John Ryle (writer)
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John Rowland Ryle
OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
is a British writer, anthropologist, social activist, filmmaker, teacher and publisher, with an interest in the history and culture of
Eastern Africa East Africa, also known as Eastern Africa or the East of Africa, is a region at the eastern edge of the Africa, African continent, distinguished by its unique geographical, historical, and cultural landscape. Defined in varying scopes, the regi ...
.Ascherson, N. (2 August 2012
"How It Felt to Be There"
''London Review of Books''.
He is co-founder of the
Rift Valley Institute The Rift Valley Institute (RVI) is an independent, non-profit research and training organisation working with communities and institutions in Eastern Africa, including Sudan, South Sudan, the Horn of Africa, and the Great Lakes region. Establish ...
, an
Legrand Ramsey Professor
of Anthropology at
Bard College Bard College is a private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. The campus overlooks the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains within the Hudson River Historic District ...
,
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
.


Background

His father, John Creagh Ryle, a medical doctor and
alpinist Alpine climbing () is a type of mountaineering that uses any of a broad range of advanced climbing skills, including rock climbing, ice climbing, and/or mixed climbing, to summit typically large routes (e.g. multi-pitch or big wall) in an alpi ...
, was a
general practitioner A general practitioner (GP) is a doctor who is a Consultant (medicine), consultant in general practice. GPs have distinct expertise and experience in providing whole person medical care, whilst managing the complexity, uncertainty and risk ass ...
in
Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is sited on the River Severn, northwest of Wolverhampton, west of Telford, southeast of Wrexham and north of Hereford. At the 2021 United ...
, Shropshire, where Ryle was born. His mother, Melody Ryle, née Jackson, was a stalwart of the local
Family Planning Family planning is the consideration of the number of children a person wishes to have, including the choice to have no children, and the age at which they wish to have them. Things that may play a role on family planning decisions include marit ...
Association and a noted amateur
botanist Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...
and gardener. Ryle is a grandson of the pioneer of
social medicine Social medicine is an interdisciplinary field that focuses on the profound interplay between socio-economic factors and individual health outcomes. Rooted in the challenges of the Industrial Revolution, it seeks to: # Understand how specific soci ...
John Alfred Ryle John Alfred Ryle (1889–1950) was a British physician and epidemiologist. He was born the son of Brighton medical doctor R J Ryle and brother of the Oxford philosopher Gilbert Ryle. He was educated at Brighton College and Guy's Hospital where ...
, a nephew of the
astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. Astronomers observe astronomical objects, such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, galax ...
Sir Martin Ryle, a great-nephew of the
philosopher Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...
Gilbert Ryle Gilbert Ryle (19 August 1900 – 6 October 1976) was a British philosopher, principally known for his critique of Cartesian dualism, for which he coined the phrase " ghost in the machine". Some of Ryle's ideas in philosophy of mind have been ca ...
, and a great-great grandson of
John Charles Ryle John Charles Ryle (10 May 1816 – 10 June 1900) was an English evangelical Anglican bishop. He was the first Anglican bishop of Liverpool. Life He was the eldest son of John Ryle, private banker, of Park House, Macclesfield, M.P. for Maccles ...
, evangelical
Bishop of Liverpool The Bishop of Liverpool is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Liverpool in the Province of York.''Crockford's Clerical Directory'', 100th edition, (2007), Church House Publishing. . The diocese stretches from Southport in the n ...
in the last decades of the nineteenth century.


