Write a four page (double-spaced, typed) response to one of the following questions based on E.E. Evans-Pritchard’s The Nuer. This paper is due on February 21.
1) Describe power (social, political), or lack thereof, in Nuer society. Who has it (e.g., leopard-skin chiefs, lineages), what forms does it take, and what are its limitations?
2) How does the oecological/ecological system relate to the social structure in Nuer society? Is the Nuer social system determined by their ecological system to some degree?
3) Examine rhetorical styles and methods in The Nuer. How does Evans-Pritchard use language and style, and what does he accomplish through his rhetorical methods? For example, is he detached, objective, sentimental etc.? How effective are these methods of description and persuasion?
4) What does Evans-Pritchard reveal about Nuer relations to outside groups, such as the “Government” and the “Arabs.” What clues does this give you about what might be missing or what observations might have alternative interpretations if the role of these outside forces are taken into account?
