James Faris (1936 – present) is an American cultural anthropologist and epistemologist who received his PhD from Cambridge University in 1966. He conducted fieldwork in the fishing settlement of Cat Harbour, Newfoundland, among the Nuba of Southeastern Kordofan in the Sudan, and among the Navajo in the American Southwest. His research specializations include cognitive anthropology, art and aesthetics, ritual, social organization and reproduction, anthropological linguistics, and visual anthropology and critical theory and representation.
The James Faris Papers, 1960-2014, primarily document his fieldwork with the Nuba peoples of Southeastern Sudan. His papers also include materials related to representation of the Nuba peoples and various controversies in visual anthropology and documentary film that related to Leni Riefenstahl and her filmmaking among the Nuba. During the 1960s Faris was drawn into activism against the Vietnam War while at the University of Connecticut and his papers contain ephemeral materials on radical anthropology and racism from that period. The collection consists of field notes, correspondence, photographs, sound recordings, films (including scripts and transcriptions), videos, book and papers drafts, and news and magazine clippings.
Scope and Contents:
The James Faris papers, 1960-2014, undated, primarily document his field research with the Nuba people in South Sudan. It also includes materials related to Leni Riefenstahl and her work with the Nuba, material regarding racism and activism at the University of Connecticut, and writings and notes. The collection consists of field notes, sound recordings, films, videos, film transcriptions and scripts, correspondence, photographs, book and paper drafts, and clippings.
Faris worked with the Nuba people in Sudan from 1966-1969 and again in the 1970s. His materials document their body art and cultural practices before the Nuba were converted to Islam in the 1980s. Over 800 photographic slides record their agriculture, rituals, dance, and personal art in addition to Faris' extensive field notes.
Arrangement:
The James Faris papers are arranged in 4 series: Series 1. Sudan, 1966-2008, undated; Series 2. Materials pertaining to Leni Riefenstahl, 1971-2008; Series 3. University of Connecticut, 1969-1992, undated; Series 4. Writings, conference files, and other materials, 1960-2014, undated.
Biographical note:
Chronology
1936 November 1 -- Born in Durango, Colorado
1958 -- B.S. in Chemistry from the University of New Mexico
1959-1960 -- Archaeological field research, New Mexico (6 months)
1962-1964, 1972 -- Ethnological field research, Newfoundland (17 months)
1965 -- Lecturer, University of Maryland (overseas)
1966 -- Ph.D. in Social Anthropology, University of Cambridge
1966 -- Assistant Professor, McGill University
1966-1969 -- Lecturer, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan
1969-1978 -- Associate Professor, University of Connecticut
1978-1979 -- Visiting Professor, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan
1978-1995 -- Professor, University of Connecticut
1983-1988 -- Ethnological field research, New Mexico/Arizona (18 months)
1990-1993 -- Ethnological field research, Greater Southwest (8 months)
1995 July 1-Present -- Emeritus Professor, University of Connecticut
James Chester Faris is an ethnographic anthropologist whose research specializations include social anthropology, social organization and production, cognitive studies, aesthetics and art, population, materialist perspectives, anthropological critique, textuality, anthropological linguistics, and photographic analysis and critique. He completed field research in Newfoundland, Sudan, New Mexico, Arizona, and the Greater Southwest.
Faris was trained at Cambridge as an anthropologist and spent the majority of his academic career teaching at the University of Connecticut. He also spent time as a lecturer and visiting professor at the University of Khartoum in Sudan. In this time he conducted his field research on the Southeast Nuba of Southern Kordofan Province.
Faris became an Emeritus Professor at the University of Connecticut in 1995 and currently lives in New Mexico.
Separated Materials:
Film, video, and related sound materials have been transferred to the Human Studies Film Archives (HSFA/NAFC), accession number 2017-004, but are described in this finding aid in Series 1.5 (Films and related materials).
Provenance:
These papers were donated to the National Anthropological Archives by James Faris in 2016.
Restrictions:
The James Faris papers are open for research.
Access to the James Faris papers requires an appointment.
Series 1. Sudan, 1966-2008 and undated, primarily documents Faris' work among the Nuba of Southeastern Sudan. Materials include field notes, correspondence, photographs, sound recordings, film, video, film transcriptions, book drafts, and reference materials.
The material pertaining to field research and sound recordings corresponds to Faris' first trip to Sudan from 1966-1969. It includes correspondence regarding trip logistics, field notes, 17 original sound recordings of music and rituals, and 1 sound recording of an audio letter to Faris. The photographs seem to also cover his time in the Sudan in the 1970s. The correspondence and reference material includes newspaper and magazine clippings, ephemera, various notes, and correspondence not directly related to his field research. The material on his films consists of transcriptions, scripts, and correspondence relating to Worlds Apart: The Southeast Nuba for the BBC and Southeast Nuba Sport and Dance. The films themselves were transferred to the Human Studies Film Archives (accession number 2017-004), but are described in this document. These include 4 film reels, 3 related sound recordings, 3 U-matic videocassettes, and 1 DVD. The files relating to his books include drafts, illustrations, and correspondence regarding Nuba Personal Art and Southeast Nuba Social Relations.
Arrangement:
This series has been arranged in 6 subseries: 1.1 Field research, 1967-1970; 1.2 Sound recordings, 1967-1968, undated; 1.3 Photographs, 1966-1980, undated; 1.4 Correspondence and reference material, 1969-2008, undated; 1.5 Films and related materials, 1968-2000, undated; 1.6 Books, 1969-1997, undated.
Collection Restrictions:
The James Faris papers are open for research.
Access to the James Faris papers requires an appointment.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Collection Citation:
James Faris papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
Digitization and preparation of sound recordings for online access has been funded through generous support from the Arcadia Fund
This series contains material primarily related to Faris' writings and conferences he attended from 1960-2014. Included are drafts, notes, and correspondence with collaborators and publishers, in addition to correspondence, planning documents, and agendas for conferences.
There are a number of files on Faris' research into color theory, a copy of a paper he wrote about his field research in Newfoundland, and articles and notes about Sudan and the Nuba. Material related to the books he wrote on the Nuba can be found in Series 1.6.
Arrangement:
Arranged in chronological order.
Collection Restrictions:
The James Faris papers are open for research.
Access to the James Faris papers requires an appointment.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Collection Citation:
James Faris papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
Digitization and preparation of sound recordings for online access has been funded through generous support from the Arcadia Fund
This series contains Faris' collection of materials related to Leni Riefenstahl. Dated from 1971-2008, materials include clippings, correspondence, and material written by Faris.
Faris' publications on the Nuba attracted Riefenstahl's attention to the Nuba people. She published two coffee table books on them with photographs of their body decorations, dance, and stick fighting. Faris argues that the popularity of her books created an influx of tourism and drew the attention of the Sudanese government, resulting in a campaign to Islamicize the Nuba. For these reasons, Faris collected materials on Riefenstahl and was a frequent commentator on her work and her legacy in various publications.
Arrangement:
Materials arranged in chronological order.
Collection Restrictions:
The James Faris papers are open for research.
Access to the James Faris papers requires an appointment.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Collection Citation:
James Faris papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
Digitization and preparation of sound recordings for online access has been funded through generous support from the Arcadia Fund
