Fatou Sow received her baccalaureate in science and philosophy from the Université de Dakar before leaving for France to complete a doctorate in sociology. This marked the beginning of a brilliant international career, which has taken her to three continents: Africa, Europe and North America.
Attached to the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) in Paris, Sow is among a first generation of researchers from less-developed countries who have given a voice not only to their own nations, but also to women and the disadvantaged. She was one of a group of African and Canadian social scientists who were among the first to study systematically the relationship between gender relations and the destruction and degradation of the natural environment in Africa. This capacity to recognize new and important research areas is a defining characteristic of her work.
In her role as a teacher, Ms. Sow had inspired countless young people in Senegal and elsewhere. They have been impressed not only with her intellectual clarity, her vision for Senegal and Africa, her energy and enthusiasm, but also by her grace and dignity.