate his professional life and his political life, since he was considering getting involved in political struggles.
He brilliantly concluded his studies with a PhD in political economy that he defended in 1957. Simultaneously he had graduated not only from Sciences Po but also from the statistics institute INSEE (National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies). As soon as he completed his studies, in 1957, he went back to Egypt.
1.2