Adam, Heribert

Heribert Adam (born 1936) is a German-Canadian university professor and author. Adam is professor emeritus of political sociology at Simon Fraser University, specializing in human rights, comparative racisms, peace studies, Southern Africa, and ethnic conflict. Originally from Frankfurt, Germany, he is a former president of the International Sociological Association's Research Committee on Ethnic, Minority and Race Relations. Adam is noted for his work on ethnonationalism, which aims at understanding intergroup conflict and fostering a human rights culture that minimizes bigotry and communal strife. Adam was awarded the Konrad Adenauer Research Award in 1998 for a project on how democracies deal with crimes they have committed in the past. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2000. The Society wrote of his work: "Mainly drawing upon Nazi Germany and Apartheid South Africa—where he has been involved in facilitating the 'negotiated revolution'—his nuanced analysis of anti-Semitism, colonial racism, and Canadian treatment of minorities goes beyond the conventional preaching of tolerance. Nelson Mandela in prison praised his work." Adams was born in Germany. He is married to Kogila Moodley, Professor of Anthropology and Sociology of Education at the University of British Columbia, who is co-author of his book Seeking Mandela: Peacemaking Between Israeli and Palestinians and other works.