The Nuer is one of the best known of all ethnographic studies, and the reason for this is clear: Evans-Pritchard gives a brilliant and insightful picture of an interesting and unusual people. The Nuer were a pastoral people living along the upper Nile, who had no laws or leaders and were strongly individualistic, with social order maintained by community values and a segmentary tribal and lineage system.

Most people are likely to encounter this in introductory anthropology courses, but I think everyone should read at least one ethnography, even if they never study anthropology: The Nuer wouldn't be a bad choice.

August 1992

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