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Anthropology Research Topics And Writing Ideas For Students

anthropology research topics

Writing an anthropology research paper is in a lot of ways similar to writing an argumentative essay in other disciplines. Usually, the significant difference between these essays is how you support your idea. While you may use only literature to prove your point in an argumentative essay, you may need to employ textual proofs from artifacts, ethnographies, etc., in an anthropology essay.

Research in anthropology could be thrilling, particularly if you have many anthropology project ideas. Anthropology studies the evolution of human culture and therefore provides a wide range of anthropology essay topics that spill into history, biology, sociology, etc. Many anthropological research projects borrow from other social sciences. It is easy to feel that overwhelming grip on your chest if you’re unable to choose an anthropology research topic.

How to Write an Anthropology Research Paper

Guide how to write an anthropology research paper, the excellent list of 110 anthropology research paper topics, physical anthropology research paper topics, medical anthropology research paper topics, cultural anthropology research paper ideas, best cultural anthropology essay topics, biological anthropology research paper topics.

  • Forensic Anthropology Research Paper Topics

Are you worried because you don’t know how to write an anthropology paper? Writing an anthropology paper could be so much fun if you can nail the basics. It is not as bad as people paint it to be, especially if you get writing help from our professional writers . With the right anthropology paper format, anthropology research topics, and anthropology research paper examples, you’re set to go!

If you’re a big fan of doing lots of things in a short time and with fewer efforts, then you’re in the right place. This guide is full of the tips and skills you need to arrange your ideas properly. It also contains anthropology paper examples, anthropology paper topics, and other life-saving tips you may need. Ready to know how to start an anthropology research paper? Let’s delve right in!

How do you get started on an anthropology research paper? Below is the most comprehensive list on the internet to get you home and dry in record time!

  • Review the Assignment Guidelines
  • Develop a Topic
  • Outline your Paper
  • Do some Library Research
  • Write a Rough Draft
  • Write the Paper
  • Edit the Paper

We shall shortly expound on this list to help you better understand them.

  • Review the Assignment Guidelines: your professor may give you some guidelines to follow. To avoid deviating from the instructor’s expectations, spend some time reviewing your assignment guidelines so that you know the exact things you need to accomplish. For example, confirm if there are any stated anthropology research methods and the likes. It is beneficial to have a writing schedule. If you have a lot of time in your hands before the submission time, spreading out the workload will help to ease some of the stress. If you’re naturally a binge writer, sit at your computer early and bleed!
  • Develop a Topic:  search for some anthropology research paper ideas and choose from the vast array of anthropology research topics available. Select a topic that revolves around a guiding question. This topic should connect on a deeper level to the theme of the course. The length requirement for the paper will help you know if your topic is too big, too small, or just good enough. For a short paper, you may want to focus on a particular culture or event in the context of a broader topic. Ensure that your thesis focuses on anthropology and that it draws from anthropological theories or ideas. Now, do a quick search to confirm if there are scholarly materials available for this topic. It is easier to write a paper with some available references.
  • Introduction/Abstract
  • Library Research: now, start the research on your topic, preferably from course materials. A bibliography at the end of a relevant course reading is also a great way to get other related materials. Depending on the requirement of the assignment, feel free to search for other books or articles.
  • Write a Rough Draft: during your research, endeavor to make proper jottings and references, which will form the rough draft of your essay. A rough draft will help you create dots that you will be able to connect later on.
  • Title: Usually on a separate page and contains the abstract.
  • Introduction/Abstract : A short paragraph showing the road map of your thesis.
  • Body: Leverages your thesis and presenting your research in a detailed and logical structure.
  • Conclusion: The conclusion is a short paragraph that summarizes your fundamental theme and substantiates your thesis.
  • References: A citation of the resources you used in your paper. Follow the referencing style which your instructor chooses.
  • Edit the Paper:  you may engage any of your friends to help you go through your essay. Make some final checks such as the length requirement, the format and citation style, spelling and grammatical errors, logical flow of ideas and clarity, substantial support of the claim, etc. Once you edit your paper, turn it in and accept an A+!

Without further ado, here are 110 anthropology research paper topics for free! With 18 topics each from the six main subcategories of anthropology, you can’t get it wrong!

  • Eugenics — its merits and demerits in the 21st-century world.
  • Human Origin: Comparing the creationist versus evolutionist views on the origin of man.
  • Ancient Egypt: The preservation of their dead and underlying beliefs.
  • Homo habilis: Investigating Contemporary facts supporting their past existence.
  • Drowning: Clarifying the cause of drowning by examining the physical and anatomical evidence.
  • Smoking and its effects on the physical appearance of humans over decades of indulgence.
  • Physical labor: Exploring its long-term impact on the physical appearance of humans.
  • The relationship of Kyphosis with human senescence.
  • Aging in Western Culture.
  • Skin color: Exploring the influence of the environment on human skin color across continents.
  • Species and language: Focus on ways species evolve across the world and ways language acquisition affects and influences culture.
  • Abiogenesis: Research about abiogenesis and how it affects human development
  • Animal stability: How captive animals are different from those that live in the wild.
  • Henry Walter: The ways Henry Walter contributed to the field of physical anthropology.
  • Cephalization: The process of cephalization and what it entails.
  • Genotype: The environment correlation study.
  • Genetics: What does genetic hijacking mean?
  • Altruism: Do people learn altruism or it is an acquired state.
  • Applying the Concepts of Ethnozoology in medicine.
  • Critically Assessing the fundamental posits of critical medical anthropology (CMA).
  • The 2014 Ebola virus outbreak in Africa: Evaluating the success of control interventions.
  • Exploring the applications of Ethnobotany in medicine.
  • Nuclear disaster: A research into the life of survivors of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986.
  • HIV/AIDS: The reasons for prevalent societal infamy and the way forward.
  • HIV/AIDS epidemic in Europe: Exploring the roles of commercial sex workers in the spread of the disease.
  • Alternative medicine in China: A comparative review of its weaknesses and possible strengths in the light of Orthodox medicine.
  • HIV/AIDS in Africa: A critical assessment of extensively troubled nations and populations.
  • Depression in South-East Asia: Sheer social noise or severe threat?
  • Adult’s onset diabetes: Research on how diabetes is a major health issue in aboriginal populations in The U.S and Canada.
  • ARV rollout: The role of the ARV rollout and campaigns in Africa.
  • Sexual diversity in Africa: Research on whether sexual diversity in Africa is being taken into account to help fight against AIDS.
  • Chemicals and radiation waste: How the radiation waste and chemicals in the air are affecting people.
  • Mercury poisoning: The effects of Mercury poisoning in Minamata, Japan, and the measures to help put the situation under control.
  • Health: The health ramifications of adapting to ecology and maladaptation.
  • Health: Domestic healthcare and health culture practices
  • Clinic: Clinical interactions in social organizations.
  • Growth: Difference between growth and development.
  • Engineering: Genetic engineering and what it entails.
  • Marriage: Marriage rituals in different cultures.
  • Magic: Belief in magic and the supernatural.
  • Mythologies: The effects it has on modern culture.
  • Anthropology: How to use anthropology as forensic science.
  • Heroes: Studies of heroes in different societies.
  • Education: How education differs around the world.

Cultural anthropology discusses human societies and their cultural origin, vacation, history, and development. Here is a look at cultural Anthropology topics:

  • Women in Africa: The various challenging roles that women in Modern Africa play and how they handle it.
  • Homelessness: How homelessness affects and influences the culture and social landscapes.
  • India: Methods and measures that India is taking to deal with the issue of homelessness and measures they have put in place to deal with social landscapers.
  • Political science: Highlight and discuss the link between cultural anthropology and political science.
  • Superstition: Research ways that superstition affects the way of life.
  • Sexual discrimination: The evolution of sexual discrimination and its effects in modern times.
  • African cultures: Investigating how different religions and beliefs impact African culture.
  • Northern Nigeria: How the basic religious beliefs that influence forced nuptials among the children in North Nigeria.
  • Gay marriage: The background on gay marriage and how it influences the cultural and social backgrounds.
  • Racism: Explain racism and its existence in modern times.
  • Religious practices: Ways how religious practices and beliefs affect culture.
  • Culture shock: What it is and ways that people can work through it.
  • Ethnocentrism: Ways that you can use to minimize it.
  • Ancestors: A view of ancestors in African culture.
  • Religion: Religious practices in a particular society.
  • Culture: About the Rabari culture in India
  • Definition of culture
  • How culture anthropology links to political science
  • Alcoholism: Looking into the socio-economic and cultural history in Eastern Europe.
  • Assessing the effects of radioactivity on populations affected by the nuclear disaster of 2011 in Fukushima Daiichi.
  • Gay marriage: Exploring the biological aspects of same-sex weddings in North America.
  • Minamata disease: A critical look into the origin, populations affected, and transgenerational impact of this disease on Japan.
  • Asthma disease in Yokkaichi: A critical look into the cause, people affected, and transgenerational effect on Japan.
  • Itai-Itai disease: A critical look into the cause, populations affected, and transgenerational effect on Japan.
  • Nuclear bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki: An investigation of the transgenerational effects on the health of affected victims to this present time.
  • Cocaine use in America: A critical look into the health impact on American cocaine users.
  • Making Marijuana use legal in America: Possible woes and beneficial outcomes.
  • Cystic fibrosis: Justifications for its preponderance in white populations in America.
  • Biological Anthropology: Research on the meaning and definition of biological Anthropology and how it influences different fields.
  • Paleoanthropology: Explore ways Paleoanthropology uses fossil records to draw biological anthropology compassion and conclusions regarding human evolution.
  • Human social structures: Explain the development of human social structures using biological anthropology.
  • Biological anthropologies: Research on some primary geographical locations where biological anthropologies used to research their work.
  • Human language: Research how biological anthropology helped in the development of human language and communication.
  • Body projects: The changes and the valued attributes.
  • Political ecology: The Vector-borne and infectious disease.
  • Clinical Interactions: What are clinical interaction and social organization?

Forensic Anthropology Research Paper Ideas

  • Radioactive Carbon dating: A critical assessment of the accuracy of this dating technique.
  • Human Origin: Pieces of evidential support for Creationist and Evolutionist views on the origin of man.
  • Assessing the accuracy of DNA evidence testing and matching on criminology.
  • Neanderthals: Exploring environmental influences and migratory paths on their survival and appearance.
  • Dating Techniques: A critical review of current archaeological dating techniques.
  • Ancient Egypt Mummification: A critical look at the effectiveness of the methods used.
  • Nuclear disaster: A research into the impact of radioactivity on life forms due to the atomic catastrophe Chernobyl in 1986.
  • A critical look into recent evidence supporting the existence of Homo habilis in the past.
  • Crime Scene Forensics: Recent advances in the detection of crime.
  • Postmortem Changes: Investigating the primary agents responsible for biological changes in humans.
  • Criminal procedure: Research a case with a confession scenario and highlight unique features of the case.
  • Criminal procedure: Do your research on the criminal proceedings in a given area and what makes them effective.
  • Computer forensic: Ways that the computer forensic help in preserving electronic evidence.
  • Digital forensic: Research about the history and features of digital forensic.
  • History: Ways that Israel presents itself as a leader in computer forensics.
  • Oncology: The latest archaeological dating methods.
  • DNA: How accurate is DNA evidence in the matching and testing criminology?
  • Crime detention: The recent improvements of crime detection.

So here we are! Fifty juicy topics that are all eager to wear some flesh! Ready to have an A+? Let’s do it!

Are you stuck with writing your thesis? Just enter promo “ mythesis ” – that’s all you need to get a 20% discount for any anthropology writing assignment you might have!

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Top 300 Anthropology Research Topics

Anthropology research Topics

Welcome to a fascinating world of anthropology. DIve into our curated compilation of 300 engaging anthropology research topics that uncover the diversity of human societies and cultures. These topics span a wide range of fascinating subjects, from how people live and communicate to the ways they shape their communities and beliefs.

Explore cultural traditions across the globe, investigate the roots of human evolution, or solve the complexities of language and identity. Whether you’re mesmerized by ancient civilizations, modern urban societies, or the impact of technology on cultures, you’ll find thought-provoking ideas to spark your curiosity and inspire insightful exploration.

From examining social behaviors to understanding environmental adaptations, these research topics offer a doorway to understanding the rich diversity of humanity. Join us on this journey through anthropology’s vast kingdoms, where each topic invites you to solve the complexities of human existence, one subject at a time.

What Is Anthropology ?

Table of Contents

Anthropology is the study of humans’ origins, societies, cultures, behaviors, and physical variations across time and space. It emphasizes understanding the diversity of human experiences and how societies function. Anthropologists explore various aspects of human life, from biological and evolutionary perspectives to cultural and social dimensions.

There are four primary subfields in anthropology:

  • Cultural Anthropology: Focuses on understanding contemporary societies, cultures, customs, and practices.
  • Archaeology: Studies past human societies and cultures by examining material remains, artifacts, and structures.
  • Biological/Physical Anthropology: Investigates human biology, evolution, genetics, and primatology.
  • Linguistic Anthropology: Explores the role of language in societies, communication, and cultural expression.

Anthropologists use diverse methods, including ethnography (participant observation), interviews, archaeological excavations, biological analyses, and linguistic studies, to uncover insights into human societies, their histories, and how they evolve over time.

Here we have compiled 300 research topics under different categories. From how languages evolve to what ancient artifacts tell us, these topics are like treasure maps guiding us to discover the wonders of human life. Ready to dive into stories of our past, present, and future? Let us start.

Top 15 Topics On Biological Anthropology Research Areas

  • Human Evolutionary Genetics
  • Primate Behavior and Ecology
  • Forensic Anthropology
  • Paleoanthropology Studies
  • Human Osteology and Skeletal Biology
  • Biological Adaptations to Environments
  • Comparative Anatomy and Morphology
  • Dental Anthropology Research
  • Bioarchaeology Investigations
  • Human Growth and Development
  • Primatology and Conservation
  • Disease and Health in Past Populations
  • Population Genetics and Human Diversity
  • Evolutionary Medicine and Anthropology
  • Human Paleopathology

Top 15 Research Topics On Cultural Anthropology Research Topics

  • Rituals and Symbolism in Culture
  • Cultural Identity and Globalization
  • Ethnographic Studies of Communities
  • Gender Roles and Cultural Practices
  • Material Culture and Society
  • Language and Culture Interactions
  • Folklore and Oral Traditions
  • Cultural Heritage Preservation
  • Indigenous Knowledge Systems
  • Culture and Power Dynamics
  • Urban Anthropology and City Life
  • Cultural Diversity and Social Change
  • Ethical Dilemmas in Fieldwork
  • Diaspora Communities and Identity
  • Religion and Cultural Practices

Top 15 Research Topics On Archaeological Anthropology Investigations

  • Archaeogenetics and Human Origins
  • Settlement Patterns and Urbanization
  • Environmental Archaeology
  • Ancient Technologies and Innovations
  • Archaeological Excavation Techniques
  • Paleoecology and Human Adaptations
  • Cultural Transmission in Archaeology
  • Dating Methods in Archaeological Studies
  • Maritime and Underwater Archaeology
  • Landscape Archaeology Approaches
  • Cultural Heritage Management
  • Rock Art and Symbolism
  • Archaeology of Death and Burial Practices
  • Archaeology and Climate Change
  • Site Preservation and Conservation

Top 15 Research Topics On Linguistic Anthropology Studies

  • Language Acquisition and Development
  • Sociolinguistics and Cultural Variation
  • Language Revitalization Efforts
  • Language and Identity Formation
  • Ethnolinguistics and Cultural Contexts
  • Historical Linguistics and Evolution of Languages
  • Linguistic Relativity and Thought Patterns
  • Multilingualism and Society
  • Dialectology and Regional Variations
  • Language Endangerment and Preservation
  • Language Contact and Creole Formation
  • Anthropological Approaches to Verbal Art
  • Pragmatics and Cross-Cultural Communication
  • Language and Power Dynamics
  • Ethnography of Communication

Top 15 Research Topics On Medical Anthropology Focus Areas

  • Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Health and Illness
  • Traditional Healing Practices
  • Biocultural Aspects of Disease
  • Global Health and Healthcare Systems
  • Medical Pluralism and Integration
  • Mental Health and Cultural Perceptions
  • Ethnomedicine and Herbal Remedies
  • Health Disparities and Social Determinants
  • Healing Rituals and Symbolism
  • Maternal and Child Health in Cultures
  • Anthropology of Infectious Diseases
  • Indigenous Knowledge in Healthcare
  • Alternative Medicine and Society
  • Medical Ethnography and Fieldwork
  • Healthcare Access and Marginalized Communities

Top 15 Anthropology Research Topics On Economic Anthropology Research

  • Market Systems and Exchange Networks
  • Economic Development and Globalization
  • Cultural Perspectives on Wealth and Value
  • Informal Economies and Subsistence Strategies
  • Gift-giving and Reciprocity in Societies
  • Economic Anthropology of Gender
  • Economic Anthropology of Labor and Work
  • Money and Symbolism in Cultures
  • Land Tenure Systems and Property Rights
  • Resource Management and Sustainability
  • Consumption Patterns and Consumerism
  • Economic Anthropology of Entrepreneurship
  • Economic Anthropology of Food and Agriculture
  • Poverty and Inequality Studies
  • Economic Anthropology in Urban Settings

Top 15 Research Topics On Social Anthropology Themes

  • Kinship Structures and Family Dynamics
  • Social Identity Formation and Group Relations
  • Rituals and Ceremonies in Societies
  • Power Dynamics and Social Hierarchies
  • Community Studies and Social Networks
  • Gender Roles and Social Constructs
  • Ethnicity and Cultural Boundaries
  • Conflict Resolution and Peacemaking
  • Social Movements and Activism
  • Urbanization and Social Change
  • Socialization and Education Systems
  • Marginalized Communities and Social Inclusion
  • Collective Memory and Commemoration
  • Media and Society in Anthropological Contexts
  • Identity Politics and Intersectionality

