Robin Horton (1932 - 2019) was an English

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 ...

and philosopher. Horton carried out specialised study in

comparative religion Comparative religion is the branch of the study of religions with the systematic comparison of the doctrines and practices, themes and impacts (including migration) of the world's religions. In general the comparative study of religion yie ...

since the 1950s where he challenged and expanded views in the study of the anthropology of religion. He is notable for his comparison of traditional thought systems (including religion) to Western science. This formed the basis for his analysis of African thought that he published in two instalments in 1967.Horton, R. (1967), "African Traditional Thought and Western Science." ''Africa'' 37(1–2), 50–71, 155–187. Rpt. as "African Traditional Thought and Western Science." in Bryan R. Wilson (ed.), ''Rationality'', Oxford:

Basil Blackwell Sir Basil Henry Blackwell (29 May 18899 April 1984) was born in Oxford, England. He was the son of Benjamin Henry Blackwell (18491924), founder of Blackwell's bookshop in Oxford, which went on to become the Blackwell family's publishing and books ...

, 1984. His work continues to be viewed as important in understanding traditional African religious approaches. For more than four decades Horton lived in Africa, where he conducted research on African indigenous religions,

magic Magic or Magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces * Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic * Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...

mythology Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narra ...

and

ritual A ritual is a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, actions, or objects, performed according to a set sequence. Rituals may be prescribed by the traditions of a community, including a religious community. Rituals are characterized ...

s.''Patterns of Thought in Africa and the West: Essays on Magic, Religion and Science'' (1997), . During 40 years of residence in Africa, he worked as a researcher and a professor of philosophy and religion at several universities, including the

University of Port Harcourt The University of Port Harcourt is located in Choba in Port Harcourt, Rivers state, Nigeria. It was established in 1975 as University College, Port Harcourt and was given university status in 1977. The University of Port Harcourt was rank ...

Rivers State Rivers State, also known as Rivers, is a state in the Niger Delta region of southern Nigeria (Old Eastern Region). Formed in 1967, when it was split from the former Eastern Region, Rivers State borders include: Imo to the north, Abia and Akwa ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

, and the

University of Ife Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) is a federal government-owned university that is located in the ancient city of Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria. The university was founded in 1961 and classes commenced in October 1962 as the University of Ife ...

Osun State Osun State (; yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Ọ̀ṣun), occasionally known as the State of Osun by the state government, is a state in southwestern Nigeria; bounded to the east by Ekiti and Ondo states, to the north by Kwara State, to the south by Og ...

, Nigeria.

Family life

Robin William Gray Horton and his sister were born to William Gray Horton and Gwen Horton. His father was a Lieutenant Colonel of the

Scots Guard The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642, although it was only placed on the ...

who was also part of the British

Bobsleigh at the 1924 Winter Olympics At the 1924 Winter Olympics, only one bobsleigh event was contested, the four man event. However, rules at the time also allowed a fifth sledder to compete. The event was held on Saturday and Sunday, 2 and 3 February 1924. Medalists Results ...

national team and his grandfather was the American impressionist painter William Samuel Horton. His mother, Gwendolen Anna Le Bas Horton, was the elder daughter of an iron merchant from St. Brelade,

Jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label= Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west France. It is the l ...

, and sister to Molly Brocas Burrows, the sculptor, and the painter

Edward Le Bas Edward Le Bas RA (1904–1966) was a British artist and art collector. Biography Le Bas was born in London and was the son of a wealthy steel magnate and the brother to the sculptor Molly Le Bas. Le Bas read architecture at Cambridge Universit ...

(1904–1966

Horton's sister-in-law is renowned Nigerian sculptor

Sokari Douglas Camp Sokari Douglas Camp CBE (born 1958 in Nigeria) is a London-based artist who has had exhibitions all over the world and was the recipient of a bursary from the Henry Moore Foundation. She was honoured as a Commander of the Order of the British ...

, about whose work he has written.

Theoretical contributions

Robin Horton viewed religion from an

ethnoscience Ethnoscience has been defined as an attempt "to reconstitute what serves as science for others, their practices of looking after themselves and their bodies, their botanical knowledge, but also their forms of classification, of making connections, e ...

approach, where he linked religious understanding with scientific inquiry. He viewed the two as having a similar approach of methodically unveiling the complex to achieve order and understanding from chaos. Horton's analysis of African

magic (paranormal) Magic, sometimes spelled magick, is an ancient praxis rooted in sacred rituals, spiritual divinations, and/or cultural lineage—with an intention to invoke, manipulate, or otherwise manifest supernatural forces, beings, or entities in the na ...

