Evans-Pritchard, Edward Evan (1902-1973), a British anthropologist, became known for his studies of African peoples and cultures and for his theories about cultural differences. Evans-Pritchard viewed anthropology as an attempt to understand non-European ways of thinking. He also regarded anthropology as one of the arts or humanities, rather than as a scientific field.
Evans-Pritchard was born in Crowborough, Sussex (now in East Sussex), on Sept. 21, 1902. He studied history at Oxford University. He received a Ph.D. in anthropology from the London School of Economics and Political Science, a part of the University of London, in 1927. Evans-Pritchard became a professor of social anthropology at Oxford in 1946. His best-known books include Witchcraft, Oracles and Magic Among the Azande (1937) and The Nuer (1940). Evans-Pritchard retired in 1970 and was knighted in 1971. He died on Sept. 11, 1973.
