Social Anthropology

Dalhousie University’s Doctor of Philosophy in Social Anthropology programme offers you the chance to take advantage of faculty expertise and interest in three designated areas of departmental concentration. Many of the PhD students secure scholarships and pursue careers in academia, research, policy, and the non-profit sector.

In Dalhousie University ‘s Doctor of Philosophy in Social Anthropology programme you will become an engaged scholar in your chosen area of research while fostering supportive connections with faculty. Many of our doctoral students successfully secure scholarships from major granting agencies, and go on to post-doctoral fellowships, employment in academia, research, policy, and the non-profit sectors.

The three concentrations of research expertise, critical health studies; economy, work, and development; and social justice and inequality, are designed to be inclusive and dynamic.

Social Anthropology is unique in its global and comparative approach to cultural diversity in the contemporary world. Anthropology focuses on how people and groups shape and are shaped by broad forces of history, cultural symbols and beliefs, and social and political structures. We draw on the rich international anthropological heritage while also actively encouraging a continuous renewal of that tradition, its thoughts and practices. Often living with the communities of people studied for an extended period of time, anthropologists generate first-hand accounts of everyday life to see the world through their eyes. Along the way we discover both vast differences and deep similarities across the varied human experience. Thus, the perspectives anthropologists gain through long-term fieldwork prepare us to engage with people different from ourselves in this increasingly globalized world. Social Anthropology shows that another world and way of life is not only possible, but already exists.

Possible careers include:

• Professor

Programme options

Thesis: Pursue independent and original research guided by a supervisor to develop and defend your thesis. 

Courses include: 

• PhD Seminar in Sociology and Social Anthropology

• Language Requirement

• Comprehensive Examination

• Doctoral Thesis Proposal

• PhD Thesis