Nomi Dave appointed as the Evans-Pritchard Lecturer 2026-27

Professor Nomi Dave examines sound, voice, violence, and the law.

Her interdisciplinary approach brings together anthropology, music, sound studies and legal studies.

In her 2019 book The Revolution’s Echoes: Music, Politics, and Pleasure in Guinea she explored how music can support, rather than challenge, the powers that be. The book was awarded a Special Commendation from the Royal Anthropological Institute, and the Ruth Stone Prize from the Society for Ethnomusicology.

Before entering academia, Nomi trained as a lawyer and worked for the United Nations, including time as a refugee protection officer in Guinea. Born in London and raised between the UK and the US, she earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Florida, and holds an MPhil in Social Anthropology and DPhil in Music from Oxford. She previously taught at the University of Virginia, where she founded and co-directed the Sound Justice Lab.

Nomi Dave is Associate Professor, Faculty of Music, University of Oxford.

The Evans-Pritchard Lectures 2026-27 are due to take place at All Souls College in Trinity Term 2027.