Max Gluckman
Encyclopedia
Max Gluckman (26 January 1911 – 13 April 1975) was a South Africa
n and British
social anthropologist
.
He grew up in South Africa, working later under the British Administration in Northern Rhodesia
(esp. on the Barotse law, in what is now the Western Province, Zambia
). He was educated at the University of the Witwatersrand
,and at Exeter College, Oxford
on a Rhodes Scholarship
. He directed the Rhodes-Livingstone Institute
(1941–1947), before becoming the first professor of social anthropology at the University of Manchester
(1949), where he founded what became known, including many of his Rhodes-Livingstone Institute colleagues along with his students, as the Manchester school
of anthropology. One feature of the Manchester School that derives from Gluckman's early training in law was the emphasis on "case studies" involving analysis of instances of social interaction to infer rules and assumptions. He was widely known for his radio lectures on Custom and Conflict in Africa (later published in many editions at Oxford University Press), being a remarkable contribution to conflict theory
.
Gluckman was a political activist, openly and forcefully anti-colonial. He engaged directly with social conflicts and cultural contradictions of colonialism, with racism, urbanisation and labour migration. Gluckman combined the British school of structural-functionalism with a Marxist focus on inequality and oppression, creating a critique of colonialism from within structuralism. In his research on Zululand in South Africa, he argued that the African and European communities formed a single social system, one whose schism into two racial groups formed the basis of its structural unity.
Bruce Kapferer
described Gluckman as "perhaps the anthropologist par excellence whose own personal life, history and consciousness not only embodied some of the critical crises of the modern world but also demanded that the anthropology he imagined should confront and examine them" (in "The Crisis in Anthropology" on the occasion of the first Max Gluckman Memorial lecture.)
Gluckman was of considerable influence on several anthropologists and sociologists Lars Clausen
, A. L. Epstein, Ronald Frankenberg
, Bruce Kapferer
, J. Clyde Mitchell
, Victor Turner
and other students and interlocutors. Most of them came to be known as the "Manchester School
."
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...
n and British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
social anthropologist
Social anthropology
Social Anthropology is one of the four or five branches of anthropology that studies how contemporary human beings behave in social groups. Practitioners of social anthropology investigate, often through long-term, intensive field studies , the social organization of a particular person: customs,...
.
He grew up in South Africa, working later under the British Administration in Northern Rhodesia
Northern Rhodesia
Northern Rhodesia was a territory in south central Africa, formed in 1911. It became independent in 1964 as Zambia.It was initially administered under charter by the British South Africa Company and formed by it in 1911 by amalgamating North-Western Rhodesia and North-Eastern Rhodesia...
(esp. on the Barotse law, in what is now the Western Province, Zambia
Western Province, Zambia
Western Province, encompasses the area formerly known as Barotseland in the colonial era.-Districts:Western Province is divided into 7 districts:*Kalabo District*Kaoma District*Lukulu District*Mongu District*Senanga District*Sesheke District...
). He was educated at the University of the Witwatersrand
University of the Witwatersrand
The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg is a South African university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University...
,and at Exeter College, Oxford
Exeter College, Oxford
Exeter College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England and the fourth oldest college of the University. The main entrance is on the east side of Turl Street...
on a Rhodes Scholarship
Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship, named after Cecil Rhodes, is an international postgraduate award for study at the University of Oxford. It was the first large-scale programme of international scholarships, and is widely considered the "world's most prestigious scholarship" by many public sources such as...
. He directed the Rhodes-Livingstone Institute
Rhodes-Livingstone Institute
Founded in 1938 under the initial directorship of Godfrey Wilson, the Rhodes-Livingstone Institute was the first local anthropological research facility in Africa...
(1941–1947), before becoming the first professor of social anthropology at the University of Manchester
University of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a public research university located in Manchester, United Kingdom. It is a "red brick" university and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities and the N8 Group...
(1949), where he founded what became known, including many of his Rhodes-Livingstone Institute colleagues along with his students, as the Manchester school
Manchester school (anthropology)
The Department of Social Anthropology at the University of Manchester, founded by Max Gluckman in 1947 became known among anthropologists and other social scientists as the Manchester School. Notable features of the Manchester School included an emphasis on "case studies", deriving from Gluckman's...
of anthropology. One feature of the Manchester School that derives from Gluckman's early training in law was the emphasis on "case studies" involving analysis of instances of social interaction to infer rules and assumptions. He was widely known for his radio lectures on Custom and Conflict in Africa (later published in many editions at Oxford University Press), being a remarkable contribution to conflict theory
Conflict theory
Conflict theories are perspectives in social science that emphasize the social, political or material inequality of a social group, that critique the broad socio-political system, or that otherwise detract from structural functionalism and ideological conservativism...
.
Gluckman was a political activist, openly and forcefully anti-colonial. He engaged directly with social conflicts and cultural contradictions of colonialism, with racism, urbanisation and labour migration. Gluckman combined the British school of structural-functionalism with a Marxist focus on inequality and oppression, creating a critique of colonialism from within structuralism. In his research on Zululand in South Africa, he argued that the African and European communities formed a single social system, one whose schism into two racial groups formed the basis of its structural unity.
Bruce Kapferer
Bruce Kapferer
Bruce Kapferer is a prominent Australian social anthropologist. He was raised in Sydney, and studied anthropology at the University of Sydney...
described Gluckman as "perhaps the anthropologist par excellence whose own personal life, history and consciousness not only embodied some of the critical crises of the modern world but also demanded that the anthropology he imagined should confront and examine them" (in "The Crisis in Anthropology" on the occasion of the first Max Gluckman Memorial lecture.)
Gluckman was of considerable influence on several anthropologists and sociologists Lars Clausen
Lars Clausen
Lars Clausen was a German sociologist and professor at the University of Kiel.-Life and work:During World War II, the family lived on the Darß...
, A. L. Epstein, Ronald Frankenberg
Ronald Frankenberg
Ronald Frankenberg is a noted British anthropologist, known for his study of conflict and decision-making in a Welsh village. He was a student of Max Gluckman and a member of the Manchester School of British Social Anthropology.-External links:*...
, Bruce Kapferer
Bruce Kapferer
Bruce Kapferer is a prominent Australian social anthropologist. He was raised in Sydney, and studied anthropology at the University of Sydney...
, J. Clyde Mitchell
J. Clyde Mitchell
James Clyde Mitchell was a British sociologist and anthropologist....
, Victor Turner
Victor Turner
Victor Witter Turner was a British cultural anthropologist best known for his work on symbols, rituals and rites of passage...
and other students and interlocutors. Most of them came to be known as the "Manchester School
Manchester school (anthropology)
The Department of Social Anthropology at the University of Manchester, founded by Max Gluckman in 1947 became known among anthropologists and other social scientists as the Manchester School. Notable features of the Manchester School included an emphasis on "case studies", deriving from Gluckman's...
."
Books
- Rituals of Rebellion in South-East Africa (1954)
- Order and Rebellion in Tribal Africa. London: Cohen and West. 1963
- Politics, Law and Ritual in Tribal Society (1965)
- The Allocation of Responsibility (1972).