My African cow

March 1996  •  1,038 words  •  City of Words

I wonder how my cow is getting on. Her name is Nyang—the crocodile—a reference to the dark-brown brindled colour of her hide. I bought her… more»

The Tory party’s pagan politics

6 April 1997  •  851 words  •  City of Words

In this year of the comet, of heavenly portents, could the Tories be turning to occult forces to stem the tide of electoral defeat? You… more»

Miracles of the people

1988  •  5,988 words  •  Research

Candomblé, a religion of African origin widespread in Brazil, has for many years been the main focus of anthropological research into the African-derived religions of the new world. The analyses of the rituals and cosmology of the religion … more»

Godfrey’s gift

7 May 1994  •  1,827 words  •  Memorials

For Godfrey Lienhardt—"Thienydeng" as he was known among Muɔnyjang, the Dinka people of Sudan—the occasions of teaching and learning extended beyond his office in the… more»

Warriors of the White Nile

By John Ryle, Sarah Errington and the Editors of Time-Life

1983  •  201 words  •  Books

Warriors of the White Nile is an illustrated account of the day-to-day life of the Agar Dinka, an agro-pastoralist community in Lakes state of South Sudan. The book is based on anthropological fieldwork conducted in 1981, shortly before the outbreak of the second civil war in Sudan (1983-2005). It presents key aspects of Dinka culture for a general audience, including the economic and symbolic importance of cattle, and their role in articulating and extending networks of kinship. … more»

The Sudan Handbook

Edited by John Ryle, Justin Willis, Suliman Baldo and Jok Madut Jok

2011  •  392 words  •  Books

The handbook covers Sudan, South Sudan and the North-South borderlands. It offers an authoritative introduction to the two countries, rooted in an historical account of the development of the state. The book comprises a set of eighteen essays by specialists including Abdelrahman Ali Mohammed, Peter Woodward, Gérard Prunier, Jérôme Tubiana, Derek Welsby, and Ahmad Sikainga. It is edited by John Ryle, Justin Willis, Suliman Baldo and Jok Madut Jok. … more»

The Ruins of Utopia

8 May 1999  •  9,826 words  •  Research

If we had been living in the era of Sir Thomas More–St Thomas More—author of the original Utopia, who lived from 1478 to 1535, we would be speaking in Latin, the lingua franca of learned people… … more»