Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of what it means to be human, whether in the past, the present or the future.
Anthropologists apply research approaches including ethnography, audio-visual and digital methods, excavations, fieldwork and lab-based work. Faculty in the department have undertaken research around the world.
Study anthropology at UVic
Drawing on insights from the social sciences, the sciences and the humanities, anthropologists study how humans have emerged and organized ourselves. Embracing the full diversity of humanity across time and space, anthropologists at UVic work in fields such as:
- human history and material culture (archaeology)
- human evolution and primatology (biological anthropology)
- human culture and society (socio-cultural anthropology)
At UVic, anthropology undergraduate and graduate students have the opportunity to participate in a variety of hands-on and experiential learning opportunities, including field schools and co-operative education.
From small class sizes to hands-on and international learning, learn why you should study anthropology at UVic.
Announcements
Dr. Nowell's latest on Ice Age teens
September 13, 2024
Dr. April Nowell's research on Ice Age teens appears on CBC radio and in a number of stories. CBC’s Quirks and Quarks audio link and the episode webpage. UVic news...
PhD student's new publication
September 13, 2024
Dylan Hillis (ANTH PhD student) and Kristina Barclay (ANTH and BIOL Banting Postdoctoral Scholar) led this publication “Estimating size-at-harvest from Indigenous archaeological clamshell...
Dr. Nowell's new study
September 12, 2024
Congratulations to Dr. April Nowell on her new study to be published on Sept.12 in the Journal of Human Evolution about the timing of puberty in Pleistocene teens (news embargoed).
Dr. Nowell comments on the last Neanderthal DNA study
September 11, 2024
Dr. Nowell comments on the last Neanderthal DNA study in an article in Live Science titled "DNA of 'Thorin,' one of the last Neanderthals, finally sequenced, revealing inbreeding and 50,000 years...
Dr. Rudnyckyj's new paper
September 10, 2024
Congratulations to Dr. Daromir Rudnyckyj on his new paper in Culture, Theory, and Critique titled “The Protestantism of Neoliberalism". Read the article here.
News & events
UVic's Vanier scholars and Banting Fellowship
The University of Victoria is celebrating four outstanding researchers recently announced as 2024 Vanier Canada Graduate Scholars and one prestigious Banting Postdoctoral Fellow.
Anthropology grad's international experience
Graduating this spring, anthropology major/sociology minor undergraduate student, Emma Emile appreciates her time at UVic and especially how anthropology “sparked critical reflection on what it...
Woolly dog DNA
In a first high-resolution DNA study of "Mutton"—the only known woolly dog fleece in the world—an international researcher team from the Smithsonian’s Natural Museum of Natural History and UVic,...
Territory acknowledgement
We acknowledge and respect the Lək̓ʷəŋən (Songhees and Esquimalt) Peoples on whose territory the university stands, and the Lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ Peoples whose historical relationships with the land continue to this day.