Paul James Bohannan (March 5, 1920 – July 13, 2007) was an American

anthropologist 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 ...

known for his research on the Tiv people of Nigeria, spheres of exchange and divorce in the United States.

Early life and education

Bohannan was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, to Hillory Bohannan and Hazel Truex Bohannan. During the dust bowl his family moved to Benson, Arizona. World War II interrupted his college education, and he served in the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps from 1941 to 1945 reaching the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. In 1947 he graduated Phi Beta Kappa with his bachelor's degree in GermanStaff (1946) "3 Chosen for Rhodes Honor" ''Tucson Daily Citizen'' 13 December 1946, p. 18, col. 3 from the University of Arizona. He attended Queen's College, Oxford, thereafter as a

Rhodes scholar The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...

,Johnson, Pamela J. (2007
"Pioneering Anthropologist was Authority on the Tiv Tribe"
''USC College News'', July 2007 receiving a Bachelor of Science in 1949 and his doctor of philosophy degree in 1951, both in anthropology.

Academic career

Bohannan remained in England and was a lecturer in social anthropology at Oxford University until 1956 when he returned to the United States taking up an assistant professorship in anthropology at Princeton University. In 1959, Bohannan left Princeton for a full professorship at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. From 1975 to 1982 he taught at the University of California, Santa Barbara. In 1982 he became dean of the social science and communications department at the University of Southern California (U.S.C.). He retired from full-time teaching in 1987, but remained at U.S.C. as professor emeritus until his death. From 1962 to 1964 Bohannan was a director on the Social Science Research Council. He was a director of American Ethnological Society from 1963 to 1966. Bohannan was president of the African Studies Association in 1964. He was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1970. In 1979–1980, he was president of the

American Anthropological Association The American Anthropological Association (AAA) is an organization of scholars and practitioners in the field of anthropology. With 10,000 members, the association, based in Arlington, Virginia, includes archaeologists, cultural anthropologists, ...

Personal life

Bohannan married Laura Marie Smith, an anthropologist with whom he collaborated on ''Tiv Economy'', on 15 May 1943. They had one son, Denis, and were divorced in 1975. He remained married to his second wife, Adelyse D'Arcy, from 1981 until his death. Bohannan died on 13 July 2007, in Visalia, California. He was a connoisseur of

Scotch whisky Scotch whisky (; sco, Scots whisky/whiskie, whusk(e)y; often simply called whisky or Scotch) is malt whisky or grain whisky (or a blend of the two), made in Scotland. All Scotch whisky was originally made from malted barley. Commercial distil ...

and a ballet enthusiast.

Awards

* 1944

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

. * 1969 Herskovitz Prize for ''Tiv Economy'', shared with his wife Laura Bohannan.

Selected bibliography

* * * (Fourth Edition

ith Philip Curtin The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometres, is the longest line of crags in North Germany. Geography Location The Ith is immedia ...

published Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press, 1995) * * * * * With van der Elst, Dirk (1998). ''Asking and Listening: Ethnography as Personal Adaptation''. Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press. .

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bohannan, Paul J. 1920 births 2007 deaths Writers from Lincoln, Nebraska Social anthropologists American Africanists American Rhodes Scholars Academics of the University of Oxford Princeton University faculty Northwestern University faculty University of California, Santa Barbara faculty University of Southern California faculty University of Arizona alumni Alumni of The Queen's College, Oxford Recipients of the Legion of Merit People from Benson, Arizona 20th-century American anthropologists United States Army personnel of World War II Members of the American Philosophical Society Presidents of the African Studies Association