Origins & Early Life

Richard Borshay Lee OC FRSC (born 20 September 1937) is a Canadian anthropologist and University Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at the University of Toronto, where he also holds a cross-appointment in the Human Biology Program and a Senior Fellowship at New College. He is internationally recognised for his pioneering long-term fieldwork among the Ju/'hoansi (also known as the !Kung San), a hunter-gatherer people of the Kalahari Desert in Botswana and Namibia, conducted over more than five decades beginning in 1963. Lee is best known for his book The !Kung San: Men, Women and Work in a Foraging Society (1979), which won the 1980 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award and the 1980 Herskovits Award of the African Studies Association. With Irven DeVore, he co-organised the landmark 1966 "Man the Hunter" symposium at the University of Chicago, the proceedings of which became one of the most cited volumes in hunter-gatherer studies.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

His quantitative data on Ju/'hoansi subsistence contributed centrally to Marshall Sahlins's influential formulation of the "original affluent society" thesis. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, a Foreign Associate of the US National Academy of Sciences (elected...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Alain Badiou — Contemporary (Born in 1937) (1937): Influential French philosopher known for 'Being and Event' and universalism.
• Aleksandr Medved — Contemporary (Born in 1937) (1937): Legendary Soviet/Belarussian freestyle wrestler, celebrated for Olympic dominance.
• Andrew Mellon — Contemporary (Died in 1937) (1937): American banker, industrialist, and politician who served as Secretary of the Treasury.
• Ahmad ibn Tulun — Shared historical date (09-20 · Born) (835): Founder of the Tulunid dynasty, ruling Egypt and Syria from 868 to 905.
• Annie Besant — Shared historical date (09-20 · Died) (1933): Activist, writer, and Theosophist championing social reform and self-rule.
• Anthony Hopkins — Historical peer (Born in 1937) (1937): Esteemed Welsh actor celebrated for powerful stage and screen performances.
• Antonio Gramsci — Historical peer (Died in 1937) (1937): Italian Marxist philosopher known for his theory of cultural hegemony.
• Abd el-Krim — Historical peer (Died in 1963) (1963): Moroccan revolutionary leader who spearheaded the revolt against French and Spanish Protectorates.
• Alan Brooke, 1st Viscount Alanbrooke — Historical peer (Died in 1963) (1963): British Field Marshal and Chief of the Imperial General Staff during WWII.
• A. Philip Randolph — Historical peer (Died in 1979) (1979): Pioneer labor unionist and civil rights activist who fought for racial equality.
• 1937 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1937
• September 20 (09-20) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on September 20