Top 15 Anthropology Research Topics On Psychological Anthropology Topics

  • Cultural Perspectives on Mental Health
  • Emotions and Cultural Expression
  • Belief Systems and Psychological Well-being
  • Cross-Cultural Studies on Trauma
  • Rituals and Healing in Psychological Contexts
  • Cultural Influences on Perception and Cognition
  • Identity Formation and Psychological Processes
  • Child Rearing and Psychological Development
  • Stress and Coping Mechanisms in Cultures
  • Cultural Variations in Personality
  • Spirituality and Psychological Resilience
  • Psychopathology and Cultural Interpretations
  • Cultural Constructions of Happiness
  • Intergenerational Transmission of Psychological Traits
  • Culture, Mind, and Brain Interaction

Top 15 Research Topics On Evolutionary Anthropology Exploration

  • Human Evolutionary Genetics and Adaptations
  • Evolutionary Perspectives on Social Behavior
  • Evolution of Human Communication
  • Cultural Evolution and Transmission
  • Evolutionary Medicine and Health
  • Primate Evolution and Comparative Anatomy
  • Evolution of Tool Use and Technology
  • Evolutionary Ecology and Human Adaptations
  • Evolutionary Psychology in Anthropological Context
  • Evolutionary Aspects of Human Diet
  • Co-evolution of Humans and Pathogens
  • Evolution of Human Brain and Cognition
  • Biocultural Evolution and Society
  • Paleolithic Archaeology and Human Evolution
  • Evolutionary Anthropology and Human Biodiversity

Top 15 Research Topics On Visual Anthropology Areas of Study

  • Ethnographic Filmmaking and Storytelling
  • Visual Ethnography and Cultural Representation
  • Anthropology of Photography
  • Visual Arts and Cultural Identity
  • Media and Visual Culture in Anthropological Contexts
  • Visual Documentation of Rituals and Traditions
  • Film as Cultural Artifact in Anthropology
  • Ethnographic Film Festivals and Discourse
  • Visual Anthropology and Indigenous Perspectives
  • Ethical Considerations in Visual Representation
  • Digital Visual Anthropology
  • Visual Media and Social Change
  • Visual Methodologies in Anthropological Research
  • Visual Anthropology and Museum Practices
  • Aesthetics and Meaning in Visual Anthropology

Top 15 Anthropology Research Topics On Urban Anthropology Research

  • Urban Spaces and Everyday Life
  • Urban Diversity and Multiculturalism
  • Gentrification and Urban Dynamics
  • Urban Poverty and Marginalized Communities
  • Urban Development and Planning
  • Urban Social Networks and Relationships
  • Anthropology of Urban Public Spaces
  • Informal Economies in Urban Contexts
  • Cultural Diversity in Urban Neighborhoods
  • Urban Health and Well-being
  • Technology and Urban Anthropology
  • Urban Youth Cultures and Identities
  • Migration and Urban Settlements
  • Urban Governance and Citizenship

Top 15 Research Topics On Environmental Anthropology Issues

  • Human-Environment Interactions in Indigenous Societies
  • Climate Change and Cultural Adaptations
  • Environmental Conservation and Indigenous Knowledge
  • Political Ecology and Resource Management
  • Ethnobotany and Traditional Ecological Knowledge
  • Environmental Justice and Marginalized Communities
  • Anthropogenic Impact on Ecosystems
  • Sacred Landscapes and Cultural Preservation
  • Environmental Displacement and Resettlement
  • Sustainable Development and Local Communities
  • Ecological Anthropology and Biodiversity Loss
  • Water and Sanitation in Cultural Contexts
  • Anthropology of Natural Disasters
  • Land Use and Cultural Perspectives
  • Ethical Considerations in Environmental Research

Top 15 Research Topics On Applied Anthropology Focus Topics

  • Applied Anthropology in Healthcare Settings
  • Anthropology in Community Development Projects
  • Cultural Competence in Social Work
  • Anthropological Approaches to Environmental Conservation
  • Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief
  • Cultural Consultancy in Business and Industry
  • Forensic Anthropology and Crime Investigations
  • Ethnographic Evaluation in Public Policy
  • Anthropology in Education and Curriculum Development
  • Participatory Research Methods in Applied Anthropology
  • Urban Planning and Community Engagement
  • Cultural Heritage Management and Tourism
  • Applied Anthropology in Conflict Resolution
  • Technology and Innovation in Applied Anthropology
  • Anthropology in Global Health Initiatives

Top 15 Anthropology Research Topics On Gender and Sexuality in Anthropology

  • Gender Roles and Social Norms
  • Gender Identity and Cultural Constructs
  • Sexuality and Cultural Expression
  • LGBTQ+ Communities and Identity Politics
  • Feminist Anthropology and Theory
  • Masculinity Studies in Cultural Contexts
  • Gender-Based Violence and Cultural Responses
  • Intersectionality and Gender in Anthropology
  • Gender and Power Dynamics
  • Reproductive Health and Cultural Perspectives
  • Sexuality Education and Cultural Variations
  • Gendered Spaces and Social Hierarchies
  • Gender and Economic Empowerment
  • Ethnographic Studies on Gender Diversity
  • Indigenous Perspectives on Gender and Sexuality

Top 15 Research Topics On Indigenous Peoples and Ethnography

  • Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Preservation
  • Ethnography of Indigenous Communities
  • Indigenous Rights and Land Ownership
  • Oral Traditions and Cultural Transmission
  • Indigenous Health and Traditional Medicine
  • Rituals and Ceremonies in Indigenous Cultures
  • Indigenous Languages and Linguistic Diversity
  • Indigenous Governance and Political Structures
  • Environmental Ethics in Indigenous Societies
  • Indigenous Education and Cultural Revitalization
  • Indigenous Women’s Roles and Empowerment
  • Cultural Heritage and Indigenous Identity
  • Indigenous Activism and Social Movements
  • Indigenous Art and Cultural Expression
  • Resilience and Challenges in Indigenous Communities

Top 15 Anthropology Research Topics On Anthropology of Religion Studies

  • Rituals and Symbolism in Religious Practices
  • Sacred Spaces and Pilgrimages
  • Religion and Power Structures
  • Religious Conversion and Adaptation
  • Shamanism and Healing Practices
  • Mythology and Religious Narratives
  • Religious Pluralism and Coexistence
  • Ethnography of Religious Communities
  • Religion and Social Change
  • Gender Roles in Religious Contexts
  • Diasporic Religious Practices
  • Religious Syncretism and Hybridity
  • Religion and Environmental Ethics
  • Supernatural Beliefs and Cosmology
  • Ritualistic Performance and Symbolic Acts

Top 15 Research Topics On Migration and Diaspora Anthropology

  • Identity Formation in Transnational Contexts
  • Cultural Adaptation and Integration of Migrants
  • Anthropology of Forced Migration
  • Transnationalism and Global Diasporas
  • Refugee Resettlement and Integration
  • Gender Dynamics in Migration
  • Remittances and Economic Impacts
  • Homeland Connections and Diasporic Identities
  • Social Networks and Support Systems in Diasporas
  • Xenophobia and Discrimination Against Migrants
  • Politics of Borders and Migration Policies
  • Diasporic Cultural Practices and Traditions
  • Second-Generation Diaspora Identities
  • Urbanization and Diaspora Communities
  • Diaspora Engagement in Home Countries

Top 15 Anthropology Research Topics On Anthropology of Power and Politics

  • Political Rituals and Symbolism
  • Power Dynamics in Social Hierarchies
  • Political Economy and Social Inequality
  • Political Authority and Legitimacy
  • Political Activism and Social Movements
  • Political Representation and Marginalized Groups
  • Ethnography of Governance Systems
  • Political Discourse and Media Influence
  • Political Violence and Conflict Resolution
  • Political Participation and Civic Engagement
  • Power Structures in Indigenous Societies
  • Politics of Memory and Commemoration
  • Anthropology of State Formation
  • Political Agency and Identity Politics

Top 15 Research Topics On Technology and Anthropological Studies

  • Digital Cultures and Virtual Communities
  • Ethnography of Online Spaces
  • Technological Adaptations in Traditional Societies
  • Surveillance and Privacy in Technological Contexts
  • Anthropology of Artificial Intelligence
  • Technological Innovations and Social Change
  • Ethical Implications of Technology Integration
  • Mobile Technology and Global Connectivity
  • Cultural Perspectives on Robotics and Automation
  • Anthropology of Wearable Technology
  • Social Media and Identity Construction
  • Technological Impact on Cultural Heritage Preservation
  • Access to Technology in Marginalized Communities
  • Cybersecurity and Cultural Perceptions
  • Anthropology of Emerging Technologies

Top 15 Research Topics On Globalization and Anthropology Research Areas

  • Transnationalism and Identity Formation
  • Global Flows of Culture and Commodities
  • Globalization and Indigenous Peoples
  • Migration and Diaspora Studies
  • Global Health and Medical Practices
  • Globalization’s Impact on Language and Communication
  • Cultural Hybridity in Globalized Contexts
  • Globalization and Environmental Anthropology
  • Global Economic Networks and Labor Mobility
  • Cultural Imperialism and Resistance
  • Globalization and Urban Anthropology
  • Globalization’s Influence on Food Systems
  • Technology and Global Cultural Exchange
  • Globalization and Social Movements
  • Globalization and Ethical Dilemmas

In wrapping up our big list of 300 anthropology research topics, remember, anthropology’s like a treasure chest filled with amazing things to explore. These topics offer a map to understanding people, cultures, and societies. They’re keys that unlock doors to ancient times, different beliefs, and how our world works today. 

Pick a topic that sparks your curiosity, dive in, and discover fascinating insights about humans and our diverse ways of living. Let these topics guide you on an adventure of understanding, questioning, and learning. So, grab your curiosity, pick a topic, and explore the exciting world of anthropology.

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195 Top Anthropology Topics For Great Thesis

anthropology research topics

Anthropology is one of the most interesting disciplines that you can pursue at the university level. The whole idea of exploring everything known about human beings, from their origins to evolution, is pretty exciting.

However, the study requires preparing multiple assignments, which can be pretty challenging because you need a deep understanding of biology, history, and culture. The first step, which is even more stressful when preparing an anthropology paper, is selecting the right topic. So, we are here to help.

In this post, we have a list of the best anthropology topics that you can use to get good grades. To help you increase the chances of scoring the best grade in your paper, we have also included a comprehensive guide on how to write your paper like a pro.

What Is Anthropology?

Anthropology is the study of humanity, and it is concerned about human biology, behavior, societies, cultures and linguistics in the past and present. The discipline stretches back to the study of past human species. Because of its broad nature, it is broken down into a number of units, with each focusing on a specific area:

Social anthropology: Focuses on patterns of human behavior. Cultural anthropology: This branch mainly focuses on culture, including values and norms in the society. Linguistic anthropology: Unlike the other two, this branch of anthropology targets determining how language impacts people’s lives. Biological anthropology: This branch focuses on studying the biological development of humans. Archaeological anthropology: This branch of anthropology is concerned with investigating humans in the past. In some jurisdictions, such as Europe, it is considered a full discipline like geography or history.

How To Write Best Quality Anthropology Research Paper

When your professors issue anthropology research paper prompts, one of the questions that you might have is, “how do I write a high level paper?” Here are the main steps that you can use to write a great college paper.

Step One: Understand the Assignment The biggest mistake that you can make is starting an assignment without understanding what it entails. So, read the prompt carefully and grasp what is needed. For example, does your teacher want a qualitative or quantitative research paper? For masters and graduate students, it might be a quantitative anthropology dissertation. Step Two: Select the Preferred Research Paper Topic The topic that you select is very important, and it is advisable to go for the title that is interesting to you. Furthermore, the topic should have ample resources to help you complete the paper smoothly. If there are no books, journals, and other important resources to prepare the paper, there is a risk of getting stuck midway. Once you select the topic, carry preliminary research to gather key points that you will use to prepare the paper. However, these points are not final and will need to get updated along the way. Step Three: Develop Your Research Paper Outline An outline defines the structure of the paper. It makes further research and preparing the paper pretty straightforward. Also, it eliminates the risk of forgetting important bits of the research paper. To make the paper more informative, make sure to add supportive information progressively. Step Four: Write the Thesis Statement of Your Paper The thesis statement of a paper is your stand about the topic that you are writing about. The statement comes in the introduction but will further be restated in conclusion. The information you present on the research paper will approve or disapprove your thesis statement. Step Five: Write the Draft Paper After gathering the information about the topic, it is time to get down and prepare the first draft. So, strictly follow the prepared outline to craft a good paper, starting with the introduction to the conclusion. If you are writing a dissertation, it might be good to tell your supervisor about the progress. Remember that a dissertation is more comprehensive than a research paper. To write a dissertation, you should start with the introduction, followed by the literature review, research methods, results, discussion, and finally, conclusion. Step Six: Write the Final Paper After finishing the draft, it is time to refine it further and make the work exceptional. Therefore, you might want to go through more resources to establish if there is anything more helpful to add. Finally, edit your paper and proofread the paper. You might also want to ask a friend to help with proofreading to identify mistakes that might have skipped your eye.

Next, we will highlight the leading anthropology topics that you should consider. So, pick the preferred one or tweak it a little to suit your needs.

Top 20 Anthropology Paper Topics

  • How does the environment impact the color of a person?
  • The advantages and disadvantages of eugenics in the 21st century.
  • A closer look at the aging process in the western culture.
  • What are the implications of physical labor on the physique of a person?
  • Define the relationship between Kyphosis to human senescence
  • Does smoking impact the appearance of a human being?
  • Death caused by drowning: How to determine it through examination of physical and anatomical evidence.
  • Existence of Homo Habilis is supported by modern facts.
  • Compare two theories that explain the origins of human beings.
  • A review of key beliefs about human body preservation in ancient Egypt.
  • The role played by storytelling in different cultures.
  • Applying anthropology as forensic science.
  • Heroes in society.
  • Closed societies.
  • Emergency of terrorism into a culture.
  • Feminism application in different cultures.
  • A review of the concept of wellness in different cultures.
  • What role does literature play in human development?
  • Analyzing conflicts in Latin American and Asian cultures.
  • Genetic engineering and anthropology: How are they related?

Interesting Anthropology Topics

  • Investigating how religious beliefs impact the Hispanic cultures.
  • A review of the evolution of sexual discrimination.
  • The impact of culture on same sex marriages: A case study of LGBT community in France.
  • A closer look at racism in modern societies.
  • Causes of homelessness among the Hispanic communities.
  • Causes and effects of homelessness among the Indian people in Asia.
  • Comparing the strategies adopted to deal with homelessness in the US and India.
  • Cultural anthropology and political science: How are they related?
  • Identify and review two most important organizations when it comes to advancing anthropology.
  • Peru’s Quechua people.
  • Contemporary policy and environmental anthropology.
  • What influences human social patterns?
  • A review of the impact of western culture on indigenous people in North America.
  • Analyzing the caste systems and ranking in societies.
  • A review of ancient Roman culture.
  • The evolution of the human ear.
  • Comparing the evolution of man to the evolution of birds.
  • What is the origin of modern humans?
  • A closer look at the main issues in female circumcision.

Biological Anthropology Research Paper Topics

  • Exploring the meaning of biological anthropology and its application in different fields.
  • Analyzing how primatologists use primates to understand human evolution.
  • How paleontologists use fossil records for anthropological comparisons.
  • Biological anthropology: How does it explain human behavior development?
  • Identify and review top geographical locations where anthropologists do their work: Why are these locations so important?
  • Define the connection between social sciences and biological anthropology.
  • The evolution of the primate diet.
  • Analyzing the evolution of tapetum lucidum.
  • A closer look at the extinction of giant lemurs in Madagascar.
  • Human resistance to drugs: Human pathogen coevolution.
  • How to determine the age of an animal using its bones.
  • How does syphilis impact bones?
  • Poaching and habitat destruction.
  • The application of natural selection in the animal kingdom.

Good Cultural Anthropology Research Paper Topics

  • Religious beliefs in the Asian cultures.
  • Comparing religious beliefs in African and Aboriginal cultures.
  • A review of the key cultural concepts in a culture of choice in Europe.
  • Comparing the idea of worldview from the perspectives of two societies.
  • Marriage in a traditional society of your choice.
  • A review of early development of economic organizations.
  • The role of women in Indian society.
  • A closer look at the process of language acquisition in African culture.
  • Missionary and anthropology: What is the relationship?
  • What strategies would you propose to minimize ethnocentrism?
  • How can society minimize the notion of cultural baggage?
  • Culture shock: Insights on how to address it.
  • Belief in magic in different societies.
  • A review of the impacts of globalization on nutritional anthropology.

Anthropological Research Questions

  • Should anthropology be merged fully with biology?
  • Is DNA evidence accurate in criminology applications?
  • How does the practice of anthropology application in China compare to that of the US?
  • Use of radiological tools in anthropology: What is their level of effectiveness?
  • What are the main hazards and risks of forensic anthropology?
  • What effect do mythologies have in modern society?
  • How does language acquisition impact the culture of a society?
  • Body project change projects: What are the valued attributes?
  • Halloween celebrations: How have they evolved over the years?
  • What are the impacts of adaptive mutation?
  • How did WWI and WWII impact human societies?
  • What are the impacts of climate change on animal evolution?
  • Location of crime: What can you learn about it?
  • What are the impacts of long-term alcohol addiction on the human body?
  • Magic and science: Are they related?

Easy Anthropological Ideas

  • Development of anthropology in the 21st century.
  • Important lessons about humans that can be drawn from anthropological studies.
  • Anthropological issues in pre-capitalist societies.
  • A closer look at folk roles and primitive society.
  • Urban centers and modern man.
  • How is automation impacting human behavior?
  • How does biology impact human culture?
  • Reviewing racial identity and stereotypes in society.
  • Comparing ancient Aztec to Maya civilizations.
  • Analyzing religious diversity in the United States.
  • Comparing religious diversity in the UK and Italy.
  • Why is studying anthropology important?
  • Comparing different death rituals in different cultures on the globe.
  • What is the relationship between literature and human development?
  • Analyzing the influence of anthropology on modern art.
  • How has social media impacted different cultures on the globe?

