Anthropology Department, University of Cambridge

Anthropology Department, University of Cambridge
Name	Anthropology Department, University of Cambridge
Established	19th century
Type	Department
Parent	University of Cambridge
City	Cambridge
Country	United Kingdom

Anthropology Department, University of Cambridge

The Anthropology Department at the University of Cambridge is an academic unit within the University of Cambridge with a long-standing role in anthropological teaching and research linked to figures from the 19th century Victorian scholarly expansion through to contemporary global projects. The department engages with comparative fieldwork traditions associated with institutions like the British Museum, collaborations with funding bodies such as the Wellcome Trust, and partnerships with research consortia including the Leverhulme Trust.

History

The department traces intellectual roots to the era of the Cambridge Camden Society and the expansion of ethnographic study alongside collectors and explorers tied to the British Empire and the Royal Geographical Society. Early Cambridge anthropological inquiry intersected with personalities connected to the Royal Society and debates in the wake of works by Charles Darwin and engagements with the X Club. During the 20th century, the department was shaped by scholars who participated in networks including the London School of Economics and institutions such as the School of Oriental and African Studies. Postwar realignments saw ties to projects funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and collaborative fieldwork with partners in regions affected by the Suez Crisis and decolonization movements. In recent decades, the department has hosted visiting academics from the University of Chicago, Harvard University, and the Max Planck Society, contributing to dialogues on kinship, material culture, and medical anthropology within forums like the Royal Anthropological Institute.

Academic Programs

The department offers undergraduate and postgraduate pathways that interface with colleges of the University of Cambridge and awards governed by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education. Undergraduate tripos options link to papers drawing on archives of the Bodleian Library, ethnographies taught alongside readings from authors affiliated with the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences and works published by presses such as Cambridge University Press. Postgraduate research degrees include MPhil and PhD programmes with supervision from academics connected to grants from the Arts and Humanities Research Council and fellowship schemes like the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions. Professional development and short courses attract fellows from institutions like the Wellcome Collection and visiting scholars from the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology.

Research and Centres

Research themes span socio-cultural analysis, biological anthropology, archaeology-adjacent studies, and medical anthropology connected to partnerships with the National Health Service and cohorts funded through the European Research Council. The department houses or collaborates with centres that convene projects on kinship and materiality in dialogue with the British Academy and convenes seminars featuring contributors from the Smithsonian Institution, Princeton University, and the University of Cape Town. Research networks include multidisciplinary teams examining topics resonant with initiatives at the Wellcome Trust and collaborative field sites with institutions such as the American Museum of Natural History and the Australian National University.

Faculty and Staff

Faculty appointments have historically included scholars whose careers intersected with appointments at the London School of Economics, visiting chairs from the University of Oxford, and fellows of the British Academy. Staff profiles encompass academics engaged with editorial boards of journals produced by publishers like Oxford University Press and authors who have presented at conferences hosted by the European Association of Social Anthropologists. Professional services staff liaise with the Colleges of the University of Cambridge and administrative offices linked to the Cambridge University Hospitals when research involves clinical collaborations. The department frequently hosts visiting researchers from institutions including Yale University, Stanford University, and the University of Toronto.

Facilities and Collections

Collections and facilities available to students and researchers connect to Cambridge-wide resources such as the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, the Fitzwilliam Museum, and archives in the Cambridge University Library. Ethnographic and osteological materials are curated in partnership with curators formerly associated with the British Museum and researchers who have contributed to catalogues at the Natural History Museum, London. Laboratory spaces support bioanthropological analysis alongside equipment shared with units collaborating with the Medical Research Council. Fieldwork support services coordinate logistics with external repositories, including exchanges with the National Museum of Natural History and cataloguing projects linked to the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Student Life and Associations

Students engage in collegiate life within the University of Cambridge system and participate in undergraduate and postgraduate societies that host lectures featuring speakers from institutions like the Royal Anthropological Institute, the Institute of Development Studies, and the Overseas Development Institute. Student associations organize fieldwork training, language courses, and reading groups drawing on materials from publishers such as Routledge and include networks that liaise with alumni based at organizations like the British Council and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Extracurricular activities often bring collaborations with student branches of the Society for Applied Anthropology and links to graduate unions represented within the Cambridge University Students' Union.

Category:University of Cambridge