and mythology concludes that there is an overarching theory that lies behind the commonly accepted theory and that forms the basis of these beliefs. He sees mystical systems that drive "primitive" religions as theoretical structures that are dictated by concrete rules and are used to understand, in an interactive way, revealed anomalies, much like scientific endeavours theorise the physical world. This literal approach is a reflection of striving to have a concrete and thus scientific method of studying and explaining the world they live in. One of his classic works in the anthropology of religion and of other traditional knowledge systems is his 1968 essay in support of neo-Tylorians (followers of

Edward Burnett Tylor Sir Edward Burnett Tylor (2 October 18322 January 1917) was an English anthropologist, and professor of anthropology. Tylor's ideas typify 19th-century cultural evolutionism. In his works ''Primitive Culture'' (1871) and ''Anthropology'' (1 ...

), who took

causal Causality (also referred to as causation, or cause and effect) is influence by which one event, process, state, or object (''a'' ''cause'') contributes to the production of another event, process, state, or object (an ''effect'') where the ca ...

statements of someone in a pre-literate society at face value. Horton notes that "the historian of ideas, operating on the premiss that 'things are what they seem', has been forging ahead most successfully with his interpretation of the European, thought-tradition; but the rthodox

, operating on the premiss that 'things are not what they seem', has had little success in explaining why pre-literate peoples have the kind of ideas they do." He argued, for instance, that animism should be taken at face value without the rationalisation that it symbolically represents a social or political structure. Horton maintained that a more useful approach would be to compare traditional thought to modern science. The fact that a traditional explanation may be shown to be mistaken in terms of modern science, by no means indicates that the explanation is held by a less intelligent group of people. Horton was not willing to follow Tylor's view that holding theories that were mistaken is evidence of the childishness of traditional thought, pointing out that historians of science have shown that many rationally demonstrated scientific views were subsequently shown to be mistaken and were replaced. He attributes an intellectualist view to religion and rejects the symbolic, Durkheimian, understanding of religion, as patronising to the so-called "primitives" who have a literal approach to their beliefs. However, one of his critics who held to the symbolistic approach, anthropologist John H. Beattie, argued that traditional/primitive religions were symbolic because the cultures that held to these beliefs did so in cases where there was no empirical explanation to a phenomenon; thus it was attributed to the supernatural, such as spirits and any physical representations of such, were merely symbolic. When he lived in

New Calabar The Kalabari Kingdom, also called Elem Kalabari ( Kalabari: ''New Shipping Port''), is the independent traditional state of the Kalabari people, an Ijaw ethnic group, in the Niger River Delta. It is recognized as a traditional state in what is n ...

among the Kalabari people, Horton studied the processes that lead to social change.

Professional career

Beginning in 1960s, Horton published his theories of religion in several journal articles and books. His scientific approach to the understanding of " primitive" religion was groundbreaking in an era during which the prevailing view was a

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

elitist conceptualisation of "primitive" religion as a construct of less intelligent "savages" and "barbarians" (terms now considered to be

anachronistic An anachronism (from the Greek , 'against' and , 'time') is a chronological inconsistency in some arrangement, especially a juxtaposition of people, events, objects, language terms and customs from different time periods. The most common type ...

and

pejorative A pejorative or slur is a word or grammatical form expressing a negative or a disrespectful connotation, a low opinion, or a lack of respect toward someone or something. It is also used to express criticism, hostility, or disregard. Sometimes, a ...

). Horton conducted his fieldwork in Nike in northern Igboland, Nigeria and among the Kalabari people of the eastern Niger Delta. In 1965, under the commission of the Federal Republic of Nigeria's Department of Antiquities, Horton produced a compilation of 72 Kalabari Ijo Art photographs accompanied by a booklet explaining the meaning and utility of these artistic objects within the Kalabari culture.Kalabari Sculpture. Dept. of Antiquities, Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1965. The photographs provide a visual record of native art of the Kalabari people, serves as a reference for tradition practices that are continually subject to mutating influences through

acculturation Acculturation is a process of social, psychological, and cultural change that stems from the balancing of two cultures while adapting to the prevailing culture of the society. Acculturation is a process in which an individual adopts, acquires and ...

such as has happened in the region during the years that followed colonisation. Some of his photographs are archived at the

Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland The Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland (RAI) is a long-established anthropological organisation, and Learned Society, with a global membership. Its remit includes all the component fields of anthropology, such as biolo ...