Linguistic Anthropology Research Topics

  • What led to the emergence of linguistics anthropology?
  • A review of the main theories in linguistic anthropology.
  • Linguistics used by different communities in the same nation.
  • Comparing sign and verbal communication.
  • How did Dell Hymes contribute to linguistic anthropology?
  • Language is the most important component among Bengal immigrants.
  • Language endangerment: What is it?
  • Comparing different categories of arts from an anthropological context for an Asian and Western country.
  • The impact of colonization on the language of a specific society of your choice.
  • Explore three different indigenous languages in America.

Controversial Anthropology Topics

  • Social anthropology is not worth studying because it is very general.
  • Human societies are cultural constructs.
  • The past should be considered a foreign nation.
  • What are your views of petro behavior in chimps?
  • Man is natural killer
  • Infant killing is an important evolutionary strategy.
  • The war on infanticides: Which side do you support?
  • Evaluating the concept of human morality.
  • Should all the political leaders be required to undertake training in cultural anthropology?
  • Human cleansing: Evaluating the driving factors in different societies.
  • Analyzing the concept of political correctness in the 21st century.
  • What are the earliest life forms to exist on the planet?

Medical Anthropology Research Topics List

  • Comparing and contrasting physical and medical anthropology studies.
  • Do we have evidence of evolution over the last 2000 years?
  • Exploring the importance of anthropology in modern medicine.
  • The health implications of adapting to ecology.
  • Domestic health culture practices in two societies of choice.
  • A review of clinical anthropology applications.
  • Political ecology of infectious diseases.
  • What is the relationship between violence, diseases and malnutrition?
  • The economic aspect of political health in a country of choice.
  • Perception of risk, vulnerability and illnesses: A case study of the United States.
  • What are the main factors that drive good nutrition and health transition?
  • The adoption of preventive health practices in society.
  • Important cultural conditions that help shape medical practices.
  • Comparing the medical practices during the colonial and post-colonial eras in a county of choice.
  • Use of mitochondria in forensic and anthropology.
  • Commercialization of health and medicine: What are the implications in society?
  • Analyzing health disparity in a society of your choice.

Current Topics In Anthropology

  • Using anthropology studies to determine the impact of political systems on different societies.
  • Human rights of people who are convicted of crimes.
  • What are the most important organizations when studying anthropology?
  • A closer look at the dialect of a modern feminist.
  • A study of current queer life in Germany.
  • Implications of Barack Obama as the African American President.
  • Reviewing the Pagan rituals and their impacts.
  • Comparing aging in the west and growing old in the African setting.
  • Cultural implications of deviant behavior in society.
  • The new concept of childhood in the emerging economies.

Physical Anthropology Research Topics

  • What does genetic hitchhiking mean?
  • Analyzing the cephalization process.
  • What is adaptive mutation?
  • Altruism: Is it learnt or a natural trait?
  • What is abiogenesis in human development?
  • A study of Australian marsupial’s convergent evolution.
  • Comparing stability of animals in stability and those in the wild.
  • Evolution of different animals in different parts of the globe. What drives the differences?
  • A review of physical anthropology trends.
  • The future evolution of human beings.
  • Physical anthropology: The human and digital culture.
  • What really makes people human?

Special Anthropology Topics to Write About

  • Enlightenment and Victorian Anthropological Theory.
  • Race and ethnicity: The anthropologist’s viewpoint.
  • A closer look at reciprocity in the native aboriginal communities in Australia.
  • What is the relationship between Neanderthal and modern humans?
  • Cultural anthropology versus sociology.
  • Anthropology of Mormonism.
  • What is the biggest change since WWI?
  • What is reflexive anthropology?
  • What is the main purpose of rituals in society?
  • Comparing rituals around childbirth in Asia.
  • Evaluating the connection between religion and myths in different societies.
  • Comparing the 20th and 21st century’s method of collecting anthropological data.
  • Why is medical anthropology so important today?
  • The importance of Benin artifacts in the history of the world.
  • The sociology theory: A review of its structure and shortcomings.
  • Christian believes in anthropology.
  • Comparing Anthropology of Europe to Anthropology of Africa.
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of reflexivity use in ethnographic studies.

Forensic Anthropology Paper Topics

  • What are the primary agents that cause biological changes in the human body?
  • Are the biological change agents in a human being similar to those of other animals?
  • Assessing the accuracy of carbon dating technology.
  • Analyzing the latest improvements in crime detection technology.
  • Analyzing evidence that supports evolution views of human beings.
  • How does radioactivity impact different animals?
  • The main signs of asphyxiation.
  • A review of the latest archaeological dating methods: Are they effective?
  • Mummification: How effective was the process as applied in Egypt?
  • Importance of crime scenes in forensic anthropology.
  • Analyzing the effectiveness of Buccal Swabs when profiling insides of cheeks.
  • Criminal profiling: How effective is it in deterring a criminal’s traits?
  • Footprint in the crime scene: What can they tell you?
  • Soil comparison in forensic anthropology.
  • Insect as important agents of body decomposition.
  • How do you identify blunt force trauma?
  • Comparing and contrasting penetrating and perforating trauma.
  • Analyzing the Rigor Mortis method of establishing a person’s death.

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Digital Commons @ USF > College of Arts and Sciences > Anthropology > Theses and Dissertations

Anthropology Theses and Dissertations

Theses/dissertations from 2023 2023.

Entanglements of Teenage Food Security Within High School Pantries in Pinellas County, Florida , Karen T. Díaz Serrano

The Applicability of the Postmortem Submersion Interval Estimation Formula for Human Remains Found in Subtropical Aquatic Environments , Kara L. DiComo

Early Agricultural Lives: Bioarchaeological Inferences from Neolithic and Early Copper Age Tombs in the Central Po Valley, Italy , Christopher J. Eck Jr.

The Process of Government in Clearwater, Florida , Picot deBoisfeuillet Floyd

“I Was Doing the Best with What I Had”: Exploring Student Veterans’ Experiences with Community Reintegration, Food Insecurity, and Health Challenges , Jacquelyn N. Heuer

Transformative Psychedelic Experiences at Music Events: Using Subjective Experience to Explore Chemosocial Assemblages of Culture , Gabrielle R. Lehigh

“We Need to Have a Place to Vent and Get Our Frustrations Out”: Addressing the Needs of Mothering Students in Higher Education using a Positive Deviance Framework , Melissa León

“They’re Still Trying to Wrap Their Head Around Forever”: An Anatomy of Hope for Spinal Cord Injury Patients , William A. Lucas

Foodways of the Florida Frontier: Zooarchaeological Analysis of Gamble Plantation Historic State Park (8MA100) , Mary S. Maisel

The Impacts of Disability Policy and its Implementation on Deaf University Students: An Applied Anthropological Approach , Tailyn Marie Osorio

“I’m Still Suffering”: Mental Health Care Among Central African Refugee Populations in the Tampa Bay Area , C. Danee Ruszczyk

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Immigration-Related Stressors, Pregnancy, Birth, and Post-Partum Experiences of Women Living Along the US-Mexico Border , Isabela Solis

Clinically Applied Anthropology: A Syndemic Intervention. , Jason W. Wilson

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

An Assessment of Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Individuals Gender Affirming Health Care Practices in the Greater Tampa Bay , Sara J. Berumen

Mound-Summit Practices at Cockroach Key (8HI2) Through the Lens of Practice Theory , Chandler O. Burchfield

Crafting a Scene: The Nexus of Production and Consumption of Tampa Bay Craft Beer , Russell L. Edwards

Applied Anthropology of Addiction in Clinical Spaces: co-Developing and Assessing a Novel Opioid Treatment Pathway , Heather Diane Henderson

Japan’s COVID 19 Infection Rate: A Focus on Tokyo Neighborhoods , Lauren Koerner

Farmers’ Organizations and Development Actors in a Pandemic: Responses to Covid-19 and the Food-Energy-Water Nexus , Atte Penttilä

An Ideology of Racism: Community Representation, Segregation, and the Historical Cemeteries of Panama City, Florida , Ethan David Mauldin Putman

“Even If You Have Food in Your House, It Will Not Taste Sweet”: Central African Refugees’ Experiences of Cultural Food Insecurity and Other Overlapping Insecurities in Tampa, Florida , Shaye Soifoine

Afro-Latinx and Afro-Latin Americans in the United States: Examining Ethnic and Racial Experiences in Higher Education , Glenda Maria Vaillant Cruz

Black Cemeteries Matter: The Erasure of Historic Black Cemeteries in Polk County, Florida , Juliana C. Waters

An Anthropology with Human Waste Management: Non-Humans, The State, and Matters of Care on the Placencia Peninsula, Belize , William Alex Webb

An Edgefield Ceramic Assemblage from the Lost Town of St. Joseph, Northwest Florida , Crystal R. Wright

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

Aspiring to “Make it Work”: Defining Resilience and Agency Amongst Hispanic Youth Living in Low-Income Neighborhoods , Sara Arias-Steele

“I Wish Somebody Called Me, Told Me Not to Worry”: Evaluating a Non-Profit’s Use of Social Support to Address Refugee Women’s Resettlement Challenges , Brandylyn L. Arredondo

Of Body and Mind: Bioarchaeological Analysis of Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Century Anatomization and Institutionalization in Siena, Italy , Jacqueline M. Berger

Cannabis Capitalism in Colorado: An Ethnography of Il/legal Production and Consumption , Lia Berman

Analyses Of Woodland Check-Stamped Ceramics In Northwest Florida , John D. Blackburn

“Here Come the Crackers!”: An Ethnohistorical Case Study of Local Heritage Discourses and Cultural Reproduction at a Florida Living History Museum , Blair Bordelon

Privies as Portals: A Ceramic and Glass Bottle Analysis of a Late 19th Century Household Privy in Ellenton, FL , Shana Boyer

Making Change in the Nickel City: Food Banking and Food Insecurity in Buffalo, NY During the COVID-19 Pandemic , Sarah E. Bradley

Ware and Tear in Ancient Tampa Bay: Ceramic Elemental Analyses from Pinellas County Sites , McKenna Loren Douglass

Rethinking Settlement Patterns at the Weeden Island Site (8PI1) on Florida’s Central Gulf Coast , Heather E. Draskovich

Listening to Women: Using a Mixed-Methods Approach to Understanding Women’s Desires and Experience During Childbirth , Nicole Loraine Falk Smith

Archaeology and Seasonality of Stock Island (8Mo2), a Glades-Tradition Village on Key West , Ryan M. Harke

How Culture and Storytelling Can Influence Urban Development: An Ethnographic Look at the Community-Driven Revitalization of Newtown in Sarasota, Florida , Michala Head

Educational Experiences of Congolese Refugees in West-Central Florida High Schools , Michaela J. Inks

Constructing 'Child Safety': Policy, Practice, and Marginalized Families in Florida's Child Welfare System , Melissa Hope Johnson

"We're the Lucky Ones": A Social Network Analysis of Recovery After the Iowa Derecho , Kayla C. Jones

How Race is Made in Everyday Life: Food, Eating, and Dietary Acculturation among Black and White Migrants in Florida, U.S. , Laura Kihlstrom

Tourism, Education, and Identity Making: Agency and Representation of Indigenous Communities in Public Sites within Florida. , Timothy R. Lomberk II

Pregnancy and Fertility Amongst Women with the MTHFR C677T Polymorphism: An Anthropological Review , Caroline A. MacLean

A Biocultural Analysis of the Impacts of Interactions Between West Africans and Europeans During the Trans-Atlantic Trade at Elmina, Ghana , Heidi Ellen Miller

The Distribution in Native Populations from Mexico and Central America of the C677T Variant in the MTHFR Gene , Lucio A. Reyes

Politics vs. The Environment: The Spatial Distributions of Mississippian Mound Centers in Tampa Bay , Adam J. Sax

Seasonality, Labor Organization, and Monumental Constructions: An Otolith Study from Florida’s Crystal River Site (8CI1) and Roberts Island Shell Mound Complex (8CI40 and 41) , Elizabeth Anne Southard

Eating and Body Image Disorders in the Time of COVID19: An Anthropological Inquiry into the Pandemic’s Effects on the Bodies , Theresa A. Stoddard

The Early Medieval Transition: Diet Reconstruction, Mobility, and Culture Contact in the Ravenna Countryside, Northern Italy , Anastasia Temkina

The Science of Guessing: Critiquing Ancestral Estimation Through Computer Generated Statistical Analysis Within Forensic Anthropology in a Real-World Setting , Christopher J. Turner

Listening to Queens: Ghana's Women Traditional Leaders as a Model for Gender Parity , Kristen M. Vogel

Site Suitability Modeling in the Sand Pine Scrub of the Ocala National Forest , Jelane M. Wallace

Our Story, Our Homeland, Our Legacy: Settlement Patterns of The Geechee at Sapelo Island Georgia, From 1860 To 1950 , Colette D. Witcher

Identifying Skeletal Puberty Stages in a Modern Sample from the United States , Jordan T. Wright

Pollen-Vegetation Relationships in Upper Tampa Bay , Jaime E. Zolik

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

Maternal Social Status, Offspring 2D:4D Ratio and Postnatal Growth, in Macaca mulatta (Rhesus Macaques) , Juan Pablo Arroyo

Social Exclusion of Older Mossi Women Accused of Witchcraft in Burkina Faso, West Africa , Clarisse Barbier

Fields Brook Superfund Site: Race, Class, and Environmental Justice in a Blasted Landscape , Richard C. Bargielski

The Effects of Feudalism on Medieval English Mobility: A Biological Distance Study Using Nonmetric Cranial Traits. , Jonathan H. Barkmeier

Before the Storm: Water and Energy Utilities, Human Vulnerability and Disaster Risk , Cori D. Bender

Recipes for the Living and the Dead: Technological Investigation of Ceramics from prehistoric Sicily. The case studies of Sant’Angelo Muxaro and Polizzello , Gianpiero Caso

Save Water Drink Wine: Challenges of Implementing the Ethnography of the Temecula Valley Wine Industry into Food-Energy-Water Nexus Decision-Making , Zaida E. Darley

İYo luché! : Uncovering and Interrupting Silencing in an Indigenous and Afro-descendant Community , Eileen Cecelia Deluca

Unwritten Records: Crime and Punishment in Early Virginia , Jessica L. Gantzert

‘It’s Been a Huge Stress’: An In-Depth, Exploratory Study of Vaccine Hesitant Parents in Southern California , Mika Kadono

Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy for Elemental Analysis in Bioarchaeology and Forensic Anthropology , Kelsi N. Kuehn

Middle Woodland Mounds of the Lower Chattahoochee, Lower Flint, and Apalachicola River Basin , Michael H. Lockman

Overturning the Turnbull Settlement: Artifact Analysis of the Old Stone Wharf in New Smyrna Beach, Florida , Tracy R. Lovingood

“They will think we are the Cancer Family”: Studying Patterns of Cancer Disclosure and Communication among Indian Immigrants in the United States , Kanan Mehta

Museum Kura Hulanda: Representations of Transatlantic Slavery and African and Dutch Heritage in Post-Colonial Curaçao , April Min

Nurses and Needlesticks: Perceptions of Stigma and HIV Risk , Bethany Sharon Moore

Circadian Rhythms and the Embodiment of Social Zeitgebers: Linking the Bio and Social , Tiffany R. Moore

Civic Engagement amid Civil Unrest: Haitian Social Scientists Working at Home , Nadège Nau

“Placing our breasts on a hot kerosene lantern”: A Critical Study of Microfinancialization in the Lives of Women Entrepreneurs in the Informal Economic Sector in Ibadan, Nigeria , Olubukola Olayiwola

Domestic Life during the Late Intermediate Period at El Campanario Site, Huarmey Valley, Peru , Jose Luis Peña

Archaeology and the Philosopher's Stance: An Advance in Ethics and Information Accessibility , Dina Rivera

A South Florida Ethnography of Mobile Home Park Residents Organizing Against Neoliberal Crony Capitalist Displacement , Juan Guillermo Ruiz

From Colonial Legacy to Difficult Heritage: Responding to and Remembering An Gorta Mór , Ireland’s Great Hunger , Katherine Elizabeth Shakour

The Role of Financial Insecurity and Expectations on Perspectives of Mental Health Services among Refugees , Jacqueline M. Siven

A Multidisciplinary Approach to Trauma Analysis in Cases of Child Fatality , Jaime D. Sykes

Governmentality, Biopower, and Sexual Citizenship: A Feminist Examination of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare Experiences of 18-24 Year-Olds in the U.S. Southeast , Melina K. Taylor

Characterizing Childhood and Diet in Migration Period Hungary , Kirsten A. Verostick

An Ethnography of WaSH Infrastructures and Governance in Sulphur Springs, Florida , Mathews Jackon Wakhungu

A Plan for Progress, Preservation, and Presentation at the Safety Harbor Museum and Cultural Center , Amanda L. Ward

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

Pathways to Parenthood: Attitudes and Preferences of Eight Self-Identified Queer Women Living in Tampa Bay, FL , Emily Noelle Baker

"It's Not Addiction Until You Graduate": Natural Recovery in the College Context , Breanne I. Casper

Tales of Trafficking: Performing Women's Narratives in a Sex Trafficking Rehabilitation Program in Florida , Jaine E. Danlag

Perceptions of Infrastructure, Flood Management, and Environmental Redevelopment in the University Area, Hillsborough County, Florida , Kris-An K. Hinds

Eating in America: Easing the Transition for Resettled Refugees through an Applied Anthropological Intervention , Emily A. Holbrook

Genetic Testing and the Power of the Provider: Women’s Experiences with Cancer Genetic Testing , Dana Erin Ketcher

An Archaeological Investigation of Enslavement at Gamble Plantation , S. Matthew Litteral

“Right in the Trenches with Them”: Caregiving, Advocacy, and the Political Economy of Community Health Workers , Ryan I. Logan

Exploring Variations in Diet and Migration from Late Antiquity to the Early Medieval Period in the Veneto, Italy: A Biochemical Analysis , Ashley B. Maxwell

Least of My Worries: Food Security, Diet Quality, and Antiretroviral Adherence among People Living with HIV , Charlotte Ann Noble

The Tampa Gym Study: An Ethnographic Exploration of Gyms, Female Gym-Goers and The Quest for Fitness in Tampa, FL , Danielle Reneé Rosen

Environmental Legacies of Pre-Contact and Historic Land Use in Antigua, West Indies , Anthony Richard Tricarico

“What I Hadn’t Realized is How Difficult it is, You Know?”: Examining the Protective Factors and Barriers to Breastfeeding in the UK , Cheyenne R. Wagi

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

“I Want Ketchup on my Rice”: The Role of Child Agency on Arab Migrant Families Food and Foodways , Faisal Kh. Alkhuzaim

Exploring Explicit Fanfiction as a Vehicle for Sex Education among Adolescents and Young Adults , Donna Jeanne Barth

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anthropology topics for dissertation

Find the best tips and advice to improve your writing. Or, have a top expert write your paper.

