Academics

Anthropologists continually focus on cultural diversity and differences based on ethnicity, class, gender, age, and health. This Master’s programme will equip you with the knowledge and skills to evaluate these facets of life and their interrelationships.

During your studies, you will learn traditional anthropological methods and techniques (fieldwork, participatory observation, and qualitative interviews).

However, since anthropology is by definition engaged, you will move also toward engaged anthropology and explore collaborative ethnographic methods, such as participatory action research.

In addition, you will be introduced to related, innovative methodologies in, for example, the area of narrative and virtual ethnography, engaging in cutting-edge combinations of aesthetics, digital media, and ethnography. You will also discuss ethical dilemmas and your own social responsibility as an anthropologist.

The programme offers you a comprehensive learning environment with an international and comparative perspective. You will have the opportunity to go abroad for your field research or research internship, and you can attend seminars of the research group Sovereignty and Social Contestation, to which international researchers and lecturers are regularly invited.

During your field studies (your fieldwork abroad, research internship, etc.), you will gain experience in a national or international professional context.

This Master’s programme will train you to work as an academic professional. Along with classic methods and skills, the programme allows you to acquire applied and practice-focused skills, enabling you to flexibly switch between or integrate scientific theory and anthropological professional practice.

We offer an intellectually stimulating programme with a variety of teaching methods, in which you will be challenged to think critically about important and socially relevant themes, to formulate and to share your own arguments. You will formulate a research question that you will develop in a Master’s thesis using the theoretical knowledge acquired in the course modules and the empirical data that you gathered during field work or a research internship.

We expect an active contribution from students in the form of discussions, book and film reviews, class exercises, papers and presentations. When preparing for the research, you will work on the research proposal in a tutorial group.

Research locations will be selected in consultation with the supervisor, with a large number of students conducting research in Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa and Europe (including the Netherlands).