(RAI), labelled as MS 345, MS 349

Horton worked as a senior research fellow and a lecturer in social anthropology at the Institute of African Studies for the

University of Ibadan The University of Ibadan (UI) is a public research university in Ibadan, Nigeria. The university was founded in 1948 as University College Ibadan, one of many colleges within the University of London. It became an independent university in 19 ...

before moving to the

as a professor of philosophy and comparative religion. At the University of Ibadan he collaborated with Ruth Finnegan who, at that time (1965–69) was also lecturing at the university in socio-anthropology. This collaboration led to the co-edited volume ''Modes of Thought'', which addressed the question of whether there were fundamental differences, either in content, logic, or formulation, between modern or Western thought on the one hand, and traditional or non-Western thought on the other. In the mid-1970s, Professor Horton served as faculty on the Department of Sociology at the University of Ife now known as

Obafemi Awolowo University Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) is a federal government-owned university that is located in the ancient city of Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria. The university was founded in 1961 and classes commenced in October 1962 as the University of Ife ...

in Nigeria. Published in 1997, his ''Patterns of Thought in Africa and the West: Magic, Religion and Science'' is a compilation of some of his classic essays published between 1960 and 1990. His work continues to influence new scholars in the field of anthropology of religion.Nyoye, Chinwe, "Definitional ceremonies in Igbo Religion: A test of Robin Horton’s Theory", ''International Journal of Sociology and Anthropology'', Vol. 4(4), pp. 116–133, April 2012. As of 1 October 2012, Professor Robin Horton's appointment as an Honorary Research Associate in the Department of Religious and Cultural Studies at the University of Port Harcourt was renewed for another five years.''Uniport Weekly''
vol. 8, no. 3, February 2012,

Honours

*Named as a notable Nigerian historian in the City of Port Harcourt's 2012 bid for

World Book Capital The World Book Capital (WBC) is an initiative of UNESCO which recognises cities for promoting books and fostering reading for a year starting on April 23rd, World Book and Copyright Day. Cities designated as UNESCO World Book Capital carry out act ...

in 2014. *Part of the editorial board of ''Kiabara Journal of Humanities'', 1981. *1951 Recipient of Scholarship Award in Natural Sciences; New College, Oxford University

* 2nd Lt. for the

Scots Guards The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642, although it was only placed on the E ...

Selected works

*''Patterns of Thought in Africa and the West: Essays on Magic, Religion and Science'' (1997), *''Kalabari Sculpture''. Dept. of Antiquities, Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1965 *"Destiny and the Unconscious in West Africa". ''Africa'': '' Journal of the International African Institute'', Vol. 31, No. 2 (April 1961), pp. 110–116 *"African Traditional Thought and Western Science". ''Africa: Journal of the International African Institute'', Vol. 37, No. 1 (January 1967), pp. 50–71; Vol. 37, No. 2 (April 1967), pp. 155–187 *"The Kalabari 'Ekine' Society: A Borderland of Religion and Art". ''Africa: Journal of the International African Institute'', Vol. 33, No. 2 (April 1963), pp. 94–114 *Ritual man in Africa. ''Africa: Journal of the International African Institute'', Vol. 34, No. 2 (April 1964), pp. 85–104 *"The Kalabari World-View: An Outline and Interpretation", ''Africa: Journal of the International African Institute'', Vol. 32, No. 3 (July 1962), pp. 197–220 *"African Conversion", ''Africa: Journal of the International African Institute'', Vol. 41, No. 2 (April 1971), pp. 85–108 *"On the Rationality of Conversion. Part I", ''Africa: Journal of the International African Institute'', Vol. 45, No. 3 (1975), pp. 219–235 *"On the Rationality of Conversion. Part II", ''Africa: Journal of the International African Institute'', Vol. 45, No. 4 (1975), pp. 373–399 *"The High God: A Comment on Father O'Connell's Paper", ''

Man A man is an adult male human. Prior to adulthood, a male human is referred to as a boy (a male child or adolescent). Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromo ...

'', Vol. 62, (September 1962), pp. 137–140 *"Judaeo-Christian Spectacles: Boon or Bane to the Study of African Religions?" (Les lunettes juderbéo-chrétiennes: aubaine ou fléau pour l'étude des religions africaines?) '' Cahiers d'Études africaines''
Vol. 24, Cahier 96 (1984), pp. 391–436

Co-author

*Robin Horton, J. D. Y. Peel. Conversion and Confusion: A Rejoinder on Christianity in Eastern Nigeria. ''

Canadian Journal of African Studies The ''Canadian Journal of African Studies'' is a triannual peer-reviewed academic journal covering African studies that was established in 1967. It is published by the Canadian Association of African Studies. Articles are published in English or ...

'' / ''Revue Canadienne des Études Africaines'', Vol. 10, No. 3 (1976), pp. 481–498 *

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 ...