259 Most Popular Anthropology Research Topics For Students

anthropology research topics

Anthropology is the concept that explores the culture of human societies and how these cultures have spurred development. It is the study of physiological and biological features which encompasses the evolution of humans.

The study extends to ethnography, participant observation, ethnocentrism, even cultural relativism. As a student, you may need anthropology topics for your research or forthcoming college essay. You may even need anthropology project ideas to create your idea for a paper.

These persuasive anthropology essay topics are across different fields of the course and you can choose any of these topics for your use.

Medical Anthropology Research Topics

As a part of anthropology that deals with human health, diseases, and the performance of public health institutions, you may need anthropological topics viewing humanity from the ecological lens. Consider the following:

  • Assess the intervention of government and NGOs following Ebola virus break in Europe
  • Evaluate the success of governmental and NGO intervention after the Ebola virus outbreak in Africa
  • Assess the role of ethnobotany in medical sciences
  • Nuclear disaster: evaluate how it affects people using an event of natural disaster as a case study
  • Assess the residue why societal infamy is linked to HIV/AIDS
  • Attempt an evaluation of how the spread of HIV/AIDS is improved by sex workers in Central Europe
  • HIV/AIDS: an Analysis of the safety measures for commercial sex workers if it exists
  • Assess the strength and weaknesses of orthodox and unorthodox medicine in Native Americans
  • Evaluate the medical threats of depression in South Asia communities
  • Engage in an assessment of women’s sexuality and how culture affects sexual health
  • Attempt a medical moral perspective of the ethics behind euthanasia and how it could be synonymous with suicide
  • Express in detail what transcultural nursing means
  • Assess the complications in the treatment of periodontal disease
  • Examine how nursing ethics become pragmatic in the career of professionals
  • Examine how South Africa gas managed to reduce the HIV infection rate
  • How do contraceptives address HIV/AIDS and its spread
  • What does positive living mean as a means of avoiding AIDS stigma?
  • Express what sexual diversity means in America as a way to combat AIDS
  • Give an account if his Environmental and political health can help the advancement of medical anthropology
  • Give a study on the status of cancer after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Russia
  • Examine the environmental health disaster of two countries of your choice
  • Assess the connection of income to health and analyze three pioneering literature on the study
  • An attempt to explain big pharma and the complications of watchdogs and whistleblowers
  • Give a comparative overview of the Ebola virus and HIV/AIDS in Africa
  • How has the outbreak of HIV/AIDS affected the gay community since its first discovery?

Ethnographic Research Topics

You already know ethnography as the study of the everyday life of a particular society. These are anthropological essay topics that you can consider for your research or forthcoming undergraduate essay. They are:

  • Undergo a qualitative ethnographic representation of contemporary feminism in America
  • Examine the role of clinical science in the pharmaceutical science of rural communities
  • Choose a minority group of your choice and conduct research on their mental wellbeing based on their challenges
  • Research why abortion is considered the first resort for sexually assaulted and domestically violated victims
  • Evaluate the role of Ethnography and Its studies in psychology
  • Elucidate how teachers can adopt the findings of Ethnography in classroom learning
  • Examine the function of Ethnography in software technology
  • Assess how Ethnography and its studies could help people with learning disabilities
  • Assess how music and interpersonal relationship improve cognitive behaviors
  • Attempt an ethnographic study of healthcare management and American nurses’ intensive care
  • Attempt an Ethnographic study of resource management and how it affects American doctors
  • Attempt an Ethnographic study on the inclusiveness of health care and the public access to it
  • Evaluate how journalists cope with stress and how it affects their profession
  • Examine the boundaries of citizens involvement in intensive healthcare
  • Examine the Ethnographic study of a group of domestically violated victims and how they respond to the violation
  • Evaluate the effects of smart homes and privacy in communal Ethnographic studies
  • Evaluate the status of spiritual healing through systems of pilgrimage therapy
  • Examine the culture existent in poor educational leadership and how it fails the society
  • Attempt an expository study on the role of psychologists in advancing special education
  • How ICT improved collaborative work routines: a study of its consequences on human relationships
  • Embark on a qualitative research study on diabetes studies in Southeast Asia
  • Use ethnographic information to assess intensive public healthcare
  • Attempt an ethnographic overview of patient handover in European health care
  • Account for the challenges in interprofessional teamwork practice amongst European nurses
  • Conduct an overview of how cultures affect professionalism in healthcare: a case study of an African and European country
  • Study traditional health beliefs and myths and how they affect contemporary society development
  • Express how the value of education has been improved through ethnographic discoveries
  • Examine the factors that facilitate cultural developments in the face of Western civilization: a case study of India or China
  • Conduct a study on the beliefs of Japanese students while they learn English
  • Examine the state of theories of racism and how the black community of America has tried to change the narrative

Anthropology Research Paper Topics

You may need topics in anthropology for your next research paper. As you already know that anthropology is generally about cultures and history, you may need ideas of topics in anthropology to direct what your research is centered on. You can consider the following topics for informative and compelling research:

  • Examine the greeting gestures in American and Chinese societies
  • Examine the greeting gestures in native African societies
  • Attempt a comparative analysis of greeting gestures amongst the Yoruba people in Nigeria and the Brazilians with Yoruba ancestry
  • Navigate the process of aging and how it exacerbates fear of old age
  • Examine the benefits and consequences of eugenics in today’s world
  • Examine how human color affects his social relationship with his environment: a case study of the UK
  • Examine how the physical outlook of a smoker is affected
  • Investigate the view that human civilization emerged from Africa
  • Investigate the view that homo habilis is not an evolutionary fiction
  • Assess how ancient Egyptians kept dead
  • Attempt an overview of kissing myths in the western world and how it affects the cultural meaning of a kiss
  • Attempt an overview of the evolving ideas to matrimony in Asia
  • Account for the effects of the internet and western civilization on the traditions of Japan
  • Account for the significance of the Greek culture on Italian languages and culture
  • Account for the similarity and contrast in the philosophy of ancient Greece and Italy
  • Assess Latin language and account for the development of other languages since their inception
  • Assess the Slavic groups and explore the development of the aborigines and the modern Slavophiles
  • Account for the significance of women in ancient Egypt
  • Attempt a bird’s eye documentation of women’s role in modern Egypt
  • Study the concepts of American culture of consumerism and the Scandinavian culture of minimalism
  • Account for animal and floral prints in the life and art of native American cultures
  • Account for the connection of animals and plants in the art of beautification amongst native American tribes
  • Attempt a detailed overview of how the Roman Catholic Church improved the science of sculpting and architecture
  • Account for the influence of the Roman Catholic Church as the center of government, religion, art, and social life
  • Attempt a reconstruction of migrants and immigration means in America’s 17th to 21st centuries
  • Defend the notion that the English political culture is a mix of the old and contemporary cultures
  • Attempt a criticism of the monarchy in European politics over western democracy
  • Attempt a critical overview of the Bollywood and Hollywood movie industry as well as the historical context explored in the products
  • Assess the cultural constructions of human society and how they aid evolutions
  • Consider the discourse that language doesn’t exist without culture and vice versa drawing opinions from at least five Literature
  • Account for the development of rock music and its connection to any native American tribes
  • Attempt an overview of how social media engages the electorate before and during elections
  • Explore the concept of piercing in western countries and Asia’s India
  • Study the contemporary psychology of traveling between teenagers and their parents
  • Drug: attempt a critic of it as an entertainment or a coping mechanism.

Cultural Anthropology Topics

Cultural anthropology research topics give answers to human behavior by studying patterns and distinguishing elements from other societies. If you need awesome anthropology paper topics, you may consider the following to impress your professor as your graduate thesis topic:

  • Explore the social and cultural revolution leading to homosexuality in Africa
  • Attempt the social and cultural revolution that led to contemporary sexual attitudes in any region
  • Assess the social and cultural revolution that has propelled feminism in the Middle East
  • Attempt an overview of the different nature of feminism in the west and the Middle East
  • Criticize the critics who believe western feminism attempts to dominate the cultural lives of women in Arab countries
  • Consider an in-depth analysis of the Philosophies of two societies of your choice
  • Attempt an in-depth analysis of the religious beliefs of two traditional groups in Europe
  • Assess the structure of family and marriage in two countries of your choice in Africa and Asia
  • Account for the concept of ancestors in native American countries and Africa
  • Document the significance of cultural diversity in the study of human evolution in anthropology
  • Account for the meaning of cultural baggage and how to address the concept of culture invasion
  • Explore the background, development, and public reaction to the concept of gay and lesbian narratives in Africa
  • Give a critical assessment of how burial practices are interwoven with religion and myth
  • Explore the influence of religious and cultural superstition in the development of African worldview
  • Account for the evolving roles of women in Asian countries
  • Account for the distinctions in the cultures of death rituals in any two Asian countries
  • Account for the fundamental influence of culture and religion in the forced marriage narratives of Northern Nigeria
  • Assess the function of storytelling in the promotion of native American cultures
  • Account for the significance of social media in the culture of the first and third world
  • Attempt a forensic overview of the concept of family, fraternity, and gangs
  • Assess the significance of gangs and fraternities in the development of modern England
  • Give a forensic overview of the significance of political organizations in many Middle Eastern countries
  • Attempt a criticism of western intervention and modernization agenda in developing countries as an attempt to encroach cultures
  • Explore the distinction between the level of education in an Islamic state in the Middle East and a liberal state in Asia
  • Study music, dance, and parties in the contemporary society
  • Study the cultures of rituals and festivals and how they have led to cultural identity, community development, and intercultural relationship
  • Assess the concept of social status in any African community
  • Explore the cultures of any native American tribe and how it has changed over time
  • Assess the role of literature in the evolution of humans ideas
  • Study the understanding of health and wellness in three societies across from Europe, Africa, and Asia
  • Study the process of migration, factors mitigating against it, and how migration promotes cultural diversity
  • Examine the role of literature in spreading libertarian ideas
  • Argue for feminism in patriarchal societies
  • Attempt a criticism and distinction of anthropology and art
  • Explore the emergence and influence of culture on tourism.

Biological Anthropology Research Topics

This discipline examines the origins and evolution of humans, notably hominins. It studies fossil behavior, genetics, and other significant concepts that makeup morphology. If you need persuasive anthropology essay topics for your college or university degree, you can wow your professor with any of these:

  • Explore the socio-economic and cultural history of Americans and alcohol drinkers
  • Account for the effects of the disaster of Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings
  • Examine the transgenerational impact of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear explosions
  • Account for the results of radioactivity in the affected population of Fukushima Daiichi in 2011
  • Assess the biology in same-sex matrimony in North America
  • Account for the origin, spread, and transgenerational impact of any endemic in any society of your choice
  • A critical overview of COVID-19 and the battle for survival in two or more Indian cities
  • Cocaine use in America: health impact on addicts and the psychology for starters
  • Marijuana in North America: benefits, disadvantages, and woes
  • Maladaptation: how it affects migrants in any country of your choice
  • Examine how domestic health care challenges cultural health practices in any Middle Eastern country
  • Analyze the concept of vulnerability and risk in public health care
  • Analyze the possibilities of traditional institutions in preserving cultures
  • Explore the relationship and comparison between malnutrition, violence, and chronic disease in any society of your choice
  • Study the factors that drive health care transition, nutrition, and improvement of health in any European country of your choice
  • How do social relationships affect nutritional choices and human healthy living?
  • Account for the historical practices that have influenced medicinal practices and policies in the contemporary society
  • Examine clinical interactions in any social association of your choice
  • Attempt a pluralistic overview of health practices in any society of your choice
  • Assess the cultural revolution of medicine in any African country of your choice
  • Give an overview of how pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies shape contemporary medicine
  • Explore medical cultures in pre-colonial, colonial, and post-colonial India and how it functions as a part of modernity
  • Examine the commercialization and commodification of medicine and healthcare in the contemporary society
  • Account for the disparity in healthcare accessibility in any developing country
  • Account for the challenges of a developing nation in public access to healthcare services

Interesting Anthropology Topics

If you’d like to explore current anthropology research questions, there are compelling topics for your undergraduate research. You can attempt and rephrase any topics in anthropology below to use for your school essay or research:

  • Women in Afghanistan and the culture of silence
  • Women in Egypt and the culture of silence
  • The influence of western feminism and the culture of silence in the Arabic Muslim world
  • Examine the influence of environmental anthropology on medicine
  • Attempt a critical study of the global outlook of HIV/AIDS and how it concerns the LGBTQ community
  • Explore the impact of contemporary ideologies on native American societies
  • Account for the role of folklore in the defense and transgenerational retainment of cultures
  • Tribal, savage, barbaric: explore the culture of labeling in the contemporary world
  • Assess the growth of modern man and the evolution of civilization
  • Account for different race theories and the systems of cultural assimilations across the world
  • Give an account of the overview of colonialism as expressed by the Literature of Franz Fanon
  • Assess the connection of political science with cultural anthropology
  • Explain the psychology behind genocide and its effects on human relationship
  • Attempt an anthropological analysis of human behavior in Lord of the Flies
  • Account for the nature of matrimony in Islamic societies
  • Express the racial identities particular to native American tribes and any Asian country of your choice
  • Compare and contrast American and Asian music
  • Express the psychological implications of Barack Obama’s emergence as a colored president
  • Explore the origin, factor for development, and spread of biological aggression during warfare
  • Give a critical account of the hunter-gatherer society in South Africa
  • Give an overview of fishermen and their knowledge of the society in any country of your choice
  • Explore how the internet promoted westernization
  • Examine the influence of cross-cultural experiences in the modern world
  • Evaluate the history and significance of the festivities of Halloween
  • Evaluate the factors that promote the culture of bullying in America
  • Evaluate the concept of aging in African and Europe
  • Express the spiritual cultures of any African and European country
  • Assess the religious beliefs of Catholicism and Its Influence on contemporary faith
  • Assess how sexuality is affected by religiosity
  • Evaluate the defiant behavior of contemporary sexuality
  • Examine the factors that propel religious aggressions
  • Expatiate on the factors that promote cultural hatred in a diverse society
  • Explore the cultural distinctions between European and American societies
  • Account for the role of TV reality shows in the social life of any society of your choice
  • How does TV reality show the reality of any society?

Physical Anthropology Research Paper Topics

This is a field of anthropology interested in the history, evolution, and distinguishing features of humans. The field impacts, most importantly, human behavior and anatomical transformations. You can consider these Anthropology research paper topics for your class or personal research study:

  • What are the advantages and consequences of eugenics in today’s society?
  • Why has the origin of man been different societies of civilization
  • Have western ideas of superiority affected the acknowledgment of Egypt as the cradle of civilization?
  • What are the contemporary facts that support past research and experiences of homo habilis?
  • What are the consequences of smoking on human physical appearance
  • What is the underlying Egyptian belief in preserving the dead
  • Examine the Influence of the environment on skin color
  • Explore aging in Asian countries and what it means for them
  • Analyze the physical concept of re-adjusting newborn babies by nursing mothers
  • Analyze five pieces of Literature on the stages of drowning till death

List of Ethnography Topics

If you need topics regarding the scientific understanding of cultures, humans, their customs, and collective distinctive features, you need ethnographic research topics. You can consider the following:

  • Is homelessness a function of ethnic affiliation in the United States?
  • Examine the factors contributing to migration from Latin America to other parts of the world
  • Examine the concept of drug trafficking in Africa
  • Examine the violence and concept of human trafficking in Africa
  • Analyze the Psychology of victims of human trafficking and how it affects their human relationships
  • Attempt to examine how cultures of patriarchy adapt to American liberalism
  • Analyze the factors that propel violence through drug trade in South America
  • Examine the difference between the treatment of black and white Americans in the prison system
  • Attempt to respond to the division of fraternities along the lines of ethnic groups
  • Discuss the way of life of homeless persons in Europe
  • Examine the domestic policies of Europe and how it affects day to day living
  • Examine how the migration policies of Poland affect migrants
  • Examine how US veterans are integrated into the society
  • Criticize the policies of Poland and express its fear of terrorism
  • Give an overview of Sharia law in the UK and what it means for the culture
  • Examine the conceit of migration between Africa and Europe
  • Examine how unemployment has fueled the migration of Nigerian culture to Saudi Arabia and the potential effect of cultural diversity
  • Examine how Muslim parents dominate their children’s choices
  • Examine how parents in Asian societies dominate their children’s choices
  • Analyze how parents in European societies dominate their children’s choices
  • Discuss the advantages of western socialization with Islamic countries
  • Assess the politics of Arab countries
  • Account for the Arab spring and the link to human revolutions
  • Account for the means of socializing with kids in India
  • Examine the link between terrorism and human trafficking
  • Explore the success and failure levels of people with different backgrounds
  • Examine the trend of marriage and the changes in any society of your choice
  • Account for how globalization has affected any group of people
  • Account for the values of European countries
  • Assess the eating habits of European homeless persons
  • Account for how the street is sometimes space for talent shows
  • Discuss the concept of adulthood amongst Brazilians and Indians
  • Examine any social organization and share their striking features
  • What is the traditional and contemporary definition of beauty
  • Examine the culture of transgenderism in Arab countries.

