Cultural Anthropology

North Korean workers are constructing the “Genocide Memorial” in Namibia’s capital, Windhoek, March 2014 (Photo: Th. Widlok)

Anthropology studies people in their social relationships and cultural contexts. Internationally, the field of anthropology often encompasses not only cultural anthropology but also linguistics, archaeology, and physical anthropology as additional subdisciplines. In Germany, cultural and social anthropology is often referred to as ethnology, and sometimes as “Völkerkunde” or “Volkskunde.” At the Institute for African Studies and Egyptology in Cologne, the cultural anthropology of Africa is one of three main areas of study, alongside African linguistics and Egyptology. The cultural anthropology component of the curriculum enables students, within a direct interdisciplinary framework, to understand their linguistic knowledge as embedded in social and cultural processes, thereby allowing them to better grasp the close interconnection between language, culture, and social relationships in the real world.

Major in Cultural and Social Anthropology in the BA Program in African Studies and Egyptology

Retail store in Naivasha, Kenya, 2015 (Photo: Th. Widlok)

The African Studies and Egyptology program at the University of Cologne is clearly structured and allows students to choose a distinct area of focus as early as the BA level. The foundation is provided by a content-based core module (BM1) and a methodological core module (BM4), which include introductions to African ethnology and ethnographic field research methods. The core curriculum also includes two language practice modules (BM2 and BM3), in which students generally have the choice between Swahili, Bambara, Hausa, Ewe, and Egyptian (temporarily supplemented by courses in other languages). Building on this foundation, the Cultural Anthropology track can be chosen as an alternative to the Linguistics and Egyptology tracks. Within the cultural anthropology track, students gain a comparative understanding of social and cultural processes in Africa, as well as the most important debates and key works in the field, through a dedicated advanced module (AM2). To complement this, we offer modules in which students can complete internships and projects with cultural anthropology content, in addition to further language courses or study abroad programs. 

If you have questions about the course of study, please contact Dr. Angelika Mietzner; for questions regarding studying abroad, please contact Prof. Dr. Alice Mitchell; and for advice on potential cultural or social anthropological topics for a bachelor’s thesis, as well as on continuing your studies at the master’s level, please contact Prof. Dr. Thomas Widlok.

 
African Cultural Anthropology in Master’s Programs

The University of Cologne offers various opportunities to deepen your study of African cultural anthropology at the MA level. In addition to the English-language master’s program “Culture and Environment in Africa,” students can pursue a dual-major master’s degree (e.g., in the combination of Ethnology and African Studies) as well as a single-major master’s degree in African Studies and Egyptology with a focus on cultural anthropology.

The cultural anthropology focus areas in Cologne are, regionally, Sub-Saharan Africa—particularly Southern Africa—and, thematically, issues of economy and religion, cognition, hunter-gatherer studies, the environment and social change, as well as innovative approaches in the theory of practice and ethnographic research methodology.

For more information, please consult the module handbooks (see Degree Programs) or contact Prof. Dr. Thomas Widlok.

 
Doctoral Studies

Thanks to the teaching authorization held by the professors at the Institute for African Studies and Egyptology, you can pursue a doctoral degree with us in both “African Studies” and “Ethnology.” A list of current doctoral projects in the field of cultural anthropology can be found here. In principle, any professor at the University of Cologne may serve as a co-advisor, and (upon request) external scholars may also be considered. For cultural anthropology topics, collaboration with the Institute of Ethnology is particularly recommended, as is participation in the ongoing major research projects in which the Department of African Studies is involved.