Facts & figures
- #28 in the world for Anthropology
- #21 in the world for Development Studies
- 2018 QS World University Rankings
Faculties and schools_
Department of Anthropology
The study of human culture and society
Anthropologists use long term field research in different parts of the world to gain in depth understanding of the culture, society and economy in which other people live.
Founded in 1925, the Department of Anthropology at the University of Sydney is Australia's first. We maintain our strong reputation for theoretical innovation, excellence in ethnographic fieldwork and an outstanding commitment to the training of postgraduate research students.
As well as studying small-scale societies and groups in both rural and urban areas around the world, we investigate modern nation states and transnational networks.
We specialise in the cultural regions of Indigenous Australia, Melanesia, China, Southeast Asia and Latin America, as well as in development and globalisation, urban studies and environmental change.
Anthropology analyses what human cultures have in common and how they differ. Learn about contemporary lives and issues in the world today, including: healing systems; religious traditions; gender, the body and sexuality; forms of marriage and family; international development; and Indigenous cultures.
Undergraduate
*Available to all students studying the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Economics and Bachelor of Visual Arts, as well as all combined Bachelor of Advanced Studies degrees.
Research
We offer three research degrees in Anthropology and you will need to have a substantial background in this area to be eligible to enrol.
Understand the challenges of sustainable human development on a local, national and global scale. This degree provides theoretical foundations and opportunities for practice-based understanding of development policy, programs and outcomes.
Postgraduate
Our research
Our academics are currently undertaking anthropological research through a wide variety of projects, including:
- Aboriginal Australians and the nation state
- Papuan cosmologies
- Children and youth in contemporary China
- Aboriginal urban life
- Political violence and revolution in Southeast Asia
- Race and ethnic relations in Latin America
- Informal economies of the urban poor in Southeast Asia
- Power and politics in Venezuela
- The anthropology of time and space in Aboriginal Australia
- Cash and gift economies in Papua New Guinea
- Christianity in the Pacific
- Climate change in Australian communities
- Youth culture and identity in Thailand
- Social inequality in cities of Indonesia and Vietnam
- The resource extraction economy in Australia
- Peasant economy and politics in Laos
Our people
- Dr Luis Fernando Angosto Ferrandez
- Dr Anjalee Cohen
- Professor Linda Connor
- Dr Ute Eickelkamp
- Dr Holly High
- Dr Gaynor Macdonald
- Dr Neil Maclean
- Dr Jadran Mimica
- Dr Yasmine Musharbash (Honours Coordinator)
- Dr Ase Ottosson (Postgraduate Coursework Coordinator)
- Dr Robbie Peters
- Dr Ryan Schram (Undergraduate Coordinator)
- Dr Terry Woronov (Postgraduate Research Coordinator)
- Emeritus Professor Diane Austin-Broos
- Emeritus Associate Professor Jeremy Beckett
- Dr Nayana Bibile
- Honorary Professor Gillian Cowlishaw
- Dr Penny Howard
- Dr Cynthia Hunter
- Dr Sebastian Job
- Dr Rozanna Lilley
- Dr Diane Losche
- Dr Grant McCall
- Dr Lorraine Mortimer
- Dr Santi Rozario
- Dr Gretchen Poiner
Events
For a full listing of our upcoming events, please visit the What's On Calendar.
When: Wednesday 26 September 2018, 10am
Where: The Refectory, The Quadrangle, The University of Sydney
Do you have dementia? Are you, or have you been, a carer for someone with dementia? Do you work in home care, caring for people with dementia? If so, come along to this whole day event and tell your story.
The event consists of a symposium at 10am-4pm, and a book launch at 4pm-5pm. You can register to attend either session or register for both if you wish to stay for the full day. Registration closes on 19 September 2018.
Matthew Webb
Anthropology student
“I’m working towards interdisciplinary PhD research with a focus on the innovative practices of low-income Indigenous Australians and their cultural contributions to the fields of science and technology.”
Download our undergraduate course guide (pdf, 4.8MB)
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