Current Topics in Anthropology

You could also want to consider straightforward anthropology topics for your thesis. You can set your research study on:

  • Oral traditions and culture
  • Human evolution
  • Forensic anthropology
  • Physical Anthropology
  • Spiritual therapy
  • Cross-cultural diversity
  • Linguistics and culture
  • Art, beauty, and worldview
  • Labour and work systems
  • Political and economic systems
  • Family, kinship, and marriage systems
  • Social inequality
  • Contemporary technology
  • Contemporary industrialization
  • Immigration processes
  • Archaeology
  • Gender studies
  • Decomposition
  • Methods embalmment
  • Primatology
  • Reconstruction of skeletal systems
  • Homo species
  • Science of excavations
  • Human anatomy
  • Interpretation of archaeological researches
  • Early species
  • Westernization and tribalism
  • Comparative culture.

Need Help With Anthropology?

Since you have access to topics which could guide your research, you may also need thesis help for a compelling research study. There are many online research writing assistance websites who can help create the best and most informative study. You can get a high quality essay at a fast pace to pass your undergraduate degree at a cheap price. You can even get your class colleagues on board for the awesome opportunity to get an excellent essay.

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Home > SBS > ANTHRO > Anthropology Department Dissertations Collection

Anthropology

Anthropology Department Dissertations Collection

Current students, please follow this link to submit your dissertation.

Dissertations from 2024 2024

Behavior and Ecology of the Kinda baboon , Anna H. Weyher, Anthropology

THE POSSIBILITIES OF PROTOCOLS: PATHWAYS TO RELATIONAL KNOWLEDGE SHARING IN A SETTLER COLONIAL CONTEXT , Julie Woods, Anthropology

Dissertations from 2023 2023

The Abolition of Care: An Engaged Ethnography of the Progressive Jail Assemblage , Justin Helepololei, Anthropology

PUBLIC HEALTH, INDUSTRIALIZATION AND TUBERCULOSIS OUTCOMES AMONGST WOMEN IN 19th-20th CENTURY CLEVELAND , Sarah Mathena, Anthropology

Sociocultural and familial factors associated with symptom experience at midlife among women in Nagaland, India , Peteneinuo Rulu, Anthropology

Dissertations from 2022 2022

Reclaiming the future through Small-Scale Agriculture: Autonomy and Sustainability in the Caribbean , Dana M. Conzo, Anthropology

Violence and Indigenous Women in Mexico: Towards an Unsettled Feminist Ethnography of (in)Security , Ana Del Conde, Anthropology

BALL OR DIE: UNDERSTANDING BLACK MALE STUDENT-ATHLETE COUNTERSTORIES AT AN HWCU , Derek J. Doughty, Anthropology

Beyond Revolutionaries, Victims, and Heroic Mothers. Reproductive Politics in War and Peace in Colombia , Vanesa Giraldo Gartner, Anthropology

Rules of Recognition: Indigenous Encounters with Society and the State , Erica Kowsz, Anthropology

“ETHNICITY IN THE CLOUDS:” HERITAGE GOVERNANCE IN POST-DISASTER QIANG COMMUNITIES IN SICHUAN PROVINCE, CHINA , Ying Li, Anthropology

Digital Indigeneity: Digital Media's Uses for Identity Formation, Education, and Activism by Indigenous People in the Northeastern United States , Virginia A. McLaurin, Anthropology

NAHUATL DISCOURSES AND POLITICAL SPEECHES AS WAYS TO NEGOTIATE THE RACIAL MONOLINGUAL IDEOLOGY OF THE MEXICAN STATE IN HIDALGO, MEXICO , Vanessa Miranda Juárez, Anthropology

Blood for Bread: Kurdish Kolbers, State Violence, and Another Call for Militant Anthropology. (A Dissertation Portfolio) , Ahmad Mohammadpour, Anthropology

The survivors of the train: disability, testimonio, and activism in migrants with disabilities , claudia j. morales, Anthropology

Making the Old City: Life Projects and State Heritage in Rhodes and Acre , Evan Taylor, Anthropology

Dissertations from 2021 2021

Diversity and Evolution of Human Eccrine Sweat Gland Density , Andrew W. Best, Anthropology

Liberation and Gravy: An Engaged Ethnography of Queer and Trans Power in Georgia , Elias Capello, Anthropology

THE PROMISE OF EMPOWERMENT: REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE, DECOLONIAL FEMINISMS, AND THE CASES OF FORCED STERILZIATION IN PERU , Julie Chaparro, Anthropology

A CROSS-CULTURAL COMPARISON OF ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE SYMPTOMS AND CAREGIVING IN THE UNITED STATES AND MEXICO , Eric Erastus Griffith, Anthropology

Above the Oxbow: The Construction of Place on Mount Holyoke , Danielle R. Raad, Anthropology

The Boundaries of Safety: The Sanctuary Movement in the Inland Empire , Cecilia I. Vasquez, Anthropology

Dissertations from 2020 2020

Monitored Reproduction: Surveillance, Labor, and Care in Pro-Natalist Turkey , Seda Saluk, Anthropology

PARALLEL POLITICS: AN ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY OF THE 2013 MEXICAN EDUCATION REFORM , Ashley Sherry, Anthropology

Dissertations from 2019 2019

Production and Power at Idalion, Cyprus in the First Millennium BCE , Rebecca Bartusewich, Anthropology

Modeling the Local Political Economy of Adulis: 1000 BCE-700 ACE , Daniel Habtemichael, Anthropology

What Will You Do Here? Dignified Work and the Politics of Mobility in Serbia , Dana N. Johnson, Anthropology

RECOLLECTIONS: MEMORY, MATERIALITY, AND MERITOCRACY AT THE DR. JAMES STILL HISTORIC OFFICE AND HOMESTEAD , Marc Lorenc, Anthropology

The Political Work of Memory in Collaborative Caribbean Archaeology , Elena Sesma, Anthropology

The Politics of Return: Migration, Race, and Belonging in the Russian Far East , Lauren Woodard, Anthropology

Dissertations from 2018 2018

Embodied Heritage: Obesity, Cultural Identity, and Food Distribution Programs in the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma , Kasey Aliene Jernigan, Anthropology

LABOR MIGRATION AND INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE IN POSTSOCIALIST RURAL ROMANIA , Alin Rus, Anthropology

Dissertations from 2017 2017

Can Long Bone Structural Variability Detect Among-Population Relationships? , Gina Agostini, Anthropology

On the Landscape for a Very, Very Long Time: African American Resistance and Resilience in 19th and Early 20th Century Massachusetts , Anthony Martin, Anthropology

Who Ate the Subfossil Lemurs? A Taphonomic and Community Study of Raptor, Crocodylian and Carnivoran Predation of the Extinct Quaternary Lemurs of Madagascar. , Lindsay Meador, Anthropology

POTTERS ON THE PENOBSCOT: AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL CASE STUDY EXPLORING HUMAN AGENCY, IDENTITY, AND TECHNOLOGICAL CHOICE , Bonnie D. Newsom, Anthropology

The effects of industrialization and urbanization on growth and development: A comparison of boys and girls from three Industrial European skeletal collections , Sarah Reedy, Anthropology

Dissertations from 2016 2016

A Conflict of Interest? Negotiating Agendas, Ethics, and Consequences Regarding the Heritage Value of Human Remains , Heidi J. Bauer-Clapp, Anthropology

Change of Sight, Sites of Creativity: The Visual Arts in Albania after Socialism , Sofia Kalo, Anthropology

Clay Pot Cookery: Dairy, Diet and Class during the South Levantine Iron Age II Period , Mary K. Larkum, Anthropology

Ideological Conflict Embedded in Anthropology and the Road to Restructuring the Discipline , Donna L. Moody, Anthropology

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep: An Ethnographic Analysis of the Development, Implementation, and Sustainability of a Safe Infant Sleep Education Campaign in Springfield, MA , Julie Skogsbergh, Anthropology

Dissertations from 2015 2015

Uncovering and Recovering Cleared Galloway: The Lowland Clearances and Improvement in Scotland , Christine B. Anderson, Anthropology

Illegal Hunting on the Masoala Peninsula of Madagascar: Its Extent, Causes, and Impact on Lemurs and Humans , Cortni Borgerson, Anthropology

Ts'msyen Revolution: The Poetics and Politics of Reclaiming , Robin R. R. Gray, Anthropology

The Political Ecology of Early Childhood Lead Exposure at the New York African Burial Ground , Joseph Jones, Anthropology

An Ethnography of African Diasporic Affiliation and Disaffiliation in Carriacou: How Anglo-Caribbean Preadolescent Girls Express Attachments to Africa , Valerie Joseph, Anthropology

From Green Economies to Community Economies: Economic Possibility in Massachusetts , Boone W. Shear, Anthropology

On Belonging, Difference and Whiteness: Italy's Problem with Immigration , Flavia Stanley, Anthropology

Dissertations from 2014 2014

Palm Trees y Nopales: The Commodification and Hybridization of the South Texas Borderlands , Andriana M. Foiles Sifuentes, Anthropology

Searching for a Praxis of Possibility: Civic Engagement and the Corporatized University , Deborah Keisch, Anthropology

Curious Monuments of the Simplest Kind: Shell Midden Archaeology in Massachusetts , Katharine Vickers Kirakosian, Anthropology

CONVERSATIONS WITH THE COMMUNITY: AN ETHNOGRAPHY OF TWO CASE STUDIES HIGHLIGHTING COMMUNITY-RESEARCH PARTNERSHIPS IN SPRINGFIELD, MA , Vanessa Martinez, Anthropology

Loss of Cell Surface aGal during Catarrhine Evolution: Possible Implications for the Evolution of Resistance to Viral Infections and for Oligocene Lineage Divergence , Idalia Aracely Rodriguez, Anthropology

Dissertations from 2013 2013

Framed: Native American Represtations in Contempoary Visual Mediums , Marta Carlson, Anthropology

Mind The Gap: Materiality of Gendered Landscapes in Deerfield, Massachusetts, ca. 1870 - ca. 1920 , Elizabeth Ann Harlow, Anthropology

Continuity in the Face of Change: Mashantucket Pequot Plant Use From 1675-1800 A.D. , Kimberly Carol Kasper, Anthropology

An Archaeology Of Improvement In Rural New England: Capitalism, Landscape Change, and Rural Life In The Early 19th Century , Quentin Lewis, Anthropology

Contested Subjects: Biopolitics & the Moral Stakes of Social Cohesion in Post-Welfare Italy , Milena Marchesi, Anthropology

Knuckle-Walking Signal in the Manual Phalanges and Metacarpals of the Great Apes (Pan and Gorilla) , Stacey Ann Matarazzo, Anthropology

Inhabiting Spaces, Making Places: Creating a Spatial and Material Biography of David Ruggles , Linda M Ziegenbein, Anthropology

Dissertations from 2012 2012

Biocultural Perspectives on Gender, Transitions, Stress, and Immune Function , Leo Zachary DuBois, Anthropology

Orientations of the heart: Exploring hope & diversity in undergraduate citizenship education , Mary Hannah Henderson

Virtual Black Spaces: An Anthropological Exploration of African American Online Communities' Racial and Political Agency Amidst Virtual Universalism , Kamela S Heyward, Anthropology

Remaking the Political in Fortress Europe: Political Practice and Cultural Citizenship in Italian Social Centers , Angelina Ione Zontine, Anthropology

Dissertations from 2011 2011

A Question of Comfort: Race, Whiteness, and the Creation of Diverse, Inclusive, and Engaged Learning Environments , H. Elizabeth Braun, Anthropology

Politics by Other Means: Rhizomes of Power in Argentina's Social Movements , Graciela G. Monteagudo, Anthropology

The Human Factor In Mouse Lemur (Microcebus Griseorufus) Conservation: Local Resource Utilization And Habitat Disturbance At Beza Mahafaly, SW Madagascar , Emilienne Rasoazanabary, Anthropology

Dissertations from 2010 2010

Reproductive Biology of Mouse and Dwarf Lemurs of Eastern Madagascar, With an Emphasis on Brown Mouse Lemurs (Microcebus rufus) at Ranomafana National Park, A Southeastern Rainforest , Marina Beatriz Blanco, Anthropology

Increasing the scale of inquiry: A GIS approach to archaeology, environment and landscape during the early Holocene in Central Massachusetts , Kathryn Curran

That Which Is Not What It Seems: Queer Youth, Rurality, Class and the Architecture of Assistance , Kaila Gabrielle Kuban, Anthropology

New England Terrestrial Settlement in a Submerged Context: Moving Pre-Contact Archaeology into the Twenty First Century , Kerry J. Lynch, Anthropology

Making Peace On The Island Of Love: An Ethnographic Exploration Of Peacebuilding In Cyprus. , Lisa Modenos, Anthropology

Breastfeeding and the Individual: The Impact of Everyday Stressful Experience and Hormonal Change on Breastfeeding Duration Among Women in São Paulo, Brazil , Alanna Emilia Frances Rudzik, Anthropology

Dissertations from 2009 2009

High Stakes: A Poly-Communal Archaeology Of The Pocumtuck Fort, Deerfield, Massachusetts , Siobhan M Hart, Anthropology

Cold Spring, Hot Foundry: An Archaeological Exploration of the West Point Foundry’s Paternal Influence Upon the Village of Cold Spring and its Residents , Elizabeth M. Norris, Anthropology

From “Spanish choices” to Latina /o voices: Interrogating technologies of language, race, and identity in a self -serving American moment , Ramon Solorzano

The Adoption of Shamanic Healing into the Biomedical Health Care System in the United States , Lori L. Thayer, Anthropology

“To Promote, Encourage Or Condone:” Science, Activism And The Political Role Of Moralism In The Formation Of Needle Exchange Policy In Springfield, Massachusetts, 1998–2005 , Jon E Zibbell, Anthropology

Dissertations from 2008 2008

Unwrapping the anatomical gift: Donors, cadavers, students , Carol N Coan

“Driven” women: Gendered moral economies of women's migrant labor in postsocialist Europe's peripheries , Leyla J Keough

From infancy to death? An examination of the African burial ground in relation to Christian eighteenth century beliefs , Ruth Annette Mathis

Dissertations from 2007 2007

Towards the within: Visual culture, performance, and aesthetics of acupuncture , Kevin Taylor Anderson

Historical erasure and cultural recovery: Indigenous people in the Connecticut River Valley , Margaret M Bruchac

Musculoskeletal attachment site markers and skeletal pathology of the forearm and carpal bones from Tell Abraq, United Arab Emirates, c. 2300 BC , Janet M Cope

Localization of central vasopressin V1A receptors in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) , Diane M Toloczko

The Croatian public sphere and the journalistic milieu , Richard Wallace

Dissertations from 2006 2006

Chronic pain and working women in Berkshire County: Towards a critical physical therapy , James R Brennan

An integrative analysis of how zinc in teeth reflects maternal environments and predicts infant function in a rural Mexican community , Alexis E Dolphin

Breastfeeding and bone density change , Karen L Pearce

The house of the jaguar: The engaged anthropology of Gertrude Duby Blom at Museo Na Bolom , Mary L Robison

Good Fridays, Celtic Tigers and the Drumcree Church Parade: Media, politics and the state in Northern Ireland , Thomas H Taaffe

Archaeology and normalcy: Disciplining a discipline , Joannah L Whitney

Dissertations from 2005 2005

Negotiating power: A new discourse of the maquiladora industry in Ciudad Juarez , James H Hamm

From scientific risk to paysan savoir -faire: Divergent rationalities of science and society in the French debate over GM crops , Chaia L Heller

The formulation of Turkish immigrant subjectivities in the German region of Swabia , Tilman Lanz

American Indian identity: The Menominee experience , Carol N Nepton

Dissertations from 2004 2004

Confronting the tribal zone: Toward a critical ethnohistory of colonial state formation in San Juan through the system of encomiendas, 1509–1520 , Gabriel De La Luz-Rodriguez

Of visions and sorrows: Manuel Quintín Lame's Indian thought and the violences of Colombia , Monica Espinosa Arango

Contested place, nature, and sustainability: A critical anthropo -geography of biodiversity conservation in the “Zona Maya” of Quintana Roo, Mexico , Jose Eduardo Martinez-Reyes

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Anthropology Research Topics: 100+ Ideas

Anthropology Research Topics

Do you want to frame an anthropology research paper that helps you stand out from the crowd? If this is the case, don’t worry because we have you covered. However, before jumping straight to the writing part, the first step is to select a great anthropology research topic.

A majority of students consider this step to be the most daunting. Choosing a topic and researching it can take time and effort. It requires a broad range of skills. However, since it is an academic compulsion, you must recognize it for a short time. Why not give this your most passionate shot once and for all and fully indulge in it once and all?

Don’t be afraid, as we’re here to navigate you through an enticing list of 100+ research topics in anthropology. These topics will help you frame the outstanding research paper you have always wanted. You can choose these topics as they are or tweak them a little according to your unique requirements.

Table of Contents

Working on Anthropology Research Paper Topics

To frame an outstanding research paper on anthropological topics, the first and foremost thing is to think anthropologically. Thinking anthropologically implies suspending their preconceived notions of how the world functions and what constitutes “normal” or “abnormal.” Anthropology urges anthropologists to be “culturally relative” and to comprehend cultural diversity on their terms. Anthropology rejects ethnocentrism and recognizes divergence without placing it in a hierarchy.

When you are writing your anthropology research paper, you need to ensure the following items are on your checklist:

  • Critically analyze and evaluate cultural norms (both in your own and other cultures).
  • Conduct comprehensive research on ethnographic data (including data and descriptions of everyday events, oral histories, and significant interviews) to understand significant patterns.
  • Organize all the ethnographic or other evidence to expound on a phenomenon or event or support a hypothesis or argument.
  • Evaluate a theoretical viewpoint critically to determine how well it explains cultural occurrences.

100+ Anthropology Research Paper Topics

There are a few subjects that intrigue the majority of students. These are anthropology, psychology, mythology, sociology, and other good ethnography topics.

Drafting a research paper on anthropology comes with a wide spectrum of special subtopics. These subtopics include linguistics, biology, current events, and cultural anthropology topics to choose from. These topics are mentioned below and can help inspire fascinating research and writing about humans and their evolution.

