Social Anthropology

All Souls’ association with social anthropology dates from 1937 when the first Professor of Social Anthropology, A.R. Radcliffe-Brown, became a Fellow. Some of the leading figures in the field have held the position subsequently: Sir Edward Evans-Pritchard (1946-70), Maurice Freedman (1970-75), Rodney Needham (1976-90), John Davis (1990-95)(subsequently Warden of All Souls 1995-2008), and David Parkin (1996-2008). The current holder is David Gellner (2008- ). The College is host to the annual Evans-Pritchard Lectures which are intended to provide “an empirical analysis of social relations based on fieldwork or other indigenous primary materials concerning Africa, the Middle East or the Mediterranean”.