The Ronald Cohen Papers date from 1950 to 1996. The papers are primarily related to his research and anthropological field work in Nigeria, focusing on the ethnography and social structures of the Nigerians living in Borno (Bornu), particularly the Kanuri and Bura-Pabir speaking peoples. The bulk of the collection consists of field notes, oral histories, grant proposals, and interviews created while conducting field research from the 1950s to the 1980s. A large number of these documents were created by Nigerians working in the field with Cohen. In particular, a majority of the oral history interviews were conducted by individuals belonging to the same clans and families as the interview informants. These interviews, along with observations about the informants and villages, were recorded in field notebooks, many of which include drawings of tools and ceremonial objects, hand-drawn maps of villages, and sketches of houses and other structures. Several of these field notebooks have been transcribed in typescript format. In addition to these important oral histories, several files in the collection contain photographs, notes, and research materials created or collected by Cohen while in Nigeria. (See the finding guide for information on the full collection, whcih includes many materials that have not been digitized.)