Papers of James Clyde Mitchell

The collection contains papers relating to the administration of the Rhodes-Livingstone Institute (correspondence, minutes of meetings, etc.); field notes and research papers on surveys carried out by the Rhodes-Livingstone Institute; and field notes and working papers on research amongst the Yao people in Nyasaland.

James Clyde Mitchell (1918-1995) was born in Pietermaritzburg, Natal. He was educated in Africa at the Boys' High School in Durban, Natal University College, and the University of Cape Town, and in England at the University of Oxford.

After working for the South African Civil Service (1936-1942), and serving with the African Air Force (1942-1945), Mitchell began working for the Rhodes-Livingstone Institute in Northern Rhodesia. He worked for the Institute for the next 10 years as Assistant Anthropologist (1945-1950), Senior Sociologist (1950-1952) and Director (1952-1955).

In 1955 Mitchell joined the staff of the University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland in Salisbury where he held the posts of Professor of African Studies (1955-1964), Vice-Principal (1961-1962) and Professor of Sociology (1964-1965). In 1966 he was appointed Professor of Urban Sociology at the University of Manchester (1966-1973).

Mitchell was a Simon Research Fellow at the University of Manchester (1953), a Fellow at the Center of Advanced Study in the Behavioural Sciences in Palo Alto (1969-1970), and an Official Fellow, later Emeritus Fellow, of Nuffield College, Oxford (1973-1995).

Bodleian reader's ticket required.

Collection level description created by Marion Lowman, Bodleian Library of Commonwealth and African Studies at Rhodes House.

The library holds a card index of all manuscript collections in its reading room and a handlist is also available for this collection.

No reproduction or publication of personal papers without permission. Contact the library in the first instance.