Book

The Nuer: a description of the modes of livelihood and political institutions of a Nilotic people

At the Clarendon pressOxford • Published In 1940 • Pages:

By: Evans-Pritchard, E. E. (Edward Evan).

Abstract
Evans-Pritchard presents an analytical description of the Nuer, focusing on political structure and function: the Nuer are an 'acephalous kinship state.' The ecological information is well detailed in respect the transhumance and annual cycle. Extensive ethnographic detail on material culture, rituals, etc. has been omitted in favor of general description of tribal and lineage segmentation and political functions of Leopard Skin chiefs, Prophets, etc. In 1957, the author was Professor of Social Anthropology at Oxford University. A student of Radcliffe-Brown, he was a distinguished exponent of the British functional approach in its emphasis on the structural-functional analysis of social organization. He also studied other Sudan peoples of East Africa, particularly the Azande, and the Muslim nomadic pastoralists and Sanusi sect of Libya. He also made contributions to general ethnological theory.
Subjects
Domesticated animals
Pastoral activities
Settlement patterns
Age stratification
Lineages
Clans
External relations
Ordering of time
Puberty and initiation
culture
Nuer
HRAF PubDate
2002
Region
Africa
Sub Region
Eastern Africa
Document Type
Book
Evaluation
Creator Type
Social Anthropologist
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
Louise Sweet ; 1957
Field Date
1931-1936
Coverage Date
1930-1936
Coverage Place
Sobat and Jonglei Provinces, Sudan
Notes
By E. E. Evans-Pritchard
Includes bibliographical references
LCCN
a 40003181
LCSH
Nuer (African people)