In Memoriam: Sabine Luning
Last Thursday, March 6, Sabine Luning passed away after an illness of more than six months. Sabine was an inspiring teacher who enthused generations of anthropology students with both the theoretical side of social science and the practice of intensive fieldwork. As a researcher, she produced innovative analyses of the relationships between ritual and politics and studied the often-devastating impact of gold mining on local societies in West Africa, as well as the multifaceted ways in which individuals and communities related to this.
Sabine studied and worked at Leiden University for almost her entire career. After beginning her studies in Cultural Anthropology at the university in 1977, she quickly became a student assistant and immersed herself in the structuralist approach prevalent in Leiden at the time.
After graduating, she worked for several years for the Dutch government as a Directorate-General for International Cooperation (DGIS) development worker in Burkina Faso. In 1991, she returned to Leiden to work as a PhD student at the Research School of Asian, African and Amerindian Studies (CNWS). Her PhD research took a sensational turn. Sabine intended to study the rituals of a traditional kingdom in Burkina Faso, including rituals of succession for the old king who had ruled for decades and died in the fourth year of Sabine's research.
At first, this proceeded like a traditional ethnography, until the new king was killed in a car accident a few weeks after his inauguration. The accident opened all kinds of political and social wounds that had remained unaddressed until then and could only be understood with in-depth knowledge of local rituals such as Sabine possessed. She would go on to incorporate this accident and its fallout in her dissertation, entitled 'Het binnenhalen van de oogst' (later translated into French). It proved to be a masterpiece of ethnography on which she graduated cum laude.
After her PhD, Sabine spent a decade building university graduate programmes, notably for the CNWS Research School and the Africa Study Centre Leiden. During that period, she diligently coached dozens of PhD students and Research Master students.
In 2007, Sabine took a position at the Institute of Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology, the place where she had once started as a student. She worked there until her passing, first as Assistant Professor and later as an Associate Professor and Graduate Mentor. During this time, Sabine made a lasting impression on students and colleagues alike. Anthropology students chose her many times as ‘lecturer-of-the-year’ and for her colleagues it was always a pleasure to teach with her. Sabine generously shared her knowledge and insights, she was never pedantic, and she always remained very humble.
A similar generosity characterised Sabine as a researcher. She would gladly involve colleagues old and new in the research projects she set up on the impacts of gold mining, giving everyone room to bring in their own expertise. She was also tireless in setting up new partnerships, both within and (far) outside Leiden University. She was never concerned with institution building; rather, she was driven by concern for the vulnerability of the people with whom she did research, care for individual students and colleagues, and the content of societal debates.
An incredibly dear friend and inspiring colleague has passed away far too soon. We will miss her, but her inspiration will remain with us.
The farewell service for Sabine Luning will take place on March 14, 2025, at 15:15 in the Jan Steen auditorium of the Rhijnhof crematorium, Laan te Rhijnhof 10, Leiden. All are welcome to attend.
Scan this code for a link to the livestream of the service.
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Jan Jansen, on behalf of the Institute for Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology.