Shows
Ancient FuturesHistorical Prediction – Michelle PfefferThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comHow do people cope with uncertainty? What differentiates ways of predicting the future from scientific study of patterns – be that in epidemiology or forecasting weather? Might techniques of divination reveal as much about the past and the present as what happens next?Michelle Pfeffer (formerly Aroney) is a historian at Magdalen College, Oxford, and co-curator – with David Zeitlyn – of an exhibition at the Bodleian Library titled “Oracles, Omens and Answers”. As we discuss, there are fascinating links between modern sciences a...
2025-01-2931 min
Coffee & DivinationEpisode #47: Professor David Zeitlyn on Mambila Spider Divination and the Bodleian Library's New ExhibitionSend us a textIn this episode, I sit down with the Professor David Zeitlyn of Oxford University, a leading expert in the anthropology of divination and co-curator of the Bodleian Library's stunning new exhibition, Oracles, Omens, and Answers. Professor Zeitlyn has spent decades studying divination practices across cultures, including his research on, and practice of, Mambila spider divination in Cameroon and Nigeria.We discuss the highlights of the Bodleian Library's exhibition (which is open until April 27, 2025,) and explore the cultural framework of divinatory practices like spider divination, and the intersections of ancient...
2024-12-251h 06
New Books in Animal StudiesDavid Zeitlyn, "Mambila Divination: Framing Questions, Constructing Answers" (Routledge, 2021)Professor David Zeitlyn’s book offers a major contribution to the study and analysis of divination, based on continuing fieldwork with the Mambila in Cameroon. It seeks to return attention to the details of divinatory practice, using the questions asked and life histories to help understand the perspective of the clients rather than that of the diviners.Drawing on a corpus of more than 600 cases, David Zeitlyn reconsiders theories of divination and compares Mambila spider divination with similar systems in the area. A detailed case study is examined and analysed using conversational analytic principles. The regional comparison co...
2024-09-071h 03
New Books in ReligionDavid Zeitlyn, "Mambila Divination: Framing Questions, Constructing Answers" (Routledge, 2021)Professor David Zeitlyn’s book offers a major contribution to the study and analysis of divination, based on continuing fieldwork with the Mambila in Cameroon. It seeks to return attention to the details of divinatory practice, using the questions asked and life histories to help understand the perspective of the clients rather than that of the diviners.Drawing on a corpus of more than 600 cases, David Zeitlyn reconsiders theories of divination and compares Mambila spider divination with similar systems in the area. A detailed case study is examined and analysed using conversational analytic principles. The regional comparison co...
2024-09-071h 05
New Books in SociologyDavid Zeitlyn, "Mambila Divination: Framing Questions, Constructing Answers" (Routledge, 2021)Professor David Zeitlyn’s book offers a major contribution to the study and analysis of divination, based on continuing fieldwork with the Mambila in Cameroon. It seeks to return attention to the details of divinatory practice, using the questions asked and life histories to help understand the perspective of the clients rather than that of the diviners.Drawing on a corpus of more than 600 cases, David Zeitlyn reconsiders theories of divination and compares Mambila spider divination with similar systems in the area. A detailed case study is examined and analysed using conversational analytic principles. The regional comparison co...
2024-09-071h 05
New Books in FolkloreDavid Zeitlyn, "Mambila Divination: Framing Questions, Constructing Answers" (Routledge, 2021)Professor David Zeitlyn’s book offers a major contribution to the study and analysis of divination, based on continuing fieldwork with the Mambila in Cameroon. It seeks to return attention to the details of divinatory practice, using the questions asked and life histories to help understand the perspective of the clients rather than that of the diviners.Drawing on a corpus of more than 600 cases, David Zeitlyn reconsiders theories of divination and compares Mambila spider divination with similar systems in the area. A detailed case study is examined and analysed using conversational analytic principles. The regional comparison co...
2024-09-071h 03
New Books in African StudiesDavid Zeitlyn, "Mambila Divination: Framing Questions, Constructing Answers" (Routledge, 2021)Professor David Zeitlyn’s book offers a major contribution to the study and analysis of divination, based on continuing fieldwork with the Mambila in Cameroon. It seeks to return attention to the details of divinatory practice, using the questions asked and life histories to help understand the perspective of the clients rather than that of the diviners.Drawing on a corpus of more than 600 cases, David Zeitlyn reconsiders theories of divination and compares Mambila spider divination with similar systems in the area. A detailed case study is examined and analysed using conversational analytic principles. The regional comparison co...
