Eileen Jensen Krige (1905–1995) was a prominent South African

social anthropologist Social anthropology is the study of patterns of behaviour in human societies and cultures. It is the dominant constituent of anthropology throughout the United Kingdom and much of Europe, where it is distinguished from cultural anthropology. In t ...

noted for her research on Zulu and Lovedu cultures. Together with

Hilda Kuper Hilda Beemer Kuper ('' née'' Beemer; 23 August 1911 – 23 April 1992) was a social anthropologist most notable for her extensive work on Swazi culture. Early life Born to Lithuanian Jewish and Austrian Jewish parents in Bulawayo, Southern Rh ...

and

Monica Wilson Monica Wilson, née Hunter (3 January 1908 – 26 October 1982) was a South African anthropologist, who was professor of social anthropology at the University of Cape Town. Life Monica Hunter was born to missionary parents in Lovedale in t ...

, she produced substantial works on the

Nguni people The Nguni people are a Bantu ethnic group from South Africa, with off-shoots in neighbouring countries in Southern Africa. Swazi (or Swati) people live in both South Africa and Eswatini, while Northern Ndebele people live in both South Africa (a ...

s of Southern Africa. Apart from her research she is considered to be one of the 'pioneering mothers' of the

University of Natal The University of Natal was a university in the former South African province Natal which later became KwaZulu-Natal. The University of Natal no longer exists as a distinct legal entity, as it was incorporated into the University of KwaZulu-N ...

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

, South Africa, where she taught from 1948 until retirement in 1970. She inspired many women to devote themselves to research. Krige is also associated with a group of South African

anthropologists An anthropologist is a person engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropology is the study of aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms and v ...

who were strongly against the segregation policies of

apartheid in South Africa Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

. These include amongst others,

Isaac Schapera Isaac Schapera FBA FRAI (23 June 1905 Garies, Cape Colony – 26 June 2003 London, England), was a social anthropologist at the London School of Economics specialising in South Africa. He was notable for his contributions of ethnographic an ...

, Winifred Hoernlé, Hilda Kuper, Monica Wilson,

Audrey Richards Audrey Isabel Richards, CBE, FRAI, FBA (8 July 1899 – 29 June 1984), was a pioneering British social anthropologist. She produced notable ethnographic studies. The most famous of which is ''Chisingu: A Girl's initiation ceremony among the B ...

and

Max Gluckman Herman Max Gluckman (; 26 January 1911 – 13 April 1975) was a South African and British social anthropologist. He is best known as the founder of the Manchester School of anthropology. Biography and major works Gluckman was born in Johan ...

Personal life

Krige married Jack Daniel Krige in 1928. Jack a nephew of J.C. Smuts and an advocate at the

Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name Transvaal. * South African Republic (1856–1902; af, ...

Supreme Court, shared Krige's anthropological interests and subsequently accompanied her on most of her field trips. This might be closely linked to his earlier position as lecturer in Bantu Studies at

Rhodes University Rhodes University is a public university, public research university located in Makhanda, Eastern Cape, Makhanda (Grahamstown) in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It is one of four universities in the province. Established in 1904, ...

College in Grahamstown. Together they were very successful in encouraging an interest in anthropology amongst African students. These include Absolom Vilikazi whose thesis ''Zulu Transformations'' was later published and Harriet Ngubane, famous for her book, ''Body and Mind in Zulu Medicine''.

Education and early career

Krige, who initially started a degree in economics, obtained a part-time honors degree in social anthropology from the

University of the Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), is a multi-campus South African Public university, public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University or Wits ( o ...

in 1929. It was under the influence of Winifred Hoernlé, who started the formal teaching of social anthropology at the University of the Witwatersrand in 1923, that Krige decided to pursue her studies in anthropology. Krige later referred to Hoernle, as 'the mother of Social Anthropology in South Africa'. For her honor degree thesis, Krige focused predominantly on the Zulu which was published in 1936 entitled: ''The Social System of the Zulus'' During the course of her honors degree, Krige also pursued her interest in the Lovedu people of Modjadje in the northern region of South Africa. This led to a private visit in 1926 during which time she met the then reigning

Rain Queen Queen Modjadji, or the Rain Queen, is the hereditary queen of Balobedu, a people of the Limpopo Province of South Africa. The Rain Queen is believed to have special powers, including the ability to control the clouds and rainfall. Modjadji Ro ...

