Christopher P. Pinet is Professor Emeritus of French at Montana State University, Bozeman. He earned his B.A. with Honors and Distinction at the University of Kansas and his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees at Brown University, where he was an NDEA and Woodrow Wilson Dissertation Fellow. Chris Pinet served on the Executive Council of the American Association of Teachers of French and the Board of Directors of the Federation of Alliances, U.S.A., Inc. He was recently made an Honorary Member of the AATF.
A specialist in French literature, Dr. Pinet has presented over 90 papers, workshops, and roundtables throughout the United States and Europe. As Editor in Chief of the French Review, Dr. Pinet conceived and edited special issues on Paris, Québec and Francophone Canada, Martinique and Guadeloupe, the Francophone World (including Vietnam, Sub- Saharan Africa, the Maghreb and France, the Antilles and Vietnam), Francophone cinemas, Francophonie in the United States (including the Northeast, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Kansas), French-speaking Belgium, and Algérie/France. Finally, Dr. Pinet wrote 71 editorials on a wide range of issues concerning francophonie.
In recognition of his work in promoting language and Francophone culture, the French Government named him Officier dans l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques in 2010. Patrice Servantie, then vice-consul general of the French Consulate in San Francisco, said of Dr. Pinet: “Throughout your life you have nurtured a profound family connection with France...You have made a wonderful and effective contribution to our country with your real ability to understand its culture and history.” Dr. Pinet’s Great Uncle Eli fought as a doughboy in the Battle of the Somme in World War 1, and his father, Frank Samuel, participated in D-Day off Omaha Beach. His cousin, Jean Tallet, was a member of the French Resistance in Limoges.
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