Marett, R.R. (Robert Ranulph), 1866-1943

Hausa folk lore
book chapter 1913

Summary: Robert Ranulph Marett was a British ethnologist and a proponent of the British Evolutionary School of cultural anthropology. Founded by Marett's older colleague, Edward Burnett Tylor, it asserted that modern primitive societies provide evidence for phases in the evolution of culture, which it attempted to recapture via comparative and historical methods. Marett focused primarily on the anthropology of religion. Studying the evolutionary origin of religions, he modified Tylor's animistic theory to include the concept of mana. Marett's anthropological teaching and writing career at Oxford University spanned the early 20th century before World War Two. He trained many notable anthropologists. He was a colleague of John Myres, and through him, studied Aegean archaeology. Wikipedia
Gender or Sex: Male [1][2][3][4][5]
Born: 1866 [2]; 1866-06-13 [5]
Birth Place: Blanc Pignon, GB [3]; Jersey [5]
Died: 1943 [2]; 1943-02-18 [5]
Death Place: Exeter, GB [3]; Oxford [5]
Country: Great Britain [2]
Language: English [3]
Occupation: anthropologist [5]; sociologist [5]
Profession: Philosoph [2]
Employer: University of Oxford [5]
Educated at: Victoria College [5]
Country of Education: Jersey [5]
Archives at: Pitt Rivers Museum [5]
Encyclopædia Britannica: Biography [5]
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: Biography (requires subscription) [5]
Yale LUX: Entity [5]

Sources: 1. VIAF; 2. Deutsche Nationalbibliothek (Germany); 3. Bibliothèque nationale de France; 4. Library of Congress; 5. Wikidata

Last updated Jan 9, 2026