Congratulations Class of '22!  Welcome, Class of '26!  With summer upon us, the Department of Anthropology honors our recent graduates for their academic achievements, and extends a hearty welcome to freshman and transfer juniors who are joining us. With each yearly cycle we recharge our batteries with the energy that our students bring to our classrooms.

These are uncertain times, with war, a pandemic, economic turbulence and tectonic shifts in the legal landscape of the United States challenging our assumptions about ourselves and the societies we live in.  As anthropologists we strive in our research and teaching to shed light on these political, economic and cultural changes, to understand what is happening today in the context of a very long human history, and to empower our students and fellow citizens to participate fully in shaping our collective future. 

We have returned to the classroom, restarting the conversations and regaining the community that only happens when we come together in person. This summer many of our faculty and students are conducting field research that was made impossible by the coronavirus.  With "safe distance" practices learned over the past few years, we are once again pursuing the cutting-edge research that makes our Department a special place to work and learn.  We invite you to join us!

 

A Call for Reform

We recognize and condemn the persistent racism in the United States, perpetrated against Black Americans and other people of color. The deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and too many others highlight how policing in the United States is rooted in anti-blackness and white supremacy. This is not only tragic; it is deeply unjust. We are profoundly saddened by their deaths and we know that these events are just the most recent of a very long and deeply painful history of racialized state violence and institutionalized white supremacy. We stand in solidarity with our Black faculty, staff, graduate and undergraduate students. We recognize the legacies of colonialism, settler colonialism, racism, and white supremacy in the history and development of our discipline, and are committed to fight against systems of oppression and to provide a forum for difficult and important conversations while centering the voices and perspectives of those who have been excluded and marginalized. We understand that a person’s social and political identities might combine to create unique kinds of discrimination and injustice and will work tirelessly to advance social justice and demand action against power relations that result in oppression. The Department of Anthropology commits to the collective effort to build a just and inclusive society in our classrooms, laboratories, field sites, and communities. 

To see our Action Plan, click here.

Anthropology is the study of the human experience.

What will you discover?

News

A History of Violence

Researchers find evidence of chronic internecine warfare in Peru’s Nasca highlands during the Late Intermittent Period

Parachute Failure

Global group of scholars calls for more equitable collaboration with local researchers in cross-cultural social science.

A Drop in Temperature

Drs. Gurven and Kraft examine the decline in average body temperature among healthy adults over the past two decades