sources). Vansina’s methods were his reaction to his understanding of European historical practices in the 1950s, while his critics’ responses were a result of their understanding of African oral practices in the 1970s and 1980s. If Vansina revolutionized his own field with the publication of De la Tradition then he has generated noticeable contributions to other fields. Social anthropology, Orale, once a decidedly contemporary in its research, now utilizes history to a far greater degree. Vansina’s use of Malcolm Guthrie’s four-volume lexicon of as a Comparative Bantu guide for as well as his use of linguistic reconstruction via Paths in the Rainforests, and things” in reveal the viability of linguistics in How Societies are Born, “words historical study. Vansina will always be recognized for his groundbreaking work in methodology, but he has always been, at heart, a theorist who conducted primary research and who reached for a larger audience beyond the ivory tower. Antecedents to Modern Rwanda and are narrative in their approach and designed to be accessible to Being Colonized students and laymen alike. Much like Vansina targeted Antecedents to Modern Rwanda, his early works, specifically to the Les tribus Ba-Kuba et les peuplades apparentées, African academy. Vansina’s later works also show an active self-critique: his theories take a far less positivist stance and recognize the flaws of the liberal school while maintaining his belief in the value of oral traditions as historical sources and the power of a multidisciplinary approach to African history. In addition to his passion for research, Vansina was also a dedicated professor of history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Vansina has also held positions at Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, University of Paris, and Lovanium
sources). Vansina’s methods were his reaction to his understanding of European historical practices in the 1950s, while his critics’ responses were a result of their understanding of African oral practices in the 1970s and 1980s. If Vansina revolutionized his own field with the publication of De la Tradition Orale, then he has generated noticeable contributions to other fields. Social anthropology, once a decidedly contemporary in its research, now utilizes history to a far greater degree. Vansina’s use of Malcolm Guthrie’s four-volume lexicon of Comparative Bantu as a guide for Paths in the Rainforests, as well as his use of linguistic reconstruction via “words and things” in How Societies are Born, reveal the viability of linguistics in historical study. Vansina will always be recognized for his groundbreaking work in methodology, but he has always been, at heart, a theorist who conducted primary research and who reached for a larger audience beyond the ivory tower. Antecedents to Modern Rwanda and Being Colonized are narrative in their approach and designed to be accessible to students and laymen alike. Much like Antecedents to Modern Rwanda, Vansina targeted his early works, specifically Les tribus Ba-Kuba et les peuplades apparentées, to the African academy. Vansina’s later works also show an active self-critique: his theories take a far less positivist stance and recognize the flaws of the liberal school while maintaining his belief in the value of oral traditions as historical sources and the power of a multidisciplinary approach to African history. In addition to his passion for research, Vansina was also a dedicated professor of history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Vansina has also held positions at Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, University of Paris, and Lovanium
JAN_VANSINA.docx