News

We are delighted that Cambridge has been ranked top position for Anthropology and Archaeology again in the Guardian University Guide 2024, the second year in a row.  Social Anthropology is studied as part of the Human, Social and Political Sciences degree at the University of Cambridge.  The Guardian's latest guide compliments a list of other excel…

By Dr Ignacia ArteagaFor the last four years, I have been working on an anthropological study that explores the practices and views of scientists and health professionals developing early detection methods, and the lived experiences of research volunteers. Observing the real-life impact of early cancer detection studies is invaluable to better unde…

The Digital Lab is a digital engagement project that seeks to increase the visibility and accessibility of the world cultures collections at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (MAA) in Cambridge. It recognises that digital platforms and methodologies can support reaching new audiences, diversifying voices, and incorporating decolonial pract…

From 13 April to 25 May the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (MAA) hosted Enotie Ogbebor as an Artist in Residence on the Creative Europe funded Taking Care project. Enotie is a long-time friend of the Museum, having worked closely with the University through the Benin Dialogue Group towards the return of looted artefacts from Benin City to N…

The Open Encyclopedia of Anthropology (OEA) was officially launched in January 2023. The Anthropology Department of the University of Cambridge had initially developed this online open-access resource as the Cambridge Encyclopedia of Anthropology, growing its audience to over half a million readers and attracting world class authors and reviewers f…

Economy and Environment in Post-Mining Mongolia and the Future of Mongolian StudiesAfter a lengthy Covid-19 hiatus, the Mongolia and Inner Asia Studies Unit (MIASU) resumed its public engagement activities by launching the inaugural Cambridge Mongolia Forum (CMF) on 15-16 December 2022. Convened by Professor Uradyn E. Bulag and co-sponsored by the …

Contemporary art from JapanKaori Yoshikawa | Makoto Morimura | Marie Nohara | Shin Ikeda | sonsengocchabacco | So Shimada | Hajime WadaArtworks often afford glimpses into the inner worlds of others: the forms and textures that populate artists’ minds. While some of the artists in this show describe their creative process as an imperfect replication…

We were sad to learn of the death of Susan Drucker Brown, who died peacefully in her sleep at the Arthur Rank Hospice in Cherry Hinton, Cambridge in the morning of May 1, 2023.  Susan Drucker Brown was a familiar face at our Senior Research Seminar, and it was lovely to see here there just a few weeks ago. Dr. Susan Drucker Brown received a doctora…

COLOUR: Art, Science & Power has been extended until 23 April. FREE ADMISSION.  Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology, University of Cambridge. Tuesday - Friday 10 am - 5pm; Sunday 12pm - 5pmClick here to explore the virtual tourhttps://www.museums.cam.ac.uk/story/colour-art-science-and-power/

Philomathia 5th Annual Symposium is convened by five Philomathia Fellows in the Philomathia Research Programme, School of Social Sciences at the University of CambridgeThe Department of Social Anthropology is delighted to announce the details for the Philomathia 5th Annual Symposium on April 27th in Cambridge. Two of the Philomathia Fellows are Soc…

The Department of Social Anthropology is delighted to hear that alumna Dr Gillian Tett will be returning to Cambridge in October of this year. Currently chair of the editorial board and editor-at-large, US, of the Financial Times, Gillian Tett has been elected as the next Provost of King’s College. She is a social anthropologist by training; her Ph…

Anthropology at times overlooks immorality in its study of ethics, privileging ‘the good’ and people’s positive practices of self-cultivation. This elision reflects a broader disciplinary tendency towards viewing social life as inherently positive or benign. Edited by Tom Powell Davies and Corinna Howland, this special issue of L’Homme reenvisages …

Showcase your Fieldwork PhotographsPostgraduates in Social Anthropology are invited to enter this year’s Postgraduate Photographic Competition to have their work displayed in the Department and on the Department’s website and to have the chance to win a Blackwells book voucher (First Prize £75, Second Prize £50 and Third Prize £25).   Photos will b…

Anita Herle and Jude Philip have won the Frank Broeze Memorial Maritime History Book Prize for their book Recording Kastom: Alfred Haddon’s Journals from the Torres Strait and New Guinea, 1888 – 1898.  The award was presented on behalf of the Australian National Maritime Museum and the Australian Association for Maritime History.   The judges noted…

Cancer Research UK launched a new MOOC (massive open online course) on 17 January. Different approaches to risk and its communication form the subject of this new, bitesize online course, which is aimed at helping early career researchers to define and communicate the idea of cancer risk across disciplinary boundaries.   The course has been written…