Read Also – Top 100 Position Paper Topics

Top 20 Topics in Anthropology

If you’re looking for the most researched anthropology topics for research papers that most readers will find interesting, you’ve come to the right place. Look at the following anthropological topics and choose one that suits your requirements best:

  • Global forensic anthropology and forensic pathology
  • Evolutionary theory in anthropology
  • Aging cultures and perceptions
  • Anthropology: an introduction to anthropology beyond humanity
  • Women in Lakota Sioux culture
  • Peru’s Quechua people: a living Andean culture
  • The evolution of Islamic terrorism
  • The advantages and disadvantages of eugenics
  • Western civilization: aging and identity
  • The cultural anthropology of time: an applied perspective
  • Aging and kyphosis: a narrative review
  • Theories about the evolutionary origins of humans
  • The Hijra of India: effects of colonization and globalization
  • Mass globalization
  • Unimagined communities: sex, networks, and AIDS in Uganda
  • The long history of gender roles in medicine
  • Developmental anthropology
  • Climate change and global health: anthropology and beyond
  • Eugenics in the 21st century
  • Living in closed societies: ethical and political issues

Read Also – Interesting biology research topics

Biology and Anthropology Topics for Research

Biological anthropologists investigate, document, and explain the evolution of morphological variations among humankind through time in the historical record. They also provide a comparative perspective on the uniqueness of the human race compared to other living primates. It is a very popular subject for students. Thus, if you’re keen to research more about such factors, then consider these biological anthropology topics that will help you get started with a specific mindset for writing:

  • The history of biological anthropology: understanding the natural history of humankind
  • A handbook on paleoanthropology: the history of our tribes
  • Minimizing the risk of maladaptation: a developmental perspective
  • Understanding the current stage of paleoanthropology in the USSR
  • Biological anthropology with other allied fields of science
  • How biological anthropology explains the genesis of human behaviour and social structures
  • Applying biological anthropology to interpret human evolution
  • How do the biotech and pharmaceutical industries influence modern medicine?
  • Biological anthropology and aging

Controversial Anthropology Topics for Research

Writing and researching controversial topics is always the cherry on the cake. You can easily expound on these topics by corroborating a huge spectrum of data and resources. Thus, instead of choosing drudgery research topics in anthropology, give another penny for your thoughts and choose controversial topics. Topic ideas relating to controversial topics are here.

  • Ancient Egyptian civilization: the culture of life and death
  • Validation of social anthropology
  • The ethnographic paradigms
  • The war on infanticide has a global scope and magnitude.
  • Cultural construction or anthropology: theory and empirical evidence
  • The criticism of the European monarchy over western democracy
  • The relationship between social anthropology and allied disciplines
  • Hidden voices: Unveiling women in Ancient Egypt
  • Understanding Italian culture: Greek culture’s influence on Italian languages and culture
  • The origins and natural history of human morality
  • Analyzing male aggression against women from an evolutionary perspective
  • Understanding personality, cognition, and behavioural changes in chimpanzees
  • Infanticide as an evolutionary strategy: reality or myth?
  • The myth of man as a natural hunter
  • Analyzing the dart and the Seville statement on war
  • The history of Samoan sexual conduct and the Mead-Freeman controversy
  • Menopause: adaptation or epiphenomenon?
  • Who owns the past?
  • The repatriation of anthropology

Read Also – 295 Sociology Research Topics

Cultural Anthropology Research Topics

Cultural anthropology is the branch of anthropology that studies human societies, patterns, cultures, and developments. Some of the contentious cultural anthropology topics are given below:

  • Cultural anthropology and linguistics
  • The evolution of sexism: a critical analysis of past problems and future possibilities
  • The flourishing of libertarian literary writings
  • The history of women’s struggles
  • Cultural anthropology and psychiatry
  • The development of sociology and social anthropology
  • Fundamental religious principles govern child forced marriages in northern Nigeria.
  • The battle of African women for equality
  • Patriarchy and the representation of women in Asian nations
  • Green and Roman mythology: a comparative analysis
  • African traditional beliefs and spirituality in Africa
  • Cultural violence and the Nigerian woman: a narrative review
  • The ultimate journey of widow-burning in India
  • Exploring cultural spaces and technologies in contemporary societies
  • The biological myth of human evolution: a phylogenetic approach
  • Erasing culture and race: practising “self-determination.”
  • The American Holocaust: Columbus and the Conquest of the New World
  • The 16th and 17th-century philosophy of India
  • Understanding Mexican culture from a religious point of view
  • Migration and cultural diversity
  • The native American ancestry of African-Americans
  • Muslim women and forced marriages
  • A theoretical analysis of culture clashes in American anthropology
  • Anthropology of religion
  • Christendom’s worlds and Christianity’s future

Physical Anthropology Research Paper Topics

Physical anthropology is the study of human origins, evolution, and diversity. If you’re interested in researching and writing about physical anthropology, then here are some interesting topic suggestions that you can consider:

  • Genotype-environment correlation study: an overview
  • The evolution of human beings
  • Genetic hitchhiking: the controversy and its implications
  • The altruistic personality: the heritability of individual differences
  • The cephalization process
  • Amazonian Anthropology: Henry Walter Bates
  • Homo sapiens and early human migration
  • The evolution of human history and the first man
  • The ancient Egyptian afterlife beliefs
  • The issues and challenges of aging in Asia
  • Influence of environmental factors on skin tone
  • Examine five literary works that discuss the stages of drowning and dying.
  • Evidence of somatic acceleration from recent investigations
  • The relationship between psychological and physiological constitutions
  • A review and comparison of dissolution profiles
  • The advantages and disadvantages of eugenics in the 21st century
  • Aging across cultures: a comparative analysis
  • Genetic engineering and medical anthropology: ethics and challenges

Read Also – 100+ Compelling Linguistics Research Topics

Linguistic Anthropology Research Paper Topics

Linguistic anthropology is the branch of anthropology that studies the connection or relationship between languages and cultures. It study how people negotiate, think, compete, and reproduce cultural forms and relations through the medium of languages. If you’re interested in learning more about linguistic anthropology, here are a few suggestions for you:

  • The anatomy and physiology of speech
  • Language, Race, and Popular Culture
  • The relationship between language and culture
  • Understanding intercultural communication: a current perspective
  • Linguistics and the politics of representation
  • Representational barriers and issues in linguistic anthropology
  • Language and gender: a comprehensive research work
  • American-African women’s language: talking that talk
  • Journeys into the past: understanding different language cultures
  • Language endangerment and language revitalization: an active approach

Forensic Research Topics in Anthropology

Generally speaking, forensic anthropology studies the examination of human remains for law enforcement agencies to solve atrocious crimes. Have a look at some of these great forensic anthropology research topics:

  • Analyzing the latest perspectives on forensic anthropology
  • Criminal profiling and computer forensic processes: assumptions, challenges, and probable solutions
  • Fundamentals of forensic anthropology: current methods and practices
  • Forensic anthropology and medicine
  • Forensic anthropology and forensic pathology
  • A handbook on crime scene investigation
  • Comparison of soils in forensic anthropology: a detailed study
  • Reactive oxidants and human diseases
  • An investigation of the fundamental factors that cause biological alterations in the human body
  • A study on the recent advancements in forensic science
  • Criminal profiling: a powerful tool against criminal offences
  • Current tools and future concepts of forensic anthropology
  • Common techniques in the study of forensic anthropology
  • Progress and prospects of DNA testing procedures
  • Narratives of forensic psychology and criminal personality profiling
  • Moral issues in forensic anthropology
  • The workings of forensic anthropology: ethics and professionalism
  • accuracy of carbon dating technology
  • Asphyxiation: an autopsy study
  • Analyzing the methods of determining the time of death

Medical Anthropology Topics for Research

Interested in medical anthropology? If so, look at the below-provided research topics on anthropology.

  • Exploring medical anthropology
  • Ethno zoology: applications and principles
  • A reflection on medical anthropology
  • Medical anthropology and epidemiology
  • Medical ethno botany: applied principles and applications
  • An overview of the spread of the Ebola virus in 2014
  • Maladaptation: The effects of adaptation to ecological conditions and improper adaptation on health
  • Mapping the concepts of vulnerability, risk, and responsibility for healthcare and illness
  • Critical and clinical engagement in anthropology
  • Ethno medicine modalities in a healing process

The Bottom Line

Each option in the article can help you develop an outstanding research paper in anthropology. Anthropology is indeed a complex subject. Thus, you can also consider some good ethnography topics for your research. You need to conduct extensive research on the different sections of societies and how they have evolved over the past few years. These research paper topics are meant to inspire you and help you score high marks in your academic research programs. You can use these topics as they are or modify them accordingly.

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Dissertation topics

Msc or mphil visual, material and museum anthropology: dissertation topics.

MSc VMMA students have the three months of the summer to research and write a 10,000 word dissertation for submission in September; Those students who stay on for the second year of the MPhil do not write the MSc dissertation but spend the summer conducting preliminary research, and then over the second year of the degree write a 30,000 word dissertation.

Examples of previous dissertation titles by VMMA students:

Museums of Decay: An ecological approach to comparative museology at Old Car City, USA

The Body And The Person: Resisting Representation In Photographic Practice

Women hold up half the sky and screen: The evolving relationship and representation of female sexuality and power in Chinese cinema and society from the 1980s to present day

Building Decoloniality: The contribution of Uncomfortable Oxford walking tours to decolonising Oxford’s cityscape

The Power of Layers - Tracing the Mediated Nature of Museological Representations of 'Islam' in Europe

Beyond the frame: the materiality, social lives and comfort of family photographs 

Digital Gigs: A Visual, Material and Ethnographic Study of Online Jazz Performances During Lockdown

Queering the Ethnographic Museum: Beyond the Binary at the Pitt Rivers Museum

The Nostalgia of Enchantment and the Enchantment of Nostalgia at St. Aloysius Catholic Church, Oxford

Sonic systems of knowledge: an ethnographic study of the use and value of sound in museums

Between a Rock (Oyster) and Hard Place: The Changing and Conflicting Values of the Rock oyster, Crassostrea Gigas, through Conventional and Alternative Supply Chains in the British and Irish Isle

Learning a Skill in Lockdown: An investigation into the development of pottery skills and its affective impact in lockdown Britain

(Web)sites of (Post)memory: when is Facebook a site of memory?

Re-examine the authenticity of photographs in postmodern context, taking tourists photographs as an example

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UCL Anthropology

Dissertation topics

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Your dissertation is based on independent research and thought and should aim to be suitable for publication in a scholarly journal.

Dissertation topics from previous years

  • An evaluation of the use of phenetic and cladistic methods for analysing different data types
  • An evolutionary analysis of tool using behaviour: a computer simulation of the behaviours of complex life
  • An investigation into factors influencing acceptance of the relevance of evolutionary theory applied to human behaviour
  • Calculating species numbers in extinct Hominoidea
  • Phylogenetic analysis of hominoid behavioural evolution
  • The evolution of the mammalian sex chromosome heteromorphism
  • The expensive tissue hypothesis: the relationship between basal metabolic rate and organ mass
  • A new method for exploring past migratory activity using biological or cultural variation data dispersed in space and time
  • A comparison of non-human primate vocal repertoires
  • A quantitative analysis of gibbon behavioural ecology
  • Activity and association pattern of wild olive baboons at Gashaka, Nigeria: spatial-temporal variation in relation to resource availability
  • Activity budgets of wild troops of white-faced capuchin monkeys in Costa Rica: the influence of age and sex, ecology and human presence
  • Are there sex differences in the use of landmarks and spatial gradients by non-human primates to locate food?
  • Bioacoustical analysis of free-ranging slender loris whistles: function and factors influencing their production
  • Counting the cost: investigating the relationship between expensive infant care and complex mating systems in neotropical primates
  • Duetting in gibbons: territorial defence or female advertising?
  • Growing pains: an investigation into the development of olive baboon infants
  • Handpicked for performance: hand preference in wild olive baboons
  • Heritability of life history and morphological traits in mandrills
  • Infanticide by males in non-human primates: maternal and infant counterstrategies
  • Phylogeny and biogeography of south east Asian primates
  • Playing safe: agonistic interactions and risk-management tactics of oestrous female rhesus macaques
  • Post-conflict behaviour of wild Hanuman langurs
  • Primate lifespan, mortality risk and the disposable soma theory of senescence
  • Primates and the bush meat crisis: does exploitation necessarily mean extinction?
  • Seasonal variation in availability and consumption of army ants by Nigerian chimpanzees
  • Social dynamics of bi-male mountain gorilla groups
  • The development of species-typical communicative behaviours in chimpanzees
  • Food begging and transfer in wild bonobos (Pan paniscus): assessing relationship quality?
  • Sleeping site selection of olive baboons in Gashaka Gumti National Park, Nigeria
  • The effect of reproductive state on the sociality of female olive baboons: evidence from a field study in Nigeria
  • How gregarious are female chimpanzees? Camera-trap aided measurements across four subspecies.
  • Female foraging strategies in Bornean orangutans
  • A geometric morphometric study into the ontogeny of the subadult gorilla and chimpanzee scapula with relation to locomotion
  • Intra-inter specific variation and sexual dimorphism in the occipital bone and palate of great apes and humans: a geometric morphometric approach
  • Timing of crown formation in molar teeth
  • An analysis of variation in the tibia of great apes and humans: implications for STW 514a and STW 514b
  • Bipedal wading
  • Climate-related variation of the human nasal cavity
  • Comparative positional behaviour in three captive callitrichid species: Leontopithecus chrysomelas, Saguinus imperator and Cebuella pygmaea
  • Encephalisation and the origins of human food processing: food for thought
  • Hominid body mass estimation: a comparison of predictors and methods
  • Human, ape and fossil hominid growth and development
  • Patterns of cranial dimorphism and extended growth in extant hominoid primates: implications for social and reproductive behaviour
  • Sexual dimorphism in the primate innominate bone
  • Taxonomic utility of the fossil hominid basicranium and palate: a comparative 3d morphometric analysis
  • The effect of diet and mandibular gape upon the functional morphology of the Catarrhini temporomandibular joint: an approach using geometric morphometrics
  • The significance of dental roots
  • The significance of eye orbits in human evolution
  • Tools, hands and interpretations: Analysing the hand grips of chimpanzees
  • Does internal bone structure of the humerus reflect locomotor behaviour in extant apes and fossil hominins?
  • Effects of infant carry and play positions on achievement of developmental milestones
  • Getting a grip on the past: trabecular structure in the fifth metacarpal head of extant and fossil hominoids
  • Hand proportions and body mass in primates
  • Inter-specific scaling of articular surface areas in the primate calcaneus
  • One of these sides is not like the other: dental fluctuating asymmetry in four genera of apes
  • Scaling of navicular articular facet size and shape with body mass and intermembral index (IMI) in 51 primate species
  • The functional morphology of the forelimb of Perodicticus potto and Lagothrix lagotricha
  • The root of the matter: dental development in South African hominins, revisited
  • Evolutionary rates in hominin posterior teeth
  • Heritability of chimpanzee and human subcortical anatomy
  • A craniometric study of fossil calvaria from the Sima de los Huesos, Atapuerca
  • A morphometric assessment of the Olduvai hominid 48 clavicle
  • Hominid palaeodemography: the Neanderthals
  • The deciduous dentition of Griphopithecus: morphometric analysis of a middle Miocene hominoid
  • A comparative analysis of the proximal pedal phalanges of Homo antecessor
  • A reassessment of the odontometric variation of the Krapina dental assemblage using a cervical margin odontometric method of measurement: an evaluation of the method and statistics employed
  • An analysis of enamel hypoplasias and other dental conditions in an early bronze age 1a population from Bab Edh-dhra, southern Jordan
  • Ecomorphological analysis of extant bovid forelimbs and its applications to fossil bovids from 3 ma Makapansgat, South Africa
  • Hominoid phylogeny: a test using geometric morphometrics
  • Homo ergaster: female philopatry or dispersal?
  • How adoption of a more meat-based diet facilitated and accelerated hominid ranging out of Africa
  • How many species at Pasalar? A study in molar morphology
  • Measuring variation in pattern and degree of craniofacial sexual dimorphism between different modern human populations
  • One foot in the past: the degree of halux abduction of the OH 8 foot
  • Reconstructing the past: an ecological diversity analysis of Olduvai bed II above and below the Lemuta Member
  • The effects of East African lake periods and the broader environmental context on human evolution
  • The muddle in the middle Pleistocene: can the development of the maxilla and canine fossa from birth to adulthood shed new light on the classification of juvenile Atapuerca specimen ATD6-69 as the new species Homo antecessor?
  • The Neanderthal and Homo erectus pelvis in human evolution
  • The Neanderthal mandibular configuration as a diagnostic taxonomic characteristic
  • Was the Levant a refuge for Neanderthals during climatic extremes in Europe?
  • Hominin evolution in phylogenetic context
  • The morphology of the enamel-dentine junction in Neanderthal molars
  • The phylogenetic and functional significance of Orrorin tugenensis, assessed through quantitative analyses of hominoid femoral morphology
  • An evolutionary perspective on tactics and preferences in human mate selection: evidence from lonely hearts advertisements
  • Are both food aversions and an increased level of ethnocentrism in the first trimester of pregnancy evolutionary adaptations to protect the developing foetus and its mother?
  • Difference and effects of migration on mate height preference using Japanese and white Caucasian populations
  • Ethnocentricity in pregnancy
  • Facedate: an investigation into the mate choices made on a collection of facial photographs
  • Human mating strategies and their relationship with sexually determined personality traits
  • Investigating patterns of female ovarian cyclicity in semifree-ranging mandrills
  • Male choice: potential male preferences for female external genital morphology
  • Male parental investment and pair bond stability: an empirical test of marriage as a reproductive contract
  • Masturbation in female primates: taxonomic distribution, proximate causes and potential evolutionary functions
  • Masturbation in male primates: taxonomic distribution, proximate causes and potential evolutionary functions
  • Mechanisms and functions of homosexual behaviour: a case study of wild Hanuman langur monkeys
  • Mechanisms and functions of ovulatory desynchronisation in Hanuman langur monkeys
  • Reproductive endocrinology in males in relation to Bangladeshi migration
  • Sexual swelling colour change: the evolution of full colour vision in primates and the accurate analysis of colour
  • Sex, somatype and socioecology: the impact of westernization on body-shape preferences
  • Socio-economic status and testosterone: the trade-off between current and future reproduction in British male
  • The measurement of urinary LH levels using LH detection kits and radioimmunoassays
  • Evolutionary roots of gender differences in risk-seeking behaviour
  • Inferring ancestral marriage and mating strategies in Indo-European societies
  • The evolution of human mate choice: shifting gender ideologies and the impact of the demographic transition on mate choice preferences
  • Tracing the evolution of human homosexuality: evidence for the kin selection hypothesis
  • An evolution of altruistic punishment: do altruistic punishers receive a good reputation, and is this individually beneficial?
  • An evolutionary perspective on intelligence, fertility and unplanned childbirths: a test of predictions in a British cohort
  • Costly signalling in religious groups: the American congregational giving study
  • Differential grandparental investment based on two nationalities (British and Bulgarian), gender and birth order
  • Game-theoretic modelling of paternity certainty and male provisioning strategies: a theoretical model and its application to hominid reproductive energetics
  • Grandmothering in evolutionary perspective: a dynamic model of population growth
  • Testing the grandmothering hypothesis: the provisioning of Homo erectus infants and juveniles.
  • The roles of phylogenesis and ethnogenesis in the development of Turkmen woven assemblages: a case study in the evolution of cultural diversification
  • Cooperation under conflict: an example involving neighbourhoods in Belfast, Northern Ireland
  • Gift-giving in Mbendjele hunter-gatherers: an investigation into the adaptive origins of cooperation
  • Gossip games: The co-evolution of cooperation and communication
  • Kinship in Sino-Tibetan language family: a comparative phylogenetic approach
  • Sharing is not caring: an agent-based model of selfish food distribution and consumption patterns
  • Warfare in human evolution: an ethnographic approach
  • Social desirability bias: The effect of interface design on the discourse of health-related information
  • The evolutionary salesman: submissive behaviour enhances compliance in persuasive communication
  • Kin residency, sexual conflict and lateral pressures on fertility desires, behaviours and outcomes in Tanzania
  • Altruism in London: deprivation as an indicator
  • The evolution of short stature and life history in the extinct Barrinean pygmies
  • Maternal nutrition and sex ratio biases in Ethiopia
  • Fear for your life: an empirical study of evolutionary hypotheses of OCD and anxiety in relation to risk-avoidance and accident proneness
  • An investigation into evolutionary explanations of the type ii diabetes epidemic: the role of physical activity levels
  • Human genetic adaptation to high elevation-the potential role of genetic polymorphisms in Ethiopian populations
  • The genealogical relationship of y-chromosomes in the Sakya of Bangladesh, Nepal and northeast India
  • The history of tuberculosis in human populations: inferences from the Nrampi gene
  • Y chromosome genetic history of eastern Mediterranean and Transcaucasian populations; implications for the Neolithic population growth and the genetic affinities of Cypriot populations
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Recent Doctoral Dissertations and MA Theses

