Cultural Anthropology

Anthropology is the science that focuses on human relations and that investigates how people live in different parts of the world. By studying and comparing human diversity at the intersection of the local and the global, we can understand why people live the way they do, and what the effects are in different societies.

Anthropologists examine how people think, speak, act and organise themselves in all sorts of social and cultural contexts, such as political participation, religious practice, crisis and conflict management, and sports, to name but a few. Anthropological research deepens and problematises knowledge about culture, power, politics, environment, work, emotions, health, gender, sexuality, kinship and many other topics.

Anthropological perspectives build on the knowledge created through ethnographic fieldwork, which includes qualitative methods such as participant observation and ethnographic interviews. In this way, anthropologists gain insight into people's everyday lives and a deep understanding of their living conditions and ways of life.

Anthropologists work in the public and private sectors in Sweden and internationally in areas such as city planning, education, migration and integration, environmental issues, development cooperation and diplomacy, and media and communication.