Anthropology@Princeton |

The University's response to coronavirus

Information for the University Community about Coronavirus

Princeton University is actively monitoring the situation around coronavirus (Covid-19) and the evolving guidance from government and health authorities, in keeping with our commitment to ensure the health and safety of all members of the University community. All Princeton classes, lectures, seminars, labs and precepts will move to virtual instruction beginning Monday, March 23 and remain virtual through the end of spring 2020, including final exams. All undergraduates who are able to must return home and stay home for the rest of the semester.

Click here for the latest University guidance for students, faculty and staff.

Why Anthropology?
Studying cultural diversity is simultaneously humbling and thrilling.
Photo: C. Rouse, Ghana fieldwork
Why Anthropology?
Socio-cultural anthropology, linguistic anthropology, biological anthropology, archaeology – What more is there to say?
Photo: J. Himpele, Bolivia fieldwork
Temporary storage site of decontaminated waste in Minamisoma, waiting to be shipped to the interim waste storage facility.

Photo by Ryo Morimoto
Why Anthropology?
Real empathy comes from making sense of the values and beliefs of others.
Photo: C. Rouse, Ghana fieldwork
"ANT 215 Human Adaptation's spring break trip to Kenya was a unique experience that I will forever cherish! I learned so much about the world in which we live."
Chesley Chan '21

New Professor Joins the Department

Professor Agustin Fuentes

From chasing monkeys in jungles and cities, to exploring the lives of our evolutionary ancestors, to examining human health, behavior, and diversity across the globe, Professor Agustín Fuentes is interested in both the big questions and the small details of what makes humans and our close relations tick. Earning his BA/BS in Anthropology and Zoology and his MA and PhD in Anthropology from UC Berkeley, he has conducted research across four continents, multiple species, and two-million years of human history. His current foci include exploring cooperation, creativity, and belief in human evolution, multispecies anthropologies, evolutionary theory and processes, and engaging race and racism. Fuentes is an active public scientist, a well-known blogger, lecturer, tweeter, and an explorer for National Geographic. Fuentes’ books include “Race, Monogamy, and other lies they told you: busting myths about human nature” (U of California), “The Creative Spark: how imagination made humans exceptional" (Dutton), and “Why We Believe: evolution and the human way of being” (Yale). Professor Fuentes was recently awarded the Inaugural Communication & Outreach Award from the American Association of Physical Anthropologists and the President’s Award from the American Anthropological Association.

Highlights

Alumni Highlights

Interview: Prof. Emeritus James Boon

“…our department is ardent, trim, and intent on interpreting human promise and plights in an
ever-complicating world.”
- James Boon

Alumni Highlights

Katie Wong '10

When developing concepts for new choreography, I approach ideas through an anthropological lens. My most recent dance work used the social repercussions and implications of the 14th amendment as a starting point to reflect on our country's past and to hope for our potential future.

Ethnographic Studies Certificate Program

Providing training in ethnographic methods and field research to undergraduates in concentrations outside Anthropology. Students in all divisions are welcome (Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences and Engineering).

Ethnographic Data Visualization

Dedicated to advancing innovation in ethnography for the 21st century. The VizE Lab is a hybrid online-offline platform and hub for researchers interested in curating digital data and creating audio-visual materials for ethnography, such as data visualizations, documentary films and interactive websites.

Center on Transnational Policing

The CTP will bring together Princeton scholars and students to understand policing in the U.S. and internationally. As the hub of a wider social scientific research network, the Center’s mission will be to explore policing from a transnational approach.