BK, Amar B (2022) Dalit Women’s Struggle for Dignity Through a Charismatic Healing Movement: Caste, Gender, and Religion in Nepal . Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh. 

Beckhorn, Patrick (2022)  The Lives of Cycle Rickshaw Men: Labor Migration and Masculinity in North India . Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Cai, Yan (2022) The Role of Productive Differentiation in the Development of Early Social Complexity in Palau, Micronesia, 200BC-1800AD . Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Farquhar, Jennifer (2022) Human-Environment Interactions: The Role of Foragers in the Development of Mobile Pastoralism in Mongolia's Desert-Steppe . Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Mullins, Patrick James (2022) Legacies in the Landscape: Borderland Processes in the Upper Moche Valley Chaupiyunga of Peru . Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Netsch Lopez, Trisha S (2022) Intercultural Health in Ecuador: A Critical Evaluation of the Case For Affirmative Biopolitics . Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Ran, Weiyu (2022) Sustaining Ritual: Provisioning a Hongshan Pilgrimage Center at Niuheliang . Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Toth, Sharon (2022)  ACL rupture rates and disparities: Using dog CCL rupture as a translational medical model for humans . Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Wong, Wei Mei (2022) Poetics and politics of purpose: Understanding dating app users in Shanghai . Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Kennedy, Sarah (2021)  Marginalized Labor in Colonial Silver Refining: Reconstructing Power and Identity in Colonial Peru (1600-1800 AD) .   Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Rovito, Benjamin (2021)  Analysis of the A1/A2 Alleyway Peri-Abandonment Deposit at Cahal Pech, Belize . Master's Thesis, University of Pittsburgh.

Ruiz-Sánchez, Héctor-Camilo (2021) Facing the Plagues Alone. Men Reshaping the HIV and Heroin Epidemics in Colombia . Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Walker, Jessica (2021) Social Identity and Life Course Stress in Nabatean Jordan .  Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Baiocchi, María Lis (2020)  A Law of One’s Own: Newfound Labor Rights, Household Workers' Agency, and Activist Praxis in Buenos Aires, Argentina . Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Cervantes Quequezana, Gabriela (2020) Urban Layout and Sociopolitical Organization in Sicán , Perú. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Gremba, Allison (2020): Biocultural Analysis of Otitis Media and its Relationship to Traditional Skeletal Stress Markers in the Assessment of Structural Violence . Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Grosso, Alicia (2020): Tissue Variability Effects on Saw Mark Evidence in Bone . Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Hoyos Gomez, Diana Rocío (2020) Campesinos and the State: Building and Experiencing the State in Rural Communities in the 'Post-conflict' Transition in Montes de María, Colombia . Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh. 

Kello, Erin (2020): Facial clefting and the Vietnam War: A Study of DNA Methylation Patterns and Intergenerational Stress.  Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh. 

Kojanic, Ognjen (2020)  Ownership vs. Property Rights in a Worker-Owned Company in Post-Socialist Croatia.  Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh. (Unpublished)

Krishnamurti, Lauren Sealy (2020) Care with Aloha: Preventing Suicide in Oahu, Hawaii.  Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Walker, Jessica (2020) Social Identity and Life Course Stress in Nabataean Jordan .

Zhang Chi (Charles) (2020) A Critical Assessment of Sampling Biases in Geometric Morphometric Analysis: The Case of Homo erectus. Doctoral Dissertation , University of Pittsburgh. 

Zhao, Chao (2020): A Study of Land-use across the Transition to Agriculture in the Northern Yinshan Mountain Region at the Edge of Southern Mongolia Steppe Zone of Ulanqab, China .  

Chen, Peiyu (2019) Big Transitions in a Small Fishing Village: Late Preceramic Life in Huaca Negra, Virú Valley, Peru . Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Franchetti, Fernando (2019):  Hunter-gatherer adaptation in the deserts of northern Patagonia.  Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.  Kocic, Miroslav (2019): Emergence of Social Complexity and Community building in the Late Neolithic (5400-4600 cal. BCE) of the Central Balkans.

Muñoz Rojas, Lizette (2019) Cuisine and the Conquest: Contrasting Two Sixteenth Century Native Populations of the Viceroyalty of Peru. Doctoral Dissertation . University of Pittsburgh.

Ng, Chuen Yan (2019): Subsistence Economics among Bronze Age Steppe Communities: An Archaeobotanical Approach to the study of  Multi-resource Pastoralism in the Southeastern Ural Mountains Region, Russia . Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Pantovic, Ljiljana (2019):  Private within the Public: Negotiating Birth in Serbia . Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Pompeani, Katherine M. (2019): The Bioarchaeology of Life, Death, and Social Status in the Early Bronze Age Community at Ostojićevo, Serbia.  Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Portillo, Alejandra Sejas (2019):  Local Level Leadership and Centralization in the Late Prehispanic Yaretani Basin, Bolivia . Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Yoo, Wonji (2019):  The Making of God's Subject: Christian Conversion and Urban Youth in China. Doctoral Dissertation , University of Pittsburgh.

Cao, Junyang (2018) The Extirpation of the Chinese Alligator in North China. Masters Paper , University of Pittsburgh.

Carlson, Rebecca, (2018) More Japanese than Japanese: Subjectivation in the Age of Brand Nationalism and the Internet. Doctoral Dissertation. University of Pittsburgh.

Chamberlin, Rachel (2018)  Defining the Bio-citizen in Pluralistic Healthcare Settings: The Role of Patient Choice. Doctoral Dissertation .  University of Pittsburgh.

Chechushkov, Igor (2018)   Bronze Age Human Communities in the Southern Urals Steppe: Sintashta-Petrovka Social and Subsistence Organization . Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh. 

Wang, Wenjing (2018)  Lingjiatan Social Organization in the Yuxi Valley China: A Comparative Perspective . Doctoral Dissertation. University of Pittsburgh.

Bridges, Nora (2017)  The Therapeutic Ecologies of Napo Runa Wellbeing. Doctoral Dissertation. University of Pittsburgh.

Chan, Zi Lin Carol (2017)  Gendered Moral Economies of Transnational Migration: Mobilizing Shame and Faith in Migrant-Origin Villages of Central Java, Indonesia . Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Guler-Biyikli, Senem (2017)  Sacred Secular Relics: World Trade Center Steel in Off-Site 9/11 Memorials in the United States . Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Khalikova, Venera (2017)  Institutionalized Alternative Medicine in North India: Plurality, Legitimacy, and Nationalist Discourses .  Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Puzo, Ieva (2017)  The Local LIves of Global Science: Foreign Scientists in Japan's Research Institutions .  Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Robinson, Amanda S. (2017)  Animal Socialities: Healing and Affect in Japanese Animal Cafés .  Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Sharapov, Denis V. (2017) Bronze Age Settlement Patterns and the Developments of Complex Societies in the Southern Ural Steppes (3500-1400 BC) . Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Sturm, Camilla (2017)  Structure and Evolution of Economic Networks in Neolithic Walled Towns of the Jianghan Plain: A Geochemical Perspective.  Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Vargas Ruiz, Juan Carlos (2017)  Complex Societies, Leadership Strategies and Agricultural Intensification in the Llanos of Casanare, Colombia . Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Venegas, Maria (2017)  Alienated Affliction: The Politics of Grisi Siknis Experience in Nicaragua . Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Wakefield-Murphy, Robyn (2017)  The Bioarchaeology of Gendered Social Processes Among Pre- and Post-Contact Native Americans: An Analysis of Mortuary Patterns, Health, and Activity in the Ohio Valley .  Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Zickefoose, Amanda (2017)  Sustainable Practices and Sustainability Ideology on Small Farms in North-Central West Virginia. Doctoral Dissertation. University of Pittsburgh.

Fajardo, Sebastian (2016)  Prehispanic and Colonial Settlement Patterns of the Sogamoso Valley.  Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Kesterke, Matthew J. (2016)  The Effects of In-utero Thyroxine Exposure On Mandibular Shape in Mice.  Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Leeper, Bobbie J. (2016)  Evaluation of Current Methods of Soft Tissue Removal From Bone.  Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Li, Tao  (2016)  Economic Differentiation in Hongshan Core Zone Communities (Northeastern China): A Geochemical Perspective.  Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Li, Dongdong  (2016)  The Emergence of Walled Towns and Social Complexity in the Taojiahu-Xiaocheng Region of Jianghan Plain China.  Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Wentworth Fournier, Chelsea  (2015)  Feasting and Food Security: Negotiating Infant and Child Feeding in Urban and Peri-Urban Vanuatu. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Lin, Hao-Li  (2015)  Vanua as Environment: Conservation, Farming, and Development in Waitabu, Fiji.  Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Johnson, James  (2015)  Community Matters? Investigating Social Complexity Through Centralization And Differentiation In Bronze Age Pastoral Societies Of The Southern Urals, Russian Federation, 2100 – 900 BC.   Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Ikehara Tsukayama, Hugo C.  (2015)  Leadership, Crisis And Political Change: The End Of The Formative Period In The Nepeña Valley, Peru.   Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Herckis, Lauren R.  (2015)  Cultural Variation in the Maya City of Palenque.  Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Harmansah, Rabia  (2015)  Performing Social Forgetting in a Post-Conflict Landscape: The Case of Cyprus.   Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Garrido Escobar, Francisco Javier  (2015)  Mining and the Inca Road in Prehistoric Atacama Desert, Chile.   Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

de St. Maurice, Gregory  (2015)  The Kyoto Brand: Protecting Agricultural and Culinary Heritage.  Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Clark, Julia  (2015)  Modeling Late Prehistoric and Early Historic Pastoral Adaptations in Northern Mongolia's Darkhad Depression.   Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Argüello García, Pedro María  (2015)    Subsistence Economy And Chiefdom Emergence in the Muisca Area. A Study of the Valle De Tena.  Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Williams, James T.  (2014)  Staple Economies and Social Integration in Northeast China: Regional Organization in Zhangwu, Liaoning, China. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Sung, Shih-Hsiang   (2014)  The Flowing Materiality of Crystal: A Global Commodity Chain of Fengshui Objects From Brazil, China to Taiwan.  Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Romano, Francisco  (2014)  Changing Bases of Power: The Transition From Regional Classic to Recent in the Alto Magdalena (Colombia).   Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.             

Roman, Michael  (2014)  Migration, Transnationality, and Climate Change in the Republic of Kiribati.   Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.  

Pesantes Villa, Maria Amalia  (2014)  Out of sight out of mind: intercultural health technicians in the Peruvian Amazon.  Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Ornellas, Melody Li  (2014)  When a Wife is a Visitor: Mainland Chinese Marriage Migration, Citizenship, and Activism in Hong Kong.  Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Giraldo Tenorio, Hernando Javier  (2014)   Sources of Power and the Development of Sociopolitical Complexity in Malagana, Southwestern Colombia.  Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Berrey, Charles A.  (2014)  Organization and Growth among Early Complex Societies in Central Pacific Panama.  Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Ventresca Miller, Alicia (2013)  Social Organization And Interaction In Bronze Age Eurasia: A Bioarchaeological And Statistical Approach To The Study Of Communities.  Doctoral Dissertation, University Of Pittsburgh.

Tulbure, Narcis (2013)  Chary Opportunists: Money, Values, And Change In Postsocialist Romania.  Doctoral Dissertation, University Of Pittsburgh.

Sözer, Hande (2013)  Managing (In)Visibility By A Double Minority: Dissimulation And Identity Maintenance Among Alevi Bulgarian Turks.  Doctoral Dissertation, University Of Pittsburgh.

Sol Castillo, Ricardo Felipe (2013)  Religious Organization And Political Structure In Prehispanic Southern Costa Rica. Doctoral Dissertation, University Of Pittsburgh.

Roman-Lacayo, Manuel/A (2013)  Social And Environmental Risk And The Development Of Social Complexity In Precolumbian Masaya, Nicaragua.  Doctoral Dissertation, University Of Pittsburgh.

Rak, Kimberly (2013)  Seeing Green: Gendered Relationship Expectations And Sexual Risk Among Economically Underserved Adolescents In Braddock, Pennsylvania.  Doctoral Dissertation, University Of Pittsburgh.

Ming, Kevin (2013)  Slow Separations: Everyday Sex Work In Southern China.  Doctoral Dissertation, University Of Pittsburgh.

McCarthy, Rory G. (2013)  The Sikh Diaspora In Australia: Migration, Multiculturalism And The Imagining Of Home.  Doctoral Dissertation, University Of Pittsburgh.

Lopez Bravo, Roberto (2013)  State Interventionism In The Late Classic Maya Palenque Polity: Household And Community Archaeology At El Lacandon.  Doctoral Dissertation, University Of Pittsburgh.

Lee, Yi-Tze (2013)  Divided Dreams On Limited Land: Cultural Experiences Of Agricultural Bio-Energy Project And Organic Farming Transition In Taiwan.  Doctoral Dissertation, University Of Pittsburgh.

Hoggarth, Julie A.  (2013)  Social Reorganization and Household Adaptation in the Aftermath of Collapse at Baking Pot, Belize.  Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Guerra-Reyes, Lucia (2013)  Safe motherhood and maternal mortality reduction strategies: a cross cultural perspective.  Master Essay, University of Pittsburgh.

Guerra-Reyes, Lucia (2013)  Changing Birth in The Andes: Safe Motherhood, Culture and Policy in Peru.  Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Gamez Diaz, Laura (2013)  Cosmology And Society: Household Ritual Among The Terminal Classic Maya People Of Yaxha (Ca. A.D. 850-950), Guatemala.  Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Marcone, Giancarlo (2012)  Political Strategies And Domestic Economy Of The Lote B Rural Elite In The Prehispanic Lurín Valley, Peru.  Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Macia, Laura (2012)  Dealing With Grievances: The Latino Experience In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Hooe, Todd (2012)  “Little Kingdoms”: Adat And Inequality In The Kei Islands, Eastern Indonesia.  Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Hamm, Megan (2012)  Activism, Sex Work, And Womanhood In North India.  Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Frenopoulo, Christian (2012)  The Referential Functions Of Agency: Health Workers In Medical Missions To Madiha (Kulina) Indians In The Brazilian Amazon.  Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

DePaoli, Lisa Coffield (2012)  "No Podemos Comer Billetes": Climate Change And Development In Southern Ecuador.  Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Campbell, Roberto  (2012)  Socioeconomic differentiation, leadership, and residential patterning at an Araucanian chiefly center (Isla Mocha, AD 1000-1700).  Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Household Organization and Social Inequality at Bandurria, A Late Preceramic Village in Huaura, Peru.  Alejandro Jose Chu Barrera.  2011.

Kokeshi: Continued and Created Traditions/Motivations for a Japanese Folk Art Doll.  Jennifer E. McDowell.  2011.

Ideology and the Development of Social Hierarchy at the Site of Panquilma, Peruvian Central Coast.  Luis Enrique Lopez-Hurtado Orjeda.  2011.

Our Roots, Our Strength: The Jamu Industry, Women's Health and Islam in Contemporary Indonesia.  Sarah Elizabeth Krier.  2011.

