Born in 1954, he obtained his Phd (Les origines intellectuelles de l’expédition d’Égypte. L’orientalisme islamisant en France (1698-1798) under the direction of M. Dominique Chevallier) in 1981 and a doctorat d’État in 1989.He has stayed extensively in the Middle East (Kuwait, Syria, Egypt and Lebanon).
Henry Laurens has been maître de conférence at Paris IV and then Professor at INALCO.
He is teacher at the College de France since 2003, chaire d’histoire contemporaine.
He has published more than 25 books and more recently: ‘Le rêve méditerranéen’ (CNRS editions 2010) and directed ‘Terrorismes, histoire et droit’ with Mireille Delmas-Marty (CNRS editions 2010)