, Queen Majaji. Krige remained interested in the Lovedu and the tales she heard about their queen who is the rain-maker ''par excellence'' of South Africa. Thanks to a Fellowship of the International Institute of African Languages and Cultures obtained in 1936, Krige and her husband could do a detailed study of the Lovedu people which lasted until 1938. Krige obtained her DLitt from the University of the Witwatersrand in 1940 and in 1943 she and her husband published ''The Realm of a Rain-Queen: A Study of the Patterns of Lovedu Society''.

''The Realm of a Rain-Queen: A Study of the Patterns of Lovedu Society''

In ''The Realm of a Rain-Queen'' Krige, in collaboration with her husband Jack, describes the cultures of the Lovedu people. According to Krige, the sacred Lovedu Queen is center to Lovedu society. Their culture emerges "as a structure supporting and in turn supported by the Rain-Queen". In this book Krige pays attention to amongst others the royal institutions, legal procedure of compromise and appeasement, magic, witchcraft, and religion.

Later career

In 1948 Krige started her teaching career at the University of Natal, Durban. Her knowledge of Zulu society and culture enhanced the value of her teaching and contributed to her inspirational career as University professor and scholar. In addition she and her husband "instilled standards of integrity that went beyond the academic". Throughout her career Krige continued to do fieldwork amongst the Lovedu people. Even after her retirement as Chair of Social Anthropology in 1970, she continued to engage in ethnographic research. This included an interest in Zulu female fertility rituals as well as her lifelong interest in

kinship In anthropology, kinship is the web of social relationships that form an important part of the lives of all humans in all societies, although its exact meanings even within this discipline are often debated. Anthropologist Robin Fox says that ...

and marriage.Argyle (2010) http://natalia.org.za/Files/25/Natalia%20v25%20obituaries%20Krige.pdf This led to a collaboration with John L. Comaroff entitled: ''Essays on African Marriage in Southern Africa'' which was published in 1981.

Publications

1931 ''Agricultural Ceremonies and Practices of the Balobedu''. Johannesburg: University of the Witwatersrand. 1936 ''The Social System of the Zulu''. London: Longmans Green and Company. 1943 ''The Realm of a Rain-Queen: A Study of the Patterns of Lovedu Society''. (Written with Jack Krige) London: Oxford University Press. 1954 ''The Lovedu of Transvaal''. (Written in collaboration with Jack Krige). 1965 ''Report on an Ecological Study of the Thembe-Thonga of Natal and Mozambique'' (authored by W.S Felgate, Social Anthropology Honours Student of Krige) Durban: Institute for Social Research, University of Natal. 1962 ''The Social System of the Zulu''. Pietermaritzburg: Shuter and Shooter Publishers. 1963 ''Culture Contact in Africa South of the Sahara''. Johannesburg: South African Institution of Race Relations. 1975 ''Tradition and Christian Lovedu Family Structures.'' 1978 ''Social System and Tradition in Southern Africa: Essays in honour of Eileen Krige.'' (Written in collaboration with William John Argyle and Eleanor Preston-Whyte) London: Oxford University Press. 1980a ''Medicine, Magic and Religion of the Lovedu''. Johannesburg: University of the Witwatersrand. 1980b ''African Techniques of Domination and State Formation: Their Relevance Today''. Johannesburg: Witwatersrand University Press for the Institute for the Study of the Man of Africa. 1981 ''Essays on African Marriage in Southern Africa''. Written with John L. Comaroff. Cape Town: Juta Publishers. 1985 ''Aspects of Change in the Social and Political Organization of the Lovedu, with special Reference to Re-Settlement and Family Structure.''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Krige, Eileen 1905 births 1995 deaths South African anthropologists University of the Witwatersrand alumni Academic staff of the University of Natal South African women scientists South African women anthropologists 20th-century anthropologists