Social-Cultural Anthropology

What is social-cultural anthropology?

Social-cultural anthropology studies the diversity of human societies in time and space, while looking for commonalities across them. It uses a holistic strategy—linking local and global, past and present—to offer various approaches to understanding contemporary challenges.

Our department represents a rich discipline engaged in and contributing to issues of significance in diverse human societies.

Courses in our department are organized to provide you with key concepts and methods of the field while addressing contemporary issues relevant within the United States and abroad.

Areas of research

Members of our faculty are curious about the interaction between contemporary societies and their environments. They examine social processes of exchange and value, globalization, gender, kinship, and ethnicity. They study migration and transnational movements, nationalism and identity, religious practice, ritual, and celebration. They consider the visual and performing arts, tourism, health, foodways, the interactive practice of ethnography, and the links between academic and applied work.