Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of what it means to be human, whether in the past, the present or the future.
Anthropologists apply research approaches including ethnography, audio-visual and digital methods, excavations, fieldwork and lab-based work. Faculty in the department have undertaken research around the world.
Study anthropology at UVic
Drawing on insights from the social sciences, the sciences and the humanities, anthropologists study how humans have emerged and organized ourselves. Embracing the full diversity of humanity across time and space, anthropologists at UVic work in fields such as:
- human history and material culture (archaeology)
- human evolution and primatology (biological anthropology)
- human culture and society (socio-cultural anthropology)
At UVic, anthropology undergraduate and graduate students have the opportunity to participate in a variety of hands-on and experiential learning opportunities, including field schools and co-operative education.
From small class sizes to hands-on and international learning, learn why you should study anthropology at UVic.
News & stories
Dr. Nowell on Neanderthals making fire
December 10, 2025
Dr. April Nowell was interviewed for a story on Neanderthals making fire using pyrite in the UK 400,000 yrs ago. Read the article here.
Dr. Murray interviewed on power of female body
December 8, 2025
Dr. Alison Murray was interviewed for Starre Vartan's book, The Stronger Sex, what science tells us about the power of the female body.
Dr. Thom on treaty land claims
November 24, 2025
Dr. Brian Thom was interviewed by CKNW-AM about treaty land claims. Listen to the interview here.
Dr. Nowell on evolutionary origin of kissing
November 19, 2025
Dr. April Nowell commented on the evolutionary origin of kissing for Live Science's new article "Kissing goes back 21 million years, to the common ancestor of humans and other large apes, study...
PhD student's article on Cuban media
November 14, 2025
Congratulation to our PhD student Graydon Smith on his peer-reviewed article titled "The Art of (Re-)Making Ruins: Between the Cracks of Cuban Media of Precarity". Read the article here.
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