2024-09-071h 03
New Books in AnthropologyDavid Zeitlyn, "Mambila Divination: Framing Questions, Constructing Answers" (Routledge, 2021)Professor David Zeitlyn’s book offers a major contribution to the study and analysis of divination, based on continuing fieldwork with the Mambila in Cameroon. It seeks to return attention to the details of divinatory practice, using the questions asked and life histories to help understand the perspective of the clients rather than that of the diviners.Drawing on a corpus of more than 600 cases, David Zeitlyn reconsiders theories of divination and compares Mambila spider divination with similar systems in the area. A detailed case study is examined and analysed using conversational analytic principles. The regional comparison co...
2024-09-071h 05New Books in AnthropologyDavid Zeitlyn, "An Anthropological Toolkit: Sixty Useful Concepts" (Berghahn Books, 2022)In Professor Zietlyn's words, anthropology “has had enough of the big ideas already” -especially theories with a big ‘T’. In a discipline that seems to be constantly beset by ‘turns’, or agonising over its status and ‘commensurability’ across cultural differences, Professor Zietlyn in his latest book An Anthropological Toolkit: Sixty Useful Concepts (Berghahn Books, 2022) offers a way through the weeds, in presenting a way “to write about anthropological theory, without making a specific theoretical argument.” Drawing on an immense wealth of fieldwork and ethnographic experience, which has included anything from sociolinguistics and divination, to life-history writing and research on photography and footba...
2024-06-3039 min
New Books in Intellectual HistoryDavid Zeitlyn, "An Anthropological Toolkit: Sixty Useful Concepts" (Berghahn Books, 2022)In Professor Zietlyn's words, anthropology “has had enough of the big ideas already” -especially theories with a big ‘T’. In a discipline that seems to be constantly beset by ‘turns’, or agonising over its status and ‘commensurability’ across cultural differences, Professor Zietlyn in his latest book An Anthropological Toolkit: Sixty Useful Concepts (Berghahn Books, 2022) offers a way through the weeds, in presenting a way “to write about anthropological theory, without making a specific theoretical argument.” Drawing on an immense wealth of fieldwork and ethnographic experience, which has included anything from sociolinguistics and divination, to life-history writing and research on photography and footba...
2024-06-3039 minNew Books in SociologyDavid Zeitlyn, "An Anthropological Toolkit: Sixty Useful Concepts" (Berghahn Books, 2022)In Professor Zietlyn's words, anthropology “has had enough of the big ideas already” -especially theories with a big ‘T’. In a discipline that seems to be constantly beset by ‘turns’, or agonising over its status and ‘commensurability’ across cultural differences, Professor Zietlyn in his latest book An Anthropological Toolkit: Sixty Useful Concepts (Berghahn Books, 2022) offers a way through the weeds, in presenting a way “to write about anthropological theory, without making a specific theoretical argument.” Drawing on an immense wealth of fieldwork and ethnographic experience, which has included anything from sociolinguistics and divination, to life-history writing and research on photography and footba...
2024-06-3039 min
The Know Show PodcastDiscussing Mambila Spider Divination and Visual Anthropology in Cameroon - Prof. David Zeitlynhttps://www.patreon.com/user?u=31723331
Prof. David Zeitlyn is a Professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Oxford. In this compelling episode of The Know Show Podcast, David talks to Hussain about his research in Cameroon which has been ongoing since 1985. We are given a rich account of his ethnographic work which has looked at Mambila Divination, Cameroonian photography, and methods in visual anthropology. Listen for a fascinating anthropological account of research that draws on work from over 35 years. You won’t get this anywhere else...
PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO THE...
2021-11-1938 min
Being HumanUncertainty & LuckIn this week’s episode, host Jennifer Cearns is joined by Professor David Zeitlyn (University of Oxford), Dr William Matthews (London School of Economics), Wesam Hassan (University of Oxford) and Dr Anthony Pickles (University of East Anglia) to discuss their research looking at the strategies people employ to deal with and understand uncertainty and luck in various contexts around the world. What does it mean to 'be lucky', and what can we do to influence the luck (or misfortune) of those around us? Is uncertainty actually a good, or even a productive thing?
