British social anthropologist. M.Phil. at the University of Cambridge, under Edmund Leach. Ph.D. under Raymond Firth at London School of Economics, 1973 (published as Metamorphosis of the cassowaries: Umeda society, language and ritual, 1975). Fieldwork among the Umeda of Papua New Guinea (1969 and later) and Muria Gonds of India (1977-78 and later). Has written influential works on ritual, language, symbolism, time, art and technology.

To browse texts on AnthroBase dealing with Alfred Gell, see:
http://www.anthrobase.com/Browse/Cit/G/alfred_gell.htm