Meyer Fortes

Meyer Fortes
Born	(1906-04-25)25 April 1906 Britstown, Cape Colony
Died	27 January 1983(1983-01-27) (aged 76) Cambridge, England
Nationality	South African
Known for	Tallensi and Ashanti
Scientific career
Fields	anthropology
Academic advisors	Bronisław Malinowski

Anthropology
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Meyer Fortes FBA FRAI (25 April 1906 – 27 January 1983) was a South African-born anthropologist, best known for his work among the Tallensi and Ashanti in Ghana.

Originally trained in psychology, Fortes employed the notion of the "person" into his structural-functional analyses of kinship, the family, and ancestor worship setting a standard for studies on African social organization. His celebrated book, Oedipus and Job in West African Religion (1959), fused his two interests and set a standard for comparative ethnology. He also wrote extensively on issues of the first born, kingship, and divination.