Schism and continuity in an African society

This seminal anthropological work examines the village life of the Ndembu people of Zambia during the British colonial period.

Turner analyzes seven social dramas occurring within a single family over twenty years, demonstrating how matrilineal kinship systems and inherited headmanship created periodic crises that revealed contradictions in social principles.

The book pioneered the 'social drama' technique, which analyzes social conflicts over time to understand the fundamental principles governing community life.