Richards, Audrey (1899-1984)
British anthropologist Audrey Richards (1899-1984), an Africanist anthropologist and faithful disciple of Malinowski, made her first ethnographic fieldwork in Northern Rhodesia (Zambia), among the Bemba. She was one of the first anthropologists to conduct applied research in Africa, first on nutrition-related issues. Like her master, she believed she could mitigate the negative impact of British colonialism, while cooperating with administrative agents. She was interested in the transformations of “tribalism” and urbanization, but her most famous work is Chisungu (1956), a story of female initiation among the Bemba.
Keywords: Social and cultural anthropology | Functionalism | British colonialism | 20th century | Zambia | African Studies | Bemba | Kingship | Hunger and nutrition | Initiation rituals | Cultural contact/“Culture contact” | Bronislaw Malinowski
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“Herdeira ou pioneira? Uma biografia de Audrey Richards”
Adam Kuper, 2018
A antropóloga Audrey Richards, que conheci bem, era uma mulher imparcial, imperturbável, inconformista em muitos aspetos, mas que nem por isso deixava de agir inconscientemente segundo os critérios da classe social de seus pais, uma espécie de aristrocracia intelectual imbuída de um espírito (…)
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« Héritière ou pionnière ? Une biographie d’Audrey Richards »
Adam Kuper, 2017
L’anthropologue Audrey Richards, que je connus bien, était une femme impartiale, imperturbable, par bien des aspects anticonformiste, mais qui n’en agissait pas moins inconsciemment selon les critères de la classe sociale de ses parents, sorte d’aristocratie intellectuelle animée d’un esprit (…)
Secondary sources
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Among the Anthropologists. History and Context in Anthropology
Adam Kuper, 1999
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“Audrey Richards – A Career in Anthropology”
Adam Kuper, 2016
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“Audrey Richards 1899-1984”
Raymond Firth, 1985
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“Audrey Isabel Richards, 1899-1984: An Appreciation”
J. S. La Fontaine, 1985
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“A bibliography of Audrey Richards”
T. M. Luhrmann, 1985
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“Significant Sister: Autonomy and Obligation in Audrey Richards’ Early Fieldwork”
Jo Gladstone, 1986
Primary sources
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Hunger and Work in a Savage Tribe
Audrey Richards, 1932
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“The Village Census in the Study of Culture Contact”
Audrey Richards, 1935
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“Chisungu : A girl’s initiation Ceremony… by Audrey I. Richards” | Review |
Hortense Powdermaker, 1958
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“Chisungu : A Girl’s Initiation Ceremony... by Audrey I. Richards” | Review |
Lucy Mair, 1957
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“Social Mechanisms for the Transfer of Political Rights in Some African Tribes”
Audrey Richards, 1960
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“African Kings and Their Royal Relatives”
Audrey Richards, 1961
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« Multi-tribalism in African urban areas »
Audrey Richards, 1966
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“Keeping the King Divine”
Audrey Richards, 1968