Max Gluckman Analysis

Max Gluckman was one of the most prominent South African and British figures in the field of anthropology throughout the mid-late 20th century (Gluckman and Gulliver, 1978). He first studied social anthropology under Alfred R. Radcliffe-Brown, a notable leader of structural functionalism, at the University of Witwatersrand. Gluckman then advanced his education at the University of Oxford where he earned his doctorate degree. After administering his primary research from 1936 to 1938 in South Africa within the Zulu community, he accepted a position at the Rhodes-Livingstone Institute (RLI), the first experimentation establishment for anthropology in Africa. Here, Gluckman supervised the work of his fellow anthropologists and made important contributions

It was developed when a new anthropological view, which emphasized theories, methods and ethnographies, emerged. Gluckman and his co-workers devised the “extended-case method and situational analysis.” This work was later recognized as practice theory, which stressed the importance of anthropological procedure (Evens and Handelman, 2006, pp. 3). The extended-case method, or structural analysis, was a distinguished characteristic of the Manchester School (pp. 4). It sought to gather reports directly rather than note other’s work. In support of this evaluation, Gluckman reiterated that conflict in every society is necessary in order to pinpoint and analyze the means that brought on the dissonance. That way, once such aspects are identified, future conflict can perhaps be prevented (pp. 5). This was also a way for Gluckman to distance his work from theory alone and move more towards empirical practice (pp.

In this instance, Gluckman’s rituals of rebellion theory, which was also discussed in Custom and Conflict in Africa, can be applied. For example, the Swazi tribe’s incwala ceremony, where royal members openly embarrass the king, is relevant. He viewed this ritual as symbolizing one of the central conflicts in Swazi society, which related to the fact that many noble participants wanted to broaden their influence within the community. The royal members did not want to change the social system, yet merely wished to enhance and refurbish the structure of the group (Schroeter, 2004, pp.