Voice of Prophecy

Edwin Ardener (1927-1987) was a British social anthropologist and academic. He was also noted for his contributions to the study of history. Within anthropology, some of his most important contributions were to the study of gender. He also performed extensive fieldwork and wrote numerous works on Cameroon.

“Ardener is the Czerny of anthropology, concerned with technical training, with how to think productively within the discipline. He should be read above all by postgraduates and postdoctoral researchers, whose formation is not yet ‘completed.’…As exercises to form the anthropological mind, these papers are both unique and irreplaceable.” • Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute (JRAI)“The later generations of social anthropologists have been struggling to come to terms with how much the classic anthropology developed within already non-existing societies has still to offer and to which extent it remains sufficient. Thus this book is a compulsory reading for anthropologists and strongly recommended for those who search for an original, uncompromised, and extraordinary quality of social thought.” • Irish Journal of Anthropology“The intellectual bequest of a brilliant and compassionate human being.” • Michael Herzfeld, Harvard University“His voice is as deeply needed as ever. Ardener anticipated numerous central issues in the social sciences today…This publishing event will achieve something much more significant still: a long-overdue recognition that Ardener not only forged ahead of today’s mainstream but bequeathed a legacy of ideas that can regenerate and redirect anthropological thought today. This new edition will allow a new and more receptive audience to come to grips with Ardener’s distinctive mode of analysis and understanding, bringing it more clearly into the mainstream of anthropological thought not only as a historical contribution but also, and especially, as a source of new reflections.” (From the Foreword)

• ForewordMichael HerzfeldIntroductionMalcolm ChapmanAcknowledgementsThe Ardener PapersChapter 1. Social Anthropology and Language (with editorial preface)Chapter 2. The New Anthropology and its CriticsAppendixChapter 3. Language, Ethnicity and PopulationChapter 4. Belief and the Problem of WomenChapter 5. Some Outstanding Problems in the Analysis of EventsChapter 6. 'Behaviour' - a Social Anthropological CriticismChapter 7. Social Anthropology and PopulationChapter 8. The 'Problem' RevisitedChapter 9. The Voice of ProphecyChapter 10. 'Social Fitness' and the Idea of 'Survival'Chapter 11. Comprehending OthersChapter 12. The Problem of DominanceChapter 13. Social Anthropology and the Decline of ModernismChapter 14. 'Remote Areas' - some Theoretical ConsiderationsChapter 15. Witchcraft, Economics and the Continuity of BeliefChapter 16. Social Anthropology and the Historicity of Historical LinguisticsChapter 17. Edward Sapir, 1884-1939Chapter 18. The Construction of History: 'Vestiges of Creation'Postscript I: The Prophetic ConditionKirsten HastrupPostscript II: Towards a Rigorously Empirical AnthropologyMaryon McDonaldAppendix: Edwin Ardener - a BibliographyNotesReferencesIndex