David Zeitlyn is Professor of...
2020-12-0540 min
THE OLYMPIA RADIO COMPANYThe Road Trip (I FEEL LIKE WE’RE IN A PLAY No. 2)Do you feel like you're in a play? Are you sitting in a car or standing on a mountain? This is the second in our five-part "I FEEL LIKE WE’RE IN A PLAY" series. This one has hypo-bolics, synco-symphonics and voice acting by Lucinda Roanoke, Mirah Zeitlyn and Bryce Kasson. Music by The Who and The Breeders. Get full access to David Scherer Water at davidschererwater.substack.com/subscribe
2020-02-1007 min
Unit for Biocultural Variation and Obesity (UBVO) seminarsAnalytic approaches to media representationsA presentation by David Zeitlyn (University of Oxford) for the UBVO Obesity, eating disorders and the media workshop in November 2017
2018-03-1315 min
Digital Humanities at Oxford Summer SchoolIf a Picture is Worth 1000 Words, What's a Medium Quality Scan Worth?David Zeitlyn, Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology, University of Oxford, gives a talk for the DHOXSS 2015. This presentation is based on the practical experience of archiving 46 thousand (plus) images taken by a Cameroonian studio photographer over a 30 years period as part of the British Library 'Endangered Archive Programme' (EAP). I will discuss some of the practical and conceptual issues of working with images collections, looking at how face recognition and pattern matching can help put some order into collections whose scope is too large for an individual to hold in their consciousness. Scaling up means we need technological assistance...
2015-08-1042 min
AnthropologyProvocations for digital anthropology (30 May 2013)David Zeitlyn discusses parallels between visual and digital anthropology and the dangers of historical myopia. It is too easy to disregard earlier parallels because of the mistaken claim that everything is new and different.
2013-11-1323 minAnthropologyLooking forward looking back (18 May 2013)Professor David Zeitlyn (University of Oxford) argues for a pluralisation of past, present and future. There are many unconnected or only partially connected literatures on time related issues. To embrace them we need to start thinking about pasts, presents and futures.
2013-11-1348 minAnthropologyReligion and change (2003-04 Evans-Pritchard Lecture 5)5/5. In Autumn 2003 Professor David Zeitlyn (University of Oxford) presented the 2003/2004 Evans-Pritchard Lectures at All Souls College, Oxford. The theme was 'The life of Diko Madeleine and the History of Somi, Cameroon, in the Twentieth Century'.
2010-11-0451 minAnthropologyTalking about Somié: from the social to the individual and back (2003-04 Evans-Pritchard Lecture 4)4/5. In Autumn 2003 Professor David Zeitlyn (University of Oxford) presented the 2003/2004 Evans-Pritchard Lectures at All Souls College, Oxford. The theme was 'The life of Diko Madeleine and the History of Somi, Cameroon, in the Twentieth Century'.
2010-11-0447 minAnthropologyTalking about Diko: introducing a woman, and means of researching a life (2003-04 Evans-Pritchard Lecture 3)3/5. In Autumn 2003 Professor David Zeitlyn (University of Oxford) presented the 2003/2004 Evans-Pritchard Lectures at All Souls College, Oxford. The theme was 'The life of Diko Madeleine and the History of Somi, Cameroon, in the Twentieth Century'.
2010-11-0452 minAnthropologyWriting history, talking historically: problems of biography, autobiography and social history (2003-04 Evans-Pritchard Lecture 2)2/5. In Autumn 2003 Professor David Zeitlyn (University of Oxford) presented the 2003/2004 Evans-Pritchard Lectures at All Souls College, Oxford. The theme was 'The life of Diko Madeleine and the History of Somi, Cameroon, in the Twentieth Century'.
2010-11-0455 minAnthropologySample of One: joining the queue (2003-04 Evans-Pritchard Lecture 1)1/5. In Autumn 2003 Professor David Zeitlyn (University of Oxford) presented the 2003/2004 Evans-Pritchard Lectures at All Souls College, Oxford. The theme was 'The life of Diko Madeleine and the History of Somi, Cameroon, in the Twentieth Century'.
2010-11-0458 min