, G. Dieterlen and Robin Horton. "Daryll Forde: Further Tributes". ''Africa: Journal of the International African Institute'', Vol. 44, No. 1 (January 1974), pp. 1–10. * J. F. Ade Ajayi and Robin Horton. "

Michael Crowder Michael Crowder (9 June 1934 – 14 August 1988) was a British historian and author notable for his books on the history of Africa and particularly on the history of West Africa. Early life and education Michael was born in London and educat ...

, 1934–88". ''Africa: Journal of the International African Institute'', Vol. 59, No. 1, 1989, pp. 110–118

References

Bibliography

* Wiredu, Kwasi (1996), "Cultural Universals and Particulars : An African Perspective". In African systems of thought. Indiana University Press. . *Carmody, Brendan Patrick. "Conversion and Jesuit Schooling in Zambia". ''Studies in Christian Missions''. . * R. W Hefner, ed. "Conversion to Christianity: Historical and Anthropological Perspectives on a Great Transformation" (Berkeley, 1993). *Humphrey J. Fisher (1985), "The Juggernaut's Apologia: Conversion to Islam in Black Africa". ''Africa: Journal of the International Institute'', Vol. 55, No. 2, pp. 153–173. *Cox, James L. (2001), "Missionaries, the Phenomenology of Religion and 'Re-Presenting' Nineteenth-Century African Religion: a Case Study of Peter McKenzie's Hail Orisha!" ''

Journal of Religion in Africa The ''Journal of Religion in Africa'' is a quarterly academic journal established in 1967 by Andrew Walls. It focuses on all religious traditions in Africa. Notable people * David Maxwell, editor from 1998 to 2005 * Andrew Walls Andrew Finl ...

'', Vol. 31, No. 3, pp. 336–353. *Meyer, Birgit (2002), "Christianity and the Ewe Nation: German Pietist missionaries, Ewe converts and the politics of culture". ''Journal of religion in Africa'', Vol. 33, No. 2, pp. 167–199. * Klein, Martin A. (2001), "The slave trade and decentrialized societies". ''

The Journal of African History ''The Journal of African History'' (JAH) is a triannual peer-reviewed academic journal. It was established in 1960 and is published by Cambridge University Press. It was among the first specialist journals to be devoted to African history and ar ...

'' Vol.42, No. 1, pp. 49–65 * Hubbell, Andrew (2001), "A view of the slave trade from the margin: Souroudougou in the late nineteenth-century slave trade of the Niger Bend". ''Journal of African History'', Vol. 42, No. 1, pp. 25 – 47. * Kaplan, Steven (1992), "Indigenous Categories and the Study of World Religions in Ethiopia: the Case of the Beta Israel (Falasha)". ''Journal of religion in Africa'', Vol. 22, No. 3, pp. 208–221. *Ellis, Stephen; Gerrie Ter Haar (1998), "Religion and politics in Sub-Saharan Africa". ''The Journal of Modern African Studies'', Vol. 36, No. 2, pp. 175–201. *Isichei, Elizabeth (1988), "On Masks and Audible Ghosts: Some Secret Male Cults in Central Nigeria1". ''Journal of Religion in Africa'', Vol. 18, No. 1, pp. 42–70. *Wilcox, Rosalinde G. (2002), "Commercial transactions and cultural interactions from the Delta to Douala and beyond". '' African Arts'', Vol. 35, No. 1, pp 42–55, and 93–95. *Allsworth-Jones, P. (1996), "Continuity and Change in Yoruba Pottery". ''

Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies Bulletin or The Bulletin may refer to: Periodicals (newspapers, magazines, journals) * Bulletin (online newspaper), a Swedish online newspaper * ''The Bulletin'' (Australian periodical), an Australian magazine (1880–2008) ** Bulletin Debate, ...

'', Vol. 59, No. 2, pp. 312–322. * Searing, James F. (2003), "Conversion to Islam: Military recruitment and general conflict in a Sereer-Safèn Village (Bandia), 1920–38". ''The Journal of African History'', Vol. 44, No. 1, pp. 73–94. * Alagoa, E. J. (1971), "The Development of Institutions in the States of the Eastern Niger Delta". ''The Journal of African History'', Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 269–278. *Ellis, Stephen (2008), "The Okije Shrine: Death and Life in Nigerian Politics". ''The Journal of African History'', Vol. 49, No. 3, pp 445–466. *Sieber, Roy; Barry Hecht (2002), "Eastern Nigerian art from the Toby and Barry Hecht collection". ''African Arts'', Vol.35, No. 1, p. 56.

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Horton, Robin G. Social anthropologists 2019 deaths Academic staff of the University of Port Harcourt Academic staff of the University of Ibadan Academic staff of Obafemi Awolowo University British emigrants to Nigeria British expatriate academics 1932 births Historians of Nigeria British Africanists British anthropologists