Department of Anthropology

Anthropology is the study of the rich and diverse societies and cultures that contribute to a global world. Its focus on both sameness and difference links it to those branches of philosophy that analyse what it is to be human. The view from Anthropology is that human beings interpret a material world through their social relations, and through their capacity to think imaginatively - to see the world in different ways.

Comparative studies in society and culture, the familiar and the strange, reveal the way in which different groups - from local communities to nations states - define themselves and influence others. The subject stands at the crossroads of social science and the humanities. Anthropology shares much of its theory and method with Sociology and Cultural Studies, but remains distinct in its emphasis on fieldwork and comparison.

Anthropology allows students to adopt discerning views on major issues in the world today. Once a study of small-scale societies, Anthropology now involves mainly the analysis of modern nation states and trans-national relations. This includes diverse ethnic and religious conflicts, gender relations in cultural context, migration, globalisation, and the importance of indigenous peoples in national and international politics.