Department of Anthropology at Columbia University

Department of Anthropology at Columbia University
Name	Department of Anthropology, Columbia University
Established	1890s
Type	Academic department
Parent institution	Columbia University
Location	New York City, New York
Website	(Columbia University)

Department of Anthropology at Columbia University is a major academic unit within Columbia University located in New York City, known for historical strengths in cultural, social, and linguistic anthropology and for influential figures who shaped American anthropology. The department has maintained close connections with institutions such as the American Museum of Natural History, the Social Science Research Council, and the Royal Anthropological Institute, contributing to debates involving scholars from Harvard University, University of Chicago, and University of California, Berkeley.

History

Columbia's anthropology faculty trace intellectual lineages to individuals associated with the American Antiquarian Society, the Smithsonian Institution, and the British Museum, intersecting with expeditions sponsored by the Peabody Museum and the Carnegie Institution. Early faculty corresponded with scholars at Oxford University, Cambridge University, University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Michigan while engaging with colonial-era fieldwork in regions like Africa, Mesoamerica, and Polynesia alongside missions organized by the Royal Geographical Society. Throughout the twentieth century the department interacted with leaders from the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration, wartime projects connected to the Office of Strategic Services, and postwar international institutions such as the United Nations and the World Health Organization.

Academic Programs

The department offers graduate and undergraduate curricula aligned with programs at Columbia College, Barnard College, and the School of General Studies, and coordinates joint degrees with the Teachers College, the Mailman School of Public Health, and the School of International and Public Affairs. Coursework connects to seminars drawing on texts associated with scholars at Princeton University, Yale University, Brown University, and Cornell University and includes training for fieldwork comparable to programs at the London School of Economics, the University of Cambridge, and Leiden University. Graduate students pursue research supported by fellowships from the National Science Foundation, the Guggenheim Foundation, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Research and Fieldwork

Faculty and students conduct ethnographic and archaeological research in collaboration with partners such as the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, and the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Field projects have taken place in locales including Peru, Ethiopia, Japan, India, Turkey, Mexico, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, and Siberia, often in coordination with the National Museum of Anthropology (Mexico), the Museo Nacional de Antropología, and regional universities like the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Research agendas intersect with funding and policy actors including the Ford Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the World Bank.

Faculty and Notable Scholars

The department's roster has included scholars associated with major intellectual movements and institutions such as the American Anthropological Association, the Royal Anthropological Institute, and the National Academy of Sciences. Faculty have been recognized by awards from the MacArthur Foundation, the Pulitzer Prize (in related interdisciplinary work), and election to the British Academy, while maintaining collaborations with theorists at The New School, Columbia Law School, and the Graduate Institute Geneva. Visiting professors and alumni have held chairs at University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, University of Chicago, and London School of Economics.

Facilities and Collections

The department draws on material culture, archives, and collections housed in neighboring repositories such as the American Museum of Natural History, the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, the New-York Historical Society, and the Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Columbia University Libraries. Laboratories and centers collaborate with the Zoological Society of London and the American Institute of Indian Studies for conservation, osteology, and digital archives. Archeological curation has been coordinated with institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Field Museum.

Alumni and Impact

Graduates have taken positions at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the World Health Organization, the International Criminal Court, and universities such as Harvard University, Stanford University, Duke University, New York University, Rutgers University, and Brown University. Alumni have influenced public policy and cultural institutions including the Smithsonian Institution, the Museum of Modern Art, and the National Gallery of Art, and have received fellowships from the Rhodes Trust, the Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission, and the Fulbright Program.

Affiliations and Collaborations

Formal and informal partnerships include the American Museum of Natural History, the Social Science Research Council, the American Anthropological Association, the Max Planck Society, and international universities such as Universidad de Buenos Aires, University of Tokyo, Peking University, Australian National University, and National University of Singapore. Collaborative projects have engaged agencies like the United States Agency for International Development, the European Research Council, and philanthropic entities including the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Category:Columbia University Category:Anthropology departments