James Clyde Mitchell (usually known as J. Clyde Mitchell; 21 June 1918

Pietermaritzburg Pietermaritzburg (; ) is the capital and second-largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa after Durban. It was named in 1838 and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality. The town was named in Zulu after King ...

– 15 November 1995) was a British sociologist and

anthropologist An anthropologist is a scientist engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropologists study aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms, values ...

. In 1937 Mitchell helped found the

Rhodes-Livingstone Institute The Rhodes-Livingstone Institute (RLI) was the first local anthropological research facility in Africa; it was founded in 1937 under the initial directorship of Godfrey Wilson. It is located a few miles outside Lusaka. Designed to allow for easier ...

group of

social anthropologists Social anthropology is the study of patterns of behaviour in human societies and cultures. It is the dominant constituent of anthropology throughout the United Kingdom and much of Europe, where it is distinguished from cultural anthropology. In t ...

/sociologists, now a part of the University of Zambia. He was influenced by

Max Gluckman Herman Max Gluckman (; 26 January 1911 – 13 April 1975) was a South African and British social anthropologist. He is best known as the founder of the Manchester School of anthropology. Biography and major works Gluckman was born in Joha ...

and conducted important research on social network analysis at the

University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...

(see Manchester School). In the 1940s he carried out field research into social systems and social conditions in

Central Africa Central Africa (French language, French: ''Afrique centrale''; Spanish language, Spanish: ''África central''; Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''África Central'') is a subregion of the African continent comprising various countries accordin ...

(southern

Malawi Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. Malawi spans over and ...

) interviewing heads of households in villages and urban areas and observing customs. In 1952 he was on the editorial committee of the '' Northern Rhodesia Journal''. Mitchell studied network analysis and was a founding member of the

International Network for Social Network Analysis The International Network for Social Network Analysis (INSNA) is a professional learned society, academic association of researchers and practitioners of social network analysis. History INSNA was founded in 1977 by Barry Wellman, a sociologist. ...

, contributing to its ''Connections'' magazine. For a detailed story of his life refer to the following by Susan J. Smith: J. CLYDE MITCHELL James Clyde Mitchell 21 June 1918 – 15 November 1995 elected Fellow of the British Academy 1990 by SUSAN J. SMITH, Fellow of the academ

Publications

*''The Kalela dance: Aspects of social relationships among urban Africans in Northern Rhodesia'', Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1956 *''The Yao Village: a Study in the Social Structure of a Malawian Tribe'' Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1956, 1966, 1971 *''

Social Network A social network is a social structure consisting of a set of social actors (such as individuals or organizations), networks of Dyad (sociology), dyadic ties, and other Social relation, social interactions between actors. The social network per ...

s in Urban Situations: Analysis of Personal Relationships in Central African Towns'' Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1969 *''Networks, Norms & Institutions'', 1973 *''Configurational Similarity in Three Class Contexts in British Society'', in ''Sociology'', Vol. 19, 1985 *''Cities, Society, and Social Perception: A Central African Perspective'' 1987 British sociologists British women sociologists British women anthropologists 1918 births 1995 deaths Academic staff of the University of Zambia Academics of the University of Manchester Fellows of the British Academy People associated with the Rhodes-Livingstone Institute People from Pietermaritzburg 20th-century British anthropologists {{UK-sociologist-stub