From 1982 until her untimely death in 2008, Jill Dias—a major and inspiring figure in African history and anthropology, and the importance of their disciplinary intersection—was a professor in the Department of Anthropology at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities at Universidade Nova de Lisboa. From 1996 onward, she served as Chair and coordinator of the Department, placing her in a unique position to reflect on the theoretical and methodological connections between her original training, History, and her adopted science, Anthropology. This was reflected in the creation of innovative courses under her leadership, such as Ethnohistory and, later, Postcolonial Studies, which attracted students from diverse disciplines. At the same time, she directed the Center for African and Asian Studies at the Institute for Scientific and Tropical Research, where she edited the International Journal of African Studies.
Having lived most of her life (1944-2008) in Portugal, Jill Dias retained inclinations that we usually understand as British: a love of flowers and gardening, but also a collecting spirit, which she often referred to with humor. These were characteristics that she displayed in both her personal and professional life, and which outlined a posture that was both delicate and obstinate.
Her documentary collection thus testifies to a laborious and persistent collection of documents on various topics related to her research and teaching activities, including personal notes in notebooks, index cards, and notebooks, and a rich collection of photographs and African postcards.
The documentary and visual archive was donated to NOVA FCSH in 2010 for management by CRIA – the Networked Center for Research in Anthropology. In honor of Jill Dias and based on her collection, CRIA created the Archive/Jill Rosemary Dias/JRD Laboratory, which aims to promote research that emphasizes the intersection of Anthropology, History, and special photography, but not exclusively in African contexts. Given its orientation, this laboratory has also focused on supporting museography and other cultural exhibition activities involving archives—particularly unofficial archives of various types—and photography. This has expanded its collection through materials collected during research for exhibitions.
The inventory of the JRD documentary archive can be consulted in Cadernos de Jill Dias (Inventories of an Archive), and the documents—as well as the precious photographs and other visual records, all digitized, and Jill Dias’ bibliography—are accessible on-site upon prior request to CRIA.
The inspiration that Jill Dias generously and fruitfully distributed to countless national and international students and researchers is evidenced by the tribute book “The Lessons of Jill Dias. Anthropology, History, Africa, Academia.”
CRIA Laboratory / Jill Rosemary Dias Archive
Coordinator: Maria Cardeira da Silva
Location: Colégio Almada Negreiros, sala 312, NOVA FCSH, Campus de Campolide, 1099-085 Lisboa
