Jean Haudry

Jean Haudry (born 1934) is a linguist, and a founder of the Institut d'études indo-européennes at the Jean Moulin University Lyon 3 (France) with Jean-Paul Allard and Jean Varenne. Under his leadership the Institut published, between 1982 and 1998, the Études indo-européennes. He was a professor of Sanskrit and dean of the faculty of letters at the University Lyon 3 and a directeur d'études at the 4th section of the École Pratique des Hautes Études. He became professor emeritus in 2002. Jean Haudry was a member of the Groupement de recherche et d'études pour la civilisation européenne, and acted as chairman of its 13th symposium in 1978. He contributed to the creation of the periodical Nouvelle École. He was also a member of the "Scientific Council" of the Front National of Jean-Marie Le Pen, till the split of the Front National, after which he followed Bruno Mégret in the new Mouvement National Républicain. Jean Haudry also participates in the activities of the group Terre et Peuple founded by Pierre Vial, another professor of the University Lyon 3.

Soon after Jean Haudry's retirement, the French Ministry of Education appointed a commission to investigate whether Haudry's institute was not too closely associated with the extreme political right. The work of the commission was mooted when Haudry's successor, Jean-Paul Allard dissolved the institute and reconstituted it as an association free from state supervision.

Bruce Lincoln calls Haudry an 'excellent linguist' and mentions that Haudry supports the Arctic hypothesis of the origin of Indo-Europeans.