Life and work

Ryle was educated at
Shrewsbury School Shrewsbury School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Shrewsbury. Founded in 1552 by Edward VI by royal charter, to replace the town's Saxon collegiate foundations which were disestablished in the sixteenth century, Shrewsb ...
and
Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...
, where he graduated in English Language and Literature. He pursued postgraduate studies in social anthropology, conducting fieldwork among the Agar
Dinka The Dinka people () are a Nilotic ethnic group native to South Sudan. The Dinka mostly live along the Nile, from Mangalla-Bor to Renk, in the region of Bahr el Ghazal, Upper Nile (two out of three provinces that were formerly part of southern ...
communities in today's
South Sudan South Sudan (), officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered on the north by Sudan; on the east by Ethiopia; on the south by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Kenya; and on the ...
. In 1975 he became an assistant editor a
''The Times Literary Supplement''
During the printers' strike at Times Newspapers, he founded, with
Richard Boston Richard Boston (29 December 1938 – 22 December 2006) was an English journalist and author, a rigorous dissenter and a belligerent pacifist. An Anarchism, anarchist, toper, raconteur, marathon runner and practical joker, he described his past ...
, the acclaimed but short-lived periodical ''Quarto'' (1978–1981). From 1982 to 1986 he worked for the ''
Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...
'' in London as Deputy Literary Editor and, subsequently, as a feature writer. He has written for the ''
London Review of Books The ''London Review of Books'' (''LRB'') is a British literary magazine published bimonthly that features articles and essays on fiction and non-fiction subjects, which are usually structured as book reviews. History The ''London Review of Book ...
'', the ''
New York Review of Books New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...
'', the ''
New Yorker New Yorker may refer to: * A resident of New York: ** A resident of New York City and its suburbs *** List of people from New York City ** A resident of the New York (state), State of New York *** Demographics of New York (state) * ''The New Yor ...
'', th
''Los Angeles Times''
and various scholarly periodicals, and is a contributing editor of ''
Granta ''Granta'' is a literary magazine and publisher in the United Kingdom whose mission centres on its "belief in the power and urgency of the story, both in fiction and non-fiction, and the story's supreme ability to describe, illuminate and make ...
''. Ryle also worked as a doorman at th
Embassy Club
in Bond Street, London, as a
roustabout Roustabout (Australia/New Zealand English: rouseabout) is an occupational term. Traditionally, it referred to a worker with broad-based, non-specific skills. In particular, it was used to describe show or circus workers who put up tents and boo ...
for the Royal American Shows and the
Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...
, as ghost-writer of
Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English musician. He is known as the lead singer and one of the founder members of The Rolling Stones. Jagger has co-written most of the band's songs with lead guitarist Keith Richards; Jagge ...
's unpublished autobiography,Rolling Stone (26 May 1983)
"Ghosting the story of Mick Jagger"
''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
''.
Hind, J. (13 September 1997)
"Start me up... again"
''The Independent''.
and as a
travel writer The genre of travel literature or travelogue encompasses outdoor literature, guide books, nature writing, and travel memoirs. History Early examples of travel literature include the '' Periplus of the Erythraean Sea'' (generally considered ...
. In the late 1980s, Ryle was a project officer at the
Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a $25,000 (about $550,000 in 2023) gift from Edsel Ford. ...
in Brazil and lived in an Afro-Brazilian community in
Salvador da Bahia Salvador, meaning "salvation" (or "saviour") in Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese may refer to: * Salvador (name) Arts, entertainment, and media Music *Salvador (band), a Christian band that plays both English and Spanish music ** ''Salvador'' ( ...
. In the 1990s, he worked as a consultant to
relief Relief is a sculpture, sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give ...
and development organisations in
Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...
and the
Horn of Africa The Horn of Africa (HoA), also known as the Somali Peninsula, is a large peninsula and geopolitical region in East Africa.Robert Stock, ''Africa South of the Sahara, Second Edition: A Geographical Interpretation'', (The Guilford Press; 2004), ...
, including
Save the Children Fund The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, is an international non-governmental organization. It was founded in the UK in 1919; its goal is to improve the lives of children worldwide. The organization raises money to imp ...
(UK). His weekly newspaper column
"City of Words"
appeared in ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' from 1995 to 1999. From 1996 to 1997, he was a research fellow of
Nuffield College, Oxford Nuffield College () is one of the Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is a graduate college specialising in the social sciences, particularly economics, politics and sociology. N ...
. In the 1990s he became an activist in the
International Campaign to Ban Landmines The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) is a coalition of non-governmental organizations whose objective is a world free of anti-personnel mines and cluster munitions, where mine and cluster munitions survivors see their rights res ...
. From 2001 to 2017, Ryle was successively chair and executive director of the
Rift Valley Institute The Rift Valley Institute (RVI) is an independent, non-profit research and training organisation working with communities and institutions in Eastern Africa, including Sudan, South Sudan, the Horn of Africa, and the Great Lakes region. Establish ...
, a research and public information organisation operating in Eastern Africa that he founded wit
Jok Madut Jok
an
Philip Winter
He was a member of th
International Eminent Persons Group
reporting on slavery and abduction in Sudan.Skinner, E. B. (2008
''A Crime So Monstrous: Face-to-Face with Modern-Day Slavery''
Free Press.
Since 2007, he has bee
Legrand Ramsey Professor
of Anthropology at
Bard College Bard College is a private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. The campus overlooks the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains within the Hudson River Historic District ...
, a liberal arts college in New York state. He has been a board member of th
Human Rights Watch Africa Divisionthe Media Development Investment Fund
and the scholarly journal ''
African Affairs ''African Affairs'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal published quarterly by Oxford University Press on behalf of the London-based Royal African Society. The journal covers any Africa-related topic: political, social, economic, environmental a ...
''. In 2022 he established a publishing company
City of Words
concentrating on works of reportage, life-writing and general non-fiction. Ryle was appointed an
Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
(OBE) in the Queen'
2021 Birthday Honours
for services to research and education in Sudan, South Sudan and the Horn of Africa.


