Julian A. Pitt-Rivers
Encyclopedia
Julian Alfred Pitt-Rivers (16 March 1919, Chelsea, London
–12 August 2001, Paris
), was a British
social anthropologist, ethnographer, and a professor at universities in three countries.
Pitt-Rivers was a great-grandson of the archeologist Augustus Pitt Rivers
. His father was the anthropologist and propertied aristocrat
, George Henry Lane Fox Pitt-Rivers and his mother, Emily Rachel Forster was an actress and daughter of the governor-general
of Australia
, the 1st Baron Forster
. Through his work as an ethnographer of empathic considerations for cultural diversity, he rebelled against his father. George Pitt-Rivers was, at one point, a Moselyite
eugenicist
who was interned by the British government in the early years of World War II
.
Pitt-Rivers attended Eton College
and Worcester College, Oxford
. He received his doctorate in 1953, which was derived from his fieldwork in Andalusia
, Spain
, that led to his publication of the classic anthropological text, The People of the Sierra in 1954. The introduction was provided by his Oxford professor, E. E. Evans-Pritchard
. He taught at U. Cal. - Berkeley
and the University of Chicago
in the United States
. In addition, he taught at the London School of Economics
and several universities in France
, including the École Pratique des Hautes Études
in Paris
in what would later become the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales
.
Pitt-Rivers was married three times. His first wife, whom he married on 17 August 1946, was Pauline Laetitia Tennant, daughter of actress Hermione Baddeley
. They divorced in 1953. In 1955 he married Margareita de Lazales; they divorced in 1971. His third wife, whome he married in 1971, was Françoise Geoffroy, who survived him. He had no children. During his last years, he was afflicted by dementia
that set in nearly five years before his death in 2001 and while he was still producing excellent work.
Chelsea, London
Chelsea is an area of West London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe above...
–12 August 2001, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
), was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
social anthropologist, ethnographer, and a professor at universities in three countries.
Pitt-Rivers was a great-grandson of the archeologist Augustus Pitt Rivers
Augustus Pitt Rivers
Lieutenant-General Augustus Henry Lane-Fox Pitt Rivers was an English army officer, ethnologist, and archaeologist. He was noted for his innovations in archaeological methods, and in the museum display of archaeological and ethnological collections.-Life and career:Born Augustus Henry Lane-Fox at...
. His father was the anthropologist and propertied aristocrat
Aristocracy (class)
The aristocracy are people considered to be in the highest social class in a society which has or once had a political system of Aristocracy. Aristocrats possess hereditary titles granted by a monarch, which once granted them feudal or legal privileges, or deriving, as in Ancient Greece and India,...
, George Henry Lane Fox Pitt-Rivers and his mother, Emily Rachel Forster was an actress and daughter of the governor-general
Governor-General of Australia
The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia at federal/national level of the Australian monarch . He or she exercises the supreme executive power of the Commonwealth...
of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, the 1st Baron Forster
Henry Forster, 1st Baron Forster
Henry William Forster, 1st Baron Forster, GCMG, PC, DL , was a British Conservative Party politician who became the seventh Governor-General of Australia-Background and education:...
. Through his work as an ethnographer of empathic considerations for cultural diversity, he rebelled against his father. George Pitt-Rivers was, at one point, a Moselyite
Oswald Mosley
Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley, 6th Baronet, of Ancoats, was an English politician, known principally as the founder of the British Union of Fascists...
eugenicist
Eugenics
Eugenics is the "applied science or the bio-social movement which advocates the use of practices aimed at improving the genetic composition of a population", usually referring to human populations. The origins of the concept of eugenics began with certain interpretations of Mendelian inheritance,...
who was interned by the British government in the early years of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Pitt-Rivers attended Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and Worcester College, Oxford
Worcester College, Oxford
Worcester College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in the eighteenth century, but its predecessor on the same site had been an institution of learning since the late thirteenth century...
. He received his doctorate in 1953, which was derived from his fieldwork in Andalusia
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, that led to his publication of the classic anthropological text, The People of the Sierra in 1954. The introduction was provided by his Oxford professor, E. E. Evans-Pritchard
E. E. Evans-Pritchard
Sir Edward Evan Evans-Pritchard was an English anthropologist who was instrumental in the development of social anthropology...
. He taught at U. Cal. - Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
and the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The 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...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In addition, he taught 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 several universities in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, including the École Pratique des Hautes Études
École pratique des hautes études
The École pratique des hautes études is a Grand Établissement in Paris, France. It is counted among France's most prestigious research and higher education institutions....
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in what would later become the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales
École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales
The École des hautes études en sciences sociales is a leading French institution for research and higher education, a Grand Établissement. Its mission is research and research training in the social sciences, including the relationship these latter maintain with the natural and life sciences...
.
Pitt-Rivers was married three times. His first wife, whom he married on 17 August 1946, was Pauline Laetitia Tennant, daughter of actress Hermione Baddeley
Hermione Baddeley
Hermione Baddeley was an English character actress of theatre, film and television. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Room at the Top and a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play for The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here...
. They divorced in 1953. In 1955 he married Margareita de Lazales; they divorced in 1971. His third wife, whome he married in 1971, was Françoise Geoffroy, who survived him. He had no children. During his last years, he was afflicted by dementia
Dementia
Dementia is a serious loss of cognitive ability in a previously unimpaired person, beyond what might be expected from normal aging...
that set in nearly five years before his death in 2001 and while he was still producing excellent work.
Publications
- Pitt-Rivers, Julian. The fate of Shechem:or, The politics of sex: essays in the anthropology of the Mediterranean. Cambridge [Eng.]; New York: Cambridge University Press, 1977.
- Pitt-Rivers, Julian, Ed., Mediterranean countrymen;essays in the social anthropology of the Mediterranean, Paris: Mouton, 1963.
- Pitt-Rivers, Julian Alfred, The people of the Sierra. Introd. by E. E. Evans-Pritchard. New York: Criterion Books, 1954.
Further reading
- Benthall, Jonathan. "Professor Julian Pitt-Rivers: [Obituary]", The Independent, August 25, 2001.
- Corbin, John. "Julian Pitt-Rivers: [Obituary]", The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, September 14, 2001. - Freeman, Susan Tax. "Julian A. Pitt-Rivers (1919–2001): [Obituary]", American Anthropologist. Vol. 106, No. 1. (2004), pp. 216–218.
- "Julian Pitt-Rivers: Obituary", The Times, September 12, 2001.