PhD in French Studies and Anthropology in New York United States | New York University

The dual Ph.D. program in French Studies and Anthropology enables students to combine thorough anthropological training with an interdisciplinary investigation of French and Francophone cultures. Based at both the Institute of French Studies and the Anthropology department, participants navigate between these units, developing ideas and research projects with diverse faculty and peers. These distinctive features—along with bilingual course offerings and events—set our program apart in academia.

Starting in their first year, students engage with advanced seminars in sociocultural anthropology, linguistic anthropology, and history while pursuing original research. They may also select courses from related disciplines like sociology, museum studies, performance studies, and gender studies. Numerous students participate in the Anthropology department's Culture and Media program, examining media theory, production, and ethnography. With guidance from IFS and Anthropology advisors, students develop innovative approaches while preparing their dissertation proposals (typically finalized by year 2). The Anthropology curriculum emphasizes social/cultural theory, ethnographic methods, comparative analysis, and critical examination of anthropological representations. Faculty expertise spans social memory, historical anthropology, language ideology, visual ethnography, racial capitalism, carceral systems, urban ecology, and critical religious studies. At IFS, students immerse themselves in French/Francophone history and social sciences, collaborating with scholars whose research—often archival or ethnographic—focuses on postcolonial Caribbean studies, migration, memory politics, race/identity in France, North/West Africa, family histories, and innovative historical methodologies.