Selected bibliography


Books

*
''Warriors of the White Nile: the Dinka''
(Time-Life Books, 1982) with Sarah Errington


Technical reports and academic research


''Local Peace Processes in Sudan: A Baseline Study''
(2006), with Mark Bradbury, Kwesi Sansculotte-Greenidge, Michael Medley
''Register of Persons Abducted from Northern Bahr-el-Ghazal, Sudan, 1983–2002''
(2004/2005), with Jok Madut Jok, Fergus Boyle, Brown Kanyangi Budambula

(2002) * ttp://www.swrtc.ca/docs/oil%20Investigation.pdf ''Report of an Investigation into Oil Development, Conflict and Displacement in Western Upper Nile, Sudan''(2001), with Georgette Gagnon


Essays, reporting and other contributions


"Remembering Paul Robeson"
(2018), ''The New York Review of Books''
"The Nuba"
(2008), ''Granta'', with
Jack Picone Jack V. Picone (born 1958) is an Australian-born documentary photographer, photojournalist, author, festival/collective founder, tutor and academic. He specialises in social-documentary photography. Picone's coverage of war zones and social iss ...

"The Many Voices of Africa"
(2006), ''Granta''
"Disaster in Darfur"
(2004), ''The New York Review of Books''
"Translating Caetano"
(2002) ''Granta''
"At Play in the Bush of Ghosts: Tropical baroque, African reality and the writings of Ryszard Kapuscinski"
(2001), ''The Times Literary Supplement''
"Burying the Emperor"
(2001), ''Granta''
"Children at War"
(2000), ''The New York Review of Books''
"The Hazards of Reporting Complex Emergencies in Africa"
(2000), ''Transnational Law & Contemporary Problems''
"Children in Arms"
(1999), ''The New York Review of Books''
"Zero Grazing"
(1992), ''London Review of Books''
"The Road to Abyei"
(1992), ''Worst journeys: The Picador book of travel''
"Kiss and tell"
(1990), ''London Review of Books''
"Miracles of the people: attitudes to Catholicism in an Afro-Brazilian religious centre in Salvador da Bahia"
(1988),
Vernacular Christianity: essays in the social anthropology of religion presented to Godfrey Lienhardt
'



Translations



(2003) * Caetano Veloso: Noites do Norte (2001)


Film and video

*
The Price of Survival

(1994)
Bright Star Productions (cameraman & co-director, with Bapiny Tim Chol) *
Witchcraft among the Azande

(1982)
Granada TV Disappearing World (anthropologist)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryle, John 1952 births Living people Alumni of the University of Oxford Bard College faculty English anthropologists English newspaper editors English travel writers The New York Review of Books people Officers of the Order of the British Empire Writers from Shrewsbury People educated at Shrewsbury School