Teaching

I retired from SOAS in 2004. During my 37 years there (with interruptions for research leave), I taught courses at all levels. From 1967 until my retirement, I taught Ethnography of the Middle East, later Culture and Societies of the Middle East, for the MA Area Studies programme, and supervised more than a score of Majors. From 1978 I also taught Ethnography of the Middle East and Advanced Ethnography of the Middle East at BA level. For several years I taught Anthropological Study of Turkish Culture and Society as an option in the MA Modern Turkish Studies programme.

I also taught general theory seminar classes at all levels. In the 1970s, and again in 1983-5, I lectured on Political Anthropology. Having run the qualifying course for new MPhil students 1977-81, I was active in setting up a new MA programme in Social Anthropology, which I then convened from 1983-90, teaching the core General Principles course. In 1996 and 1997, I chaired the seminar for post-fieldwork research students. From the 1970s on, I supervised to completion several MPhil theses and more than a score of PhD theses, most of which were published.

In 1973, I inaugurated the School’s Wednesday lunchtime Ethnographic Film screening, and I was responsible for this popular programme virtually every year until retirement. From 1985, I taught a BA option Anthropology and Film (the first such course in any University Department in the country), later also as an MA optional course. Between 1979 and 1985 I taught a second-year BA option on Nomadic Societies. From 1993-96 I taught the BA and MA options on Research Methods.