PhD in Anthropology and Social Change

Anthropology and Social Change is a small, innovative graduate department with a particular focus on activist scholarship, militant research, and social change. Our unique approach to ethnographic research methodology dissolves traditional barriers between research and political activism, between insiders and outsiders, and between researchers and protagonists. Ethnography is a tool for "creating the conditions we describe." We engage in the process of co-research to explore existing alternatives and possibilities for social change.

Students learn how to apply the practice of direct action to the research process with the support of talented faculty. We set out to create the conditions we describe when our research begins to embody the values of the world we want to create.... [-]

The goal of the doctoral program in Transformative Studies is to develop thought-leaders who are committed to exploring leading-edge issues in innovative ways that combine scholarship, creativity, and self-inquiry.

The program encourages students to pursue research topics they are passionate about and supports participation in the scholarly discourse through publication. It views academic inquiry as an opportunity for personal and social transformation, grounding transformative processes in academic depth, rigor, and imagination.

About the Program

Participants in the Transformative Studies program will:

Make an original transdisciplinary research contribution in a chosen area of inquiry... [-]

The Institute’s Ph.D. with a specialization in Anthropology and Sociology aims to provide students with analytical and methodological tools to explore the social and cultural systems that influence, and are influenced by, policy interventions, especially – but not exclusively – in the field of development. Other areas of interest include conflict and peacebuilding, location and migration as well as identity politics.

Ph.D. with a specialization in Anthropology and Sociology

In the area of international and development studies, anthropology and sociology are indispensable for the comparative study of global concerns from below, from the margins and across borders, with a focus on the role of non-State actors and social movements. The new disciplinary programme to be put in place for the 2011-12 academic year aims to provide students with the analytical and methodological tools to explore the social and cultural systems that influence, and are influenced by, policy interventions, especially – but not exclusively – in the field of development. Other areas of interest include conflict and peace-building, location and migration, as well as identity politics.... [-]