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Professor.
Ph.D., Northwestern University.
Research Interests
My research interests focus on: the anthropology of identity and
the identity of
anthropology. The former has been pursued in field research, especially
in Africa
(Nigeria, Cameroun, and Zimbabwe), in village and urban contexts.
The latter
has been largely a matter of personal participation and teaching
within the
context of the discipline of anthropology. In Nigeria I was concerned,
and
continue to be, with how ethnic identity among the Ijo developed
in an isolated,
relatively culturally homogeneous, self-sufficient society that
became severely
impinged upon by a multi-ethnic nation and global economic prerequisites
of oil
exports. In Cameroun the setting shifts to a plural community
within a plural
state, and the emphasis is on formulating and retaining an identity
as a minority
ethnic group. Zimbabwe offers still another variation on a theme:
a state
containing one dominant ethnic group, the Shona, but with numerous
migrants
from adjoining states. Here my interest in on how participation
in voluntary
associations and other non-governmental organizations contribute
to the
formation of a national identity. My interest in the identity
of anthropology has
focused on the delineation of crises in the discipline's history
that reflect shifts in
theoretical orientation as well as prompts them.
Selected Publications
2002Cultural Identity in the Multi-cultural Niger Delta. In, Ways of the Rivers:
Arts and Environment in the Niger Delta. Martha Anderson and Philip Peek, eds.
UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History, pp. 15-21.
2001Remodeling Concepts of the Self: An Ijo Example. With M. Hollos. Ethos 29,3:371-387.
1998History, Social Structure and Migration in the Niger DeltaIn, The Multi-Disciplinary
Approach to African History, Nkparom C. Ejituwu, ed., pp. 185-194.
1996Pluralism. In, The Encyclopedia of Cultural Anthropology, edited by David Levinson
and Melvin Ember, Vol 3, pp. 940-943. Lakeville, CT: American Reference Publishing.
1995Ethnic Conflict, History, and State Formation in Africa. In, Population, Ethnicity, and
Nation-Building, edited by Calvin Goldscheider, pp. 77-90. Boulder: Westview Press.
1989Becoming Nigerian in Ijo Society. Co-author with M. Hollos. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
Courses Taught
For current and scheduled courses taught by Professor Leis, click here.
