Evanspritchard, one of englands foremost social anthropologists, especially known for his. He was professor of social anthropology at the university of oxford from 1946 to 1970. The nuer were a pastoral people living along the upper nile, who had no laws or leaders and were strongly individualistic, with social order maintained by community values and a segmentary. Evans pritchard, the sanusi ofcyrenaica oxford clarendon press 1949 kuper anthropologists and anthropolozv op at p 163e e evans pritchard witchcraft or j es and mame amonzthe azande oxford clarendon press 1937 meyer fortesy e e evans pritchard ed african polticasystems londres oxford university press 1940 y vin cent. The very first chapter deals with his first visits to the area and the difficulties he has in positioning himself for these studies. But when you realize the forces behind his work, its really difficult to not read the book as a military report.
Evanspritchard spent considerable time in the field investigating the nuer, learning their language, tweezing out their remarkably complex culture and society, and analyzing their relationship to an unforgiving ecology, their economy based on cattle raising, their structure of family and tribal descent. May 16, 2020 the nuer a description of the modes of livelihood and political institutions of a nilotic people this edition was published in 1940 by at the clarendon press in oxford. Although evans pritchard was throughout his life a prolific writer, especially on kinship, religion, and the history of anthropology, his later writings were eclipsed by his earlier work. Most of all, evans pritchard makes the reader aware of the complexities and sophistication in a premodern. Pdf comparative anthropology and evanspritchards nuer. Evans pritchard and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. Witchcraft, oracles, and magic among the azande work by evans. Get your kindle here, or download a free kindle reading app. Evans pritchard s nuer religion 1956 is the final volume of a trilogy on the nuer of the southern sudan the others are the nuer, 1940, and kinship and marriage among the nuer, 1951. The distribution of the nuer is determined by the physical conditions and mode of. Nuer society is ordered anarchy, because there are no binding political institutions, yet segmentation happens consistently and conflicts are resolved notable quotables.
Evanspritchard s most popular book is witchcraft, oracles, and magic among the az. It was the first of three books authored by evanspritchard on nuer culture. A description of the modes of livelihood and political. She found that the nuer had placed strict limits on the convertibility of money and cattle in order to preserve the special status of cattle as objects of bride wealth exchange and as mediators to the divine. Nuer society is ordered anarchy, because there are no binding political institutions, yet segmentation happens consistently and conflicts are resolved. A description of the modes of livelihood and political institutions of a nilotic people 9780195003222 by e. In the 1990s, sharon hutchinson returned to nuerland to update e. Evanspritchard has 49 books on goodreads with 6545 ratings. The article can thus be seen as a defence of evans pritchard. The nuer is a superb ethnographic work done by evanspritchard.
Evans pritchard studied the nuer and made very detailed accounts of his interactions. Reprinted in 2018 with the help of original edition published long back 1940. It describes different types of social organisation that are found in a number of african societies and analyses the principles underlying these traditional forms of government. Although evanspritchard was throughout his life a prolific writer, especially on kinship, religion, and the history of anthropology, his later writings were eclipsed by his earlier work. This is a result of sir edward evanspritchards classic studies from the 1930s. Evanspritchard 21 september 1902 11 september 1973 was an english anthropologist who was instrumental in the development of social anthropology. Evanspritchard spent considerable time in the field investigating the nuer, learning their language, tweezing out their remarkably complex culture and society, and analyzing their relationship to an unforgiving ecology, their economy. The political system of the tallensi of the northern territories of the gold coast. The nuer were a pastoral people living along the upper nile, who had no laws or leaders and. Evanspritchard continued to lecture at the lse and conduct research in azande and bongo 1 land until 1930, when he began a new research project among the nuer. In this book he presents nuer religious thought and ritual as a system of theology that has a subtlety and profundity comparable to those of literate cultures. It should not, however, be seen as a piece of pure ancestor worship. Evans pritchard was one of the founding researchers and practices of social anthropology. Apr 12, 2012 evanspritchard s book was first published in 1940 and is considered a classic of social anthropology.
