Profile of Social and Cultural Anthropology in Zurich

At the University of Zürich, we approach the discipline of social and cultural anthropology as a contribution to the understanding of how people live in the world today, why they do what they do and how they give meaning to their lives. In particular, anthropology links everyday life and experience to the broader economic, social, cultural, and political conditions of an increasingly globalized world.

Because of this, we place emphasis on practice-oriented education with a strong empirical base. With our courses, we aim to reflect the thematic, methodological and theoretical breadth of the discipline in all of its diversity. Particular attention is paid to the interplay between empirical work and the production of theory, and students are encouraged to work independently and creatively at an early stage in their training.