1902 – 1973
Cyril Daryll Forde (1902–1973) was a British social anthropologist and a foundational figure in African studies. He served as Professor of Anthropology at University College London and as Director of the International African Institute, where he advanced the systematic study of African societies, cultures, and knowledge systems. His edited volumes brought African and Africa-focused scholarship into wider academic circulation.
Founded and directed the International African Institute, institutionalizing African studies in Britain
Edited African Worlds (1954), a landmark collection of African cosmologies and belief systems
Authored Habitat, Economy and Society (1934), a comparative study of human ecological adaptation
Pioneered ethnographic documentation of West African peoples, including the Yako of Nigeria
Advanced the mediation of African indigenous knowledge within European academic institutions