Jun 03, 2015 first published in 1940 and this edition in 1987, this book is a comparative study of african political institutions. The political organization of the bantu of kavirondo. Evanspritchard gives a brilliant and insightful picture of an interesting and unusual people. Two books about these peoples, witchcraft, oracles, and magic among the azande 1937 and the nuer 1940, made his reputation. While evans pritchard rarely mentions his colonial obligations, although geertz has made something of his militarism see below for discussion, it does seem crucially important, especially in a comparative context, to realize that the nuer were in the process of being pacified before and after evans photo 96 downloaded from coa. This pioneering book of cultural anthropology, written in the midworld war years by one of the true pioneers of the field, provides insightful and detailed information about the life of a premodern society of sudanese living along the upper nile, the nuer. A description of the modes of livelihood and political institutions of a nilotic people edward evan evanspritchard, sir edward evanspritchard, p. This work coincided with his appointment to the university of cairo in 1932, where he gave a series of lectures on religion that bore seligmans influence. The nuer a description of the modes of livelihood and political institutions of a nilotic people this edition was published in 1940 by at the clarendon press in oxford. Cultural anthropologyuniversity of minnesota duluth. A description of the modes of livelihood and political institutions of a nilotic people evanspritchard, e. Professor evanspritchard continues here the publication of his material on the nuer of the southern sudan. Evans pritchard project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks.
Evans pritchard s book witchcraft, oracles and magic among the azande explores the beliefs and rites of the azande group in sudan, africa. In 1940 he and meyer fortes edited a volume of essays, african political systems, that revolutionized the comparative study of governments. The work examined the political and familial systems of the nuer people in the angloegyptian sudan and is considered a landmark work of social anthropology. The politics and philosophical genealogy of evanspritchards the. His first book on this people, the nuer 1940, dealt. Page references are to the nuer evans pritchard 1940 unless otherwise indicated. A description of the modes of livelihood and political institutions of a niloltic people. Cyrenaica was a book of unusually committed characters. Uncommonly good collectible and rare books from uncommonly good booksellers.
Jul 06, 2017 published in 1940 and written against the backdrop of british colonial rule, the nuer. This edition published in 1940 by at the clarendon press in oxford. The chapter that explores the nuer management of and dependence on cattle raising alone is worth the book s purchase price. Evanspritchard, ee 1940 laurens anthro 211 theory map. Jon holtzman, author of a book about nuer immigrants in the u. Evanspritchard spent considerable time in the field investigating the nuer, learning their language, tweezing out their remarkably complex culture and. Evanspritchard, in full sir edward evan evanspritchard, born september 21, 1902, crowborough, sussex, englanddied september 11, 1973, oxford, oxfordshire, one of englands foremost social anthropologists, especially known for his investigations of african cultures, for his exploration of segmentary systems, and for his explanations of witchcraft and magic. The political system of the anuak of the angloegyptian sudan, 1940 was forgotten. A description of the modes of livelihood and political institutions of a nilotic people. The irritating quality pointed to by richards above derives in part from its intellectual style. Edward evan evans pritchard snippet view 1950 edward evan evans pritchard snippet view 1947. A description of the modes of livelihood and political institutions. In it, evans pritchard observes the azande relationship to magic.
A description of the modes of livelihood and political institutions of a nilotic people is the first among the trilogy of books penned on this people by the renowned anthropologist evans pritchard the other two being kinship and marriage among the. I have restricted myself to a critical appraisal of evans pritchard s recent critics. Ep has made a study of the social life of nuerland for the british government argument. Evanspritchard, in full sir edward evan evans pritchard born september 21, 1902, crowborough, sussex, england. This work coincided with his appointment to the university of cairo in 1932, where he gave a series of lectures on. Evans pritchard s 1940 monograph the nuer has provoked controversy from the start. A description of the modes of livelihood and political institutions of a nilotic people anthropology online bobbsmerrill reprint series in the social sciences, a60. He also describes nuer cosmology and religion in his books.
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