Explorers & agents · 1920–2014
Warren d'Azevedo
Anthropologist of the Gola whose work established oral tradition as usable historical evidence for this region.
Biography
D'Azevedo worked among the Gola from the 1950s, and his central methodological argument — set out in 'Uses of the Past in Gola Discourse' — is that oral tradition is not a degraded chronicle but a living argument about the present, and can be read as such by historians who understand its rules.
He also documented Gola artistry, women's authority and the internal politics of Poro with unusual candour about the limits of his own access.
Historical significance
Supplies the method on which any pre-1822 history of this region depends: how to use what people remember without either dismissing it or taking it literally.
Timeline
- 1950sFieldwork among the Gola
- 1962'Uses of the Past in Gola Discourse' published
- 1970s–90sContinued publication on Gola society and art
Related entries
References
- d'Azevedo, Warren (1962). 'Uses of the Past in Gola Discourse.' Journal of African History 3(1).
- d'Azevedo, Warren (1959). 'The Setting of Gola Society and Culture.'
Suggested reading
- d'Azevedo (1962).