PhD in Anthropology - Cultural Anthropology in New York United States | New York University

Departmental cultural anthropologists maintain a shared conviction that academic inquiry must be rooted in comprehensive training across social and cultural theory, encompassing both modern scholarship and foundational anthropological and sociological works. They emphasize that ethnographic fieldwork remains the essential foundation of cultural anthropology, while also focusing on how anthropological knowledge is conveyed through written works and visual media. The faculty prioritizes developing nuanced understandings of complex societies through comparative analysis and insights from smaller-scale communities. Current faculty and student research spans diverse regions including Africa, the Americas (including Native American studies), Australia, the Caribbean, China, Europe, Melanesia, the Middle East, Polynesia, South Asia, and post-Soviet territories. Scholarly focus areas include gender dynamics, emotional studies, religious systems, artistic expression, historical anthropology, colonial legacies, legal/political frameworks, global interconnectedness, and metropolitan studies. Much research examines identity formation through cultural mediums like visual arts, broadcast media, indigenous communications, urban environments, regional traditions, and language ideologies across evolving social landscapes.

Sociocultural anthropology (encompassing linguistic anthropology) examines patterns of human similarity and difference across populations. Emerging alongside European colonial expansion, the field has continually evolved through postcolonial reevaluations. Contemporary globalization has further reshaped anthropological approaches to culture and power dynamics beyond nation-state frameworks. These discussions intersect with broader societal debates about multiculturalism and the expanding application of cultural concepts beyond academic circles.

The department emphasizes comparative methodologies that account for humanity's vast diversity. Our program provides integrated human studies while maintaining specialized training opportunities within anthropology's subdisciplines.