Isaac Schapera
Encyclopedia
Isaac Schapera, FBA, FRSSAf (23 June 1905, Garies
, South Africa
- 26 June 2003, London
) was Professor of Anthropology
at the London School of Economics
and regarded as one of the world's leading experts in the anthropology of South African tribesmen.
Garies
Garies is a small agricultural centre situated in South Africa's Northern Cape province about 110 km south of Springbok, the chief town of the Namaqualand district. Current population approximately 1500....
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
- 26 June 2003, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
) was Professor of Anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
at the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
and regarded as one of the world's leading experts in the anthropology of South African tribesmen.
Education
- South African College SchoolSouth African College SchoolsThe South African College Schools, commonly referred to as SACS, is a primary and secondary education institution located in Newlands, Cape Town, South Africa. Founded in 1829, it is the oldest school in South Africa and one of four schools expressly named by Cecil John Rhodes to offer an annual...
, Cape TownCape TownCape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality... - University of Cape TownUniversity of Cape TownThe University of Cape Town is a public research university located in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. UCT was founded in 1829 as the South African College, and is the oldest university in South Africa and the second oldest extant university in Africa.-History:The roots of...
(MA 1925) - University of LondonUniversity of London-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
(PhD 1929, DSc 1939)
Career
- Professor. of Social Anthropology, University of Cape Town, 1935-50
- Professor of Anthropology, LSE, 1950-69 (Hon. Fellow, 1974) then Emeritus Professor
- Visiting Professor: University of ChicagoUniversity of ChicagoThe University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, 1948; University of TorontoUniversity of TorontoThe University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
, 1953.
Positions and honours
- Fellow of the Royal Society of South AfricaRoyal Society of South AfricaThe Royal Society of South Africa is a learned society composed of eminent South African scientists and academics. The Society was granted its royal charter by King Edward VII in 1908, nearly a century after Capetonians first began to conceive of a national scholarly society...
, 1934 - FBA, 1958
- Chairman, Association of Social Anthropologists of the British Commonwealth, 1954-57
- President, RAIRoyal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and IrelandThe Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland is the world's longest established anthropological organization, with a global membership. Since 1843, it has been at the forefront of new developments in anthropology and new means of communicating them to a broad audience...
, 1961-63
Publications
- The Khoisan Peoples of South Africa, 1930
- A Handbook of Tswana Law and Custom, 1938
- Married Life in an African Tribe, 1940
- Native Land Tenure in the Bechuanaland Protectorate, 1943
- Migrant Labour and Tribal Life, 1948
- The Ethnic Composition of Tswana Tribes, 1952; The Tswana, 1953
- Government and Politics in Tribal Societies, 1956
- Praise Poems of Tswana Chiefs, 1965
- Tribal Innovators, 1970
- Rainmaking Rites of Tswana Tribes, 1971
- Kinship Terminology in Jane Austen's Novels, 1977
- Editor of:
- Western Civilization and the Natives of South Africa, 1934
- The Bantu-speaking Tribes of South Africa, 1937
- David Livingstone's Journals and Letters 1841-1856 (6 vols), 1959-63
- David Livingstone: South African papers 1849-1853, 1974