Laura Bohannan

Laura Bohannan, (née Laura Marie Altman Smith), (1922–2002), pen name Elenore Smith Bowen, was an anthropology professor at University of Illinois at Chicago. She was highly regarded for her studies in Africa and wrote one of the first books about the experience of doing fieldwork, Return to Laughter. Her research in Nigeria and her publications about the social system of the Tiv people "influenced a whole generation of anthropologists," according to fellow anthropologist James Phillips.

“Shakespeare in the Bush” is consistently the most popular article on our website and one of the most anthologized anthropology articles of all time.

Recent Stories

The way they live, the food they eat, and the effect on us

A true but unlikely tale

Story and Photographs by William Rowan

Increasing day length on the early Earth boosted oxygen released by photosynthetic cyanobacteria.

Genomic evidence shows that Denisovans and modern humans may have overlapped in Wallacea.