Anthropology

Ethnology is the science of man as a social being in all its breadth. Therefore, the name social anthropology is also becoming more and more common in German. Ethnology wants to understand the actions of people and explain them in its natural, social and cultural conditions and contexts. Above all, it is about understanding and explaining actions that distinguish people from different societies or milieus, or who share them.The regional focus of ethnology at the University of Basel is Africa and Oceania, but there are also lectures on other regions. In addition to general anthropology, its theories and methods, political anthropology, ethnology of artistic expression, medical ethnology, religious ethnology and ethnicity processes (identity, interculturalism, migration, conflicts) are among the core areas of the subject. Ethnology makes an important contribution to the cultural center of culture (represented by the humanities and cultural sciences at the Faculty of Philology) and the Department of Social Sciences. All teachers are involved in research groups and projects, so that a lively exchange between research and teaching takes place. Ethnology in Basel is accessible to many disciplines and creates a unique foundation for interdisciplinary collaboration in research and practice. The special location of Basel at the Dreilandereck Switzerland-Germany-France also allows international exchange and cross-border cooperation. In addition, the Ethnological Seminar has partnerships with institutes in several African countries as well as Indonesia.