Ethnology University of Basel

Overview

The regional focus of the Ethnology programme at the University of Basel is Africa (especially West, Central and East Africa), followed by Oceania (especially Melanesia), Latin America and Southeast Asia. In addition to general ethnology with its theories and methods, the core areas of teaching include political anthropology, visual culture, medical ethnology, religious ethnology and ethnicity, identity and migration. Research focuses on visual culture, political anthropology and medical anthropology. The ethnological seminar maintains an intensive interdisciplinary and international exchange and cooperates with institutes in several African countries as well as Indonesia. All teachers are also involved in research groups and projects, so that there is a lively exchange between research and teaching.

At the bachelor level, the basic theoretical and methodological approaches of ethnology and its history are conveyed. Topics are, for example, evolutionism, structuralism or field research. The students gain insights into specific research fields and topics in ethnology, among others from the areas of urbanization, culture, law and gender. Finally, they deal with the ethnographies of certain regions, getting to know and compare different social milieus and social groups in these regions.

Career prospects

Future anthropologists are often expected to shape their professional environment themselves, which can be seen as an opportunity, but also as a challenge. 

Thanks to the broad knowledge that is acquired during the anthropology degree (e.g. collecting and processing information, writing and presentation skills and intercultural knowledge transfer), graduates have no difficulty in finding a job in various professional fields (e.g. intercultural mediation, migration, Integration and social work, media, public relations and journalism, museums, archives and independent curation, tourism, public health and sustainability, corporate sector (international companies, product development, diplomacy and politics).