An investigation of sex determination from the subadult pelvis: A morphometric analysis.  Kathleen Ann Satterlee Blake.  2011.

Carrying Out Modernity: Migration, Work, and Masculinity in China .  Xia Zhang.  2011.

Marriage Across the Taiwan Strait: Male Migrants, Marital Desire and Social Location.   Joseph Leo Cichosz.  2011.

Conditions of Social Change at El Dornajo, Southwestern Ecuador .   Sarah Ruth Taylor .  2011 .

Transfers and the Private Lives of Public Servants in Japan: Teachers in Nagasaki’s Outer Islands .   Blaine Phillip Connor .  2010 .

Oapan Nawa Folktales: Links to the Pre-Hispanic Past in a Contemporary Indian Community of Mexico .  Joanne Michel de Guerrero .  2010 .

Communal Tradition and the Nature of Social Inequality Among the Prehispanic Households of El Hatillo (HE-4), Panama .  William A. Locascio .  2010 .

Prehispanic Social Organization in the Jamastrán Valley, Southeastern Honduras .  Eva L. Martinez .  2010 .

Democracy “At Risk”? Governmental and Non-governmental Organizations, “At Risk” Youth, and Programming in Juiz de Fora, Brazil .   Penelope Kay Morrison .  2010 .

Emergent Complexity on the Mongolian Steppe: Mobility, Territoriality, and the Development of Early Nomadic Polities .  Jean-Luc Houle .  2010 .

Between the Kitchen and the State: Domestic Practice and Chimú Expansion in the Jequetepeque Valley, Peru.   Robyn E. Cutright. 2009.

Craft Specialization and the Emergence of the Chiefly Central Place Community of HE-4 (El Hatillo), Central Panama .  Adam Clayton Joseph Menzies .  2009 .

The Interaction of Androgenic Hormone and Craniofacial Variation: Relationship Between Epigenetics and the Environment on the Genome with an Eye Toward Non-Syndromic Craniosynostosis .   James John Cray, Jr. .  2009 .

The Development of Complex Society in the Volcán Barú Region of Western Panama .  Scott Palumbo .  2009 .

Huaracane Social Organization: Change Over Time at the Prehispanic Community of Yahuay Alta, Perú .  Kirk E. Costion .  2009 .

The Social and Political Evolution of Chiapa de Corzo, Chiapas, Mexico: An Analysis of Changing Strategies of Rulership in a Middle Formative Through Early Classic Mesoamerican Political Center .  Timothy D. Sullivan .  2009 .

Social Change in Pre-Columbian San Ramon de Alajuela, Costa Rica, and Its Relation with Adjacent Regions .  Mauricio Murillo Herrera .  2009 .

The Domestic Mode of Production and the Development of Sociopolitical Complexity: Evidence from the Spondylus Industry of Coastal Ecuador .   Alexander Javier Martin .  2009 .

Bread, Sweat, and Tears? The Ascendance of Capitalist Accumulation Strategies in the Russian Republic of Karelia, 2001-2002 .  Mark Wesley Abbott .  2008 .

The Organization of Agricultural Production on the Southwest Periphery of the Maya Lowlands: A Settlement Patterns Study in the Upper Grijalva Basin, Chiapas, Mexico .  Dean H. Wheeler .  2008 .

Donkey Friends: Travel, Voluntary Associations and the New Public Sphere in Contemporary Urban China .  Ning Zhang .  2008 .

Fashioning Change: The Cultural Economy of Clothing in Contemporary China .   Jianhua (Andrew) Zhao .  2008 .

Time and Process in an Early Village Settlement System on the Bolivian Southern Altiplano .  Jason (Jake) R. Fox .  2007 .

Social and Economic Development of a Specialized Community in Chengue, Parque Tairona, Colombia .  Alejandro Dever .  2007 .

Tracing the Red Thread: An Ethnography of Chinese-U.S. Transnational Adoption .  Frayda Cohen .  2007 .

Identity and Development in Rural Bolivia: Negotiating Gender, Ethnicity, and Class in Development Contexts .  Christine Hippert .  2007 .

Three-Dimensional Morphometric Analysis of the Craniofacial Complex in the Unaffected Relatives of Individuals with Nonsyndromic Orofacial Clefts .  Seth M. Weinberg .  2007 .

Cultural Politics and Health: The Development of Intercultural Health Policies in the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua .   Edgardo Ruiz .  2006 .

Ritual and Status: Mortuary Display at the Household Level at the Middle Horizon Wari Site of Conchopata, Peru .  Charlene D. Milliken .  2006 .

“Crafting” Hongshan Communities? Household Archeology In The Chiefing Region Of Eastern Inner Mongolia, PRC .   Christian Eric Peterson .  2006 .

Subsistence, Environment Fluctuation and Social Change: A Case Study in South Central Inner Mongolia .  Gregory G. Indrisano .  2006 .

Power and Competition in the Upper Egyptian Predynastic: A View from the Predynastic Settlement at el-Mahâsna, Egypt .  David Allen Anderson .  2006 .

Dusk Without Sunset: Actively Aging in Traditional Chinese Medicine .   Xiaohui Yang .  2006 .

The Organization of Agricultural Production in the Emergence of Chiefdoms in the Quijos Region, Eastern Andes of Ecuador.   Andrea Cuellar .  2006 .

The Utility of Cladistic Analysis of Nonmetric Skeletal Traits for Biodistance Analysis .  James Christopher Reed .  2006 .

Ethnography of Voting: Nostalgia, Subjectivity, and Popular Politics in Post-Socialist Lithuania .   Neringa Klumbyte .  2006 .

Risky Business: Cultural Conceptions of HIV/AIDS in Indonesia .   Piper Crisovan .  2006 .

The Mahaney Site (UB 666) -- Habitation or Special Purpose Site? .  Catherine M. Serventi .  2006 .

Food for the Dead, Cuisine of the Living: Mortuary Food Offerings from Pacatnamú and Farfán, Jequetepeque Valley, Perú .  Robyn E. Cutright .  2005 .

Czech Balneotherapy: From Public Health to Health Tourism.   Amy Speier.  2005.

Taxonomy of the Genus Perodicticus .  David Paul Stump .  2005 .

Rice Agricultural Intensification and Sociopolitical Development in the Bronze Age, central western Korean Peninsula.   Bumcheol Kim.  2005.

A Cold Of The Heart: Japan Strives To Normalize Depression .  George Kendall Vickery.  2005.

Cayuga Iroquois Households and Gender Relations During the Contact Period: An Investigation of the Rogers Farm Site, 1660s--1680s (New York) .  Kimberly Louise Williams-Shuker.  2005.

The Camutins Chiefdom: Rise and Development of Social Complexity on Marajo Island, Brazilian Amazon . Denise Pahl Schaan.  2004.

Cuban Color Classification and Identity Negotiation: Old terms in a New World. Shawn Alfonso Wells. 2004.

Natural Variation in Human Mating Strategy and the Evolutionary Significance of Mate Choice Criteria.  Helen Katherine Perilloux.  2004.

The Emergence and Development of Chiefly Societies in the Rio Parita Valley, Panama . Mikael Haller.  2004.

The Form, Function, and Organization of Anthropogenic Deposits at Dust Cave, Alabama. Lara Kristine Homsey. 2004.

Does Natal Territory Quality Predict Human Dispersal Choices? A Test of Emlen's Model of Family Formation . Elizabeth R. Blum. 2004.

Pragmatic Singles: Being an Unmarried Woman in Contemporary Japan. Tamiko Ortega Noll. 2004

Regional Settlement Patterns and Political Complexity in the Cinti Valley, Bolivia . Claudia Rivera Casanovas. 2004.

Turning Numbers Against Themselves: Religion, Statistics, and Political Distance in Romania . Mihnea Vasilescu. 2004.

(Re) Producing the Nation: The Politics of Reproduction in Serbia in Serbia in the 1980's and 1990's . Rada Drezgic. 2004.

Female Choice, Male Dominance, and the Evolution of Low Voice Pitch in Men . David Andrew Putz. 2004.

A Cultural History of the Micheal and Mary Jane Brubaker Family of Somerset County, Pennsylvania, with a Focus on Women's Marriage. John Michael Krajnak. 2004.

Cranial Content Changes in Craniosynostotic Rabbits . Wendy Kay Fellows-Mayle.  2004.

Created Unequal: Multiregionalism and the Origins of Anthropological Racism. Adam Wells Davis. 2004.

Gendered Visions of the Bosnian Future: Women’s Activism and Representation in Post-War Bosnia-Herzegovina . Elissa Lynelle Helms. 2003.

Spirtual Warfare and Social Transformation in Fiji: The Life History of Loto Fiafia of Kioa . Thomas James Mullane. 2003.

Samurai Beneath Blue Tarps: Doing Homelessness, Rejecting Marginality and Preserving Nation in Ueno Park (Japan) . Abby Rachael Margolis. 2003.

The Evolutionary Biology of the Apolipoprotein E Allele System with Special Reference to Alzheimer's Disease . Jessica Ann Garver. 2003

Setting Nets on Troubled Waters: Environment, Economics, and Autonomy Among Nori Cultivating Households in a Japanese Fishing Cooperative. Alyne Elizabeth Delaney. 2003.

Skeletal Maturation and Estimating Age-At-Death During the First Decade of Life . Frank D. Houghton Jr. 2003.

"Civil Society or a Nation-State?" Macedonian and Albanian Intellectuals Building the Macedonian State and Nation(s) . Nevena Dicheva Dimova. 2003.

Sex Determination of the Fragmented Pelvis Using Euclidean Distance Matrix Analysis . Joan A. Bytheway. 2003.

Proximate Mechanisms of Kin Recogniton in Non-human Primates. Aislinn Kelly. 2003.

The Evolution of Hairlessness in Humans a a Means of Increased Vitamin D Biosynthesis . D. A. Putz. 2003.

The Evolution of the Bogota Chiefdom: A Household View . Michael H. Kruschek. 2003.

Multi-Scalar Analysis of Domestic Activities at Parker Farm: A Late Prehistoric Cayuga Iroquois Village . Tracy Sue Michaud Stutzman. 2002.

Late Intermediate Period Political Economy and Household Organization at Jachakala, Bolivia. Christine Beaule. 2002.

Indigenous Federations, NGOs, and the State: Development and the Politics of Culture in Ecuador's Amazon. Patrick C. Wilson. 2002

Wild Resources in the Andes: Algarrobo, Chanar and Palqui: Implications for Archaeology . Claudia Rivera-Casanovas. 2002.

Nonmetric Population Variation In The Skulls of Human Perinates . Seth M. Weinberg. 2002.

Intensive Agriculture and Political Economy of the Yaguachi Chiefdom of Guayas Basin, Coastal Ecuador . Florencio German Delgado-Espinoza. 2002.

Sedentism, Site Occupation and Settlement Organization at La Joya, A Formative Village in the Sierra De Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz, Mexico . Valerie J. McCormack. 2002.

The Road to Health: The Experience of Tuberculosis in Southern Chile Joan Elizabeth Paluzzi. 2002.

Household and Community Organization of a Formative Period, Bolivian Settlement . Courtney Elizabeth Rose. 2001.

Emerging Cultural Markets and Private Enterprise in Urban China: Managing Change in Values, Families and Futures . David Hudgens. 2001.

Equal Education - Unequal Lives: Life Course Goals of Japanese Female Undergraduates . Judith Lynn Misko. 2001.

Women’s Economic Activities in an Industrializing Malay Village . Margaret Wolfberg Kedia. 2001.

Interisland Interaction and the Development of Chiefdoms in the Eastern Caribbean . John Gordon Crock. 2001.

Public and Private Space at Mohenjo-Daro: the Implications for Social Organization . Sara Clark. 2001.

Anasazi Settlement Patterns: the Importance of Seasonal Mobility . Charlene Milliken. 2001.

Post-Saladoid Age Pottery in the Northern Lesser Antilles: Lessons Learned from Thin Section Photography . Martin Todd Fuess. 2001.

Peasants and the State: The Political economy of a Village in Maoist and Post-Mao China .Young Kyun Yang. 2000.

The Chichén Itzá - Ek Balam Transect Project: An Intersite Perspective on the Political Organization of the Ancient Maya . James Gregory Smith. 2000.

Japanese Adult Learning: Karaoke Naraigoto . Hideo Watanabe. 2000.

Inventing Indigenous Knowledge: Archaeology, Rural Development, and the Raised Field Rehabilitation Project in Bolivia . Lynn Swartley. 2000.

Valuable Women: Gendered Strategies for Success in Korean College Culture . Elise Michelle Mellinger. 2000.

A Study of Late Classic Maya Population Growth at La Milpa, Belize. John Janson Rose. 2000.

Development of the Central Nervous System and the Evolution of the Neocortex . Elizabeth Louise Dick. 2000.

Dynamical Systems Modeling in Archaeology: A GIS Approach to Site Selection Processes in the Greater Yellowstone Region . Thomas G. Whitley. 2000.

Rural Agrarian Diversity in the Late Classic (600-950 A.D.) Naco Valley, Northwest Honduras . John Douglass. 1999.

The Functional Morphology of the Lower Cervical Spine in Non-Human Primates . Susan R. Mercer. 1999.

T he Organization of Agricultural Production at a Maya Center. Settlement Patterns in the Palenque Region, Chiapas, Mexico . Rodrigo Ruben Gregorio Liendo Stuardo. 1999.

The Political Ecology of Indigenous Self-Development in Bolivia’s Multiethnic Indigenous Territory . J. Montgomery Roper. 1999.

Origins Research in Archaeology at the Turn of the Millennium and Giambattista Vico’s New Science (1744) . Stephanie Koerner. 1999.

Social Differentiation at the Kerniskey Site?: A Contribution to the Study of Emerging Social Complexity . Elizabeth Ramos Roca. 1999.

Lithic Economy and Household Interdependence Among the Late Classic Maya of BelizeLithic Economy and Household Interdependence Among the Late Classic Maya of Belize . Jon VandenBosch. 1999.

The Late Formative to Classic Period Obsidian Economy at Palo Errado, Veracruz, Mexico . Charles Leonard Fredrick Knight. 1999.

Postclassic Craft Production in Morelos, Mexico: The Cotton Thread Industry in the Provinces . Ruth Fauman-Fichman. 1999.

The Organization of Staple Crop Production in Middle Formative, Late Formative, and Classic Period Farming Households at K'axob, Belize . Helen Hope Henderson. 1998.

The 'Becoming' Mother: Transitions to Motherhood in Urban China . Suzanne Kelley Gottschang. 1998

Prehispanic Intensive Agriculture, Settlement Pattern and Political Economy in the Western Venezuelan Llanos . Rafael Angel Gassón Pacheco. 1998.

Prehispanic Change in the Mesitas Community: Documenting the Development of a Chiefdom's Central Place in San Agustín, Colombia . Víctor González Fernández. 1998.

"We Just Live Here": Health Decision Making and the Myth of Community in El Alto, Bolivia . Jerome Winston Pettus Crowder. 1998

Bases of Social Hierarchy in a Muisca Central Village of the Northeastern Highland of Columbia . Ana Maria Boada Rivas. 1998.

The Effect of Time Manipulation on the Exchange of Information in the Patient-Provider Encounter. Van Yasek. 1998.

Social Support Networks of Impaired Older Adults . Marcie Caryn Nightingale. 1998.

Early Village-Based Society and Long-Term Cultural Evolution in the South-Central Andean Altiplano. Timothy McAndrews. 1998.

Sacred Confluence: Worship, History and the Politics of Change in a Himalayan Village. Lipika Mazumdar. 1998

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Dissertation Examples

At birmingham you will be taught by staff with global expertise. you will be supported by an academic supervisor to pursue your own anthropological interests and to design an original research project for your final year dissertation., examples from 2019-2020:.

  • Death in the city: death, rituals and modernity
  • The Role of Femininity in the lives of Feminine Transgender Women: A Case Study in Britain 
  • Empowering Education? Girls in transition: NGOs, education and empowerment in Eastern Chad
  • Homelessness and Housing in Britain
  • Sceptic Celtic: Contested Constructions of Authenticity in Cornwall
  • Brexit as a Turning Point: an investigation into student Remainers and neoliberal hegemony 
  • ‘This Is My Religion’: Identity, Belonging, and Community at Blackpool Football Club 
  • Indigenous tourism: Revival, Reconciliation and Resistance in Ottawa
  • Are Fandoms a Religion? An exploration of the individual, community, and material culture in Star Trek fandom
  • Does South Africa truly have equal rights for LGBT citizens? A political analysis of the history and treatment of the South African LGBT Community
  • Odd Convergences: How liberal, radical, and conservative thinkers agree on UK sex work policy

Examples from 2020-2021:

  • Navigating A ‘Knotty Affair’: The Women of Rastafari using Reggae as a Site for Lyrical Resistance  
  • Creatives and Developers: Regeneration and development in inner city Birmingham.
  • Northern Ireland’s Fragile Peace: How Sectarianism Continues to Define Identities, and the Pace of Change Within the Good Friday Agreement Generation
  • Conforming to Beauty: Anxieties and Aspirations amongst young women in the UK 
  • Exclusion, Inequality and Segregation in São Paulo: Middle Class Attitudes and Urban Poor Resistance
  • Between Nigeria and Italy: Female Experiences of Migration  
  • In the Shadow of the Palm: Green Imperialism and Indonesian Palm Oil 
  • The experiences of Ghanaian musicians in the ‘world music’ industry.
  • Identity, marginality, nationalism: a perspective on the identities and marginality of Malay women in the Thai south.
  • Class, Covid 19 & White-Collar Work: Scales of Privilege in Professional Industries 
  • The True Cost of Crude Oil in the Niger Delta: MOSOP and the Ogoni
  • Studying a Migrant Community: An Ethnographic Study of the Role of the  Family, Religion and Social Media in Birmingham’s Polish Community.
  • “This is my island. I own it”: An exploration of how ‘native’ Londoners and Lebanese migrants shape their ‘native’ and ‘non-native’ identities, and how factors such as Brexit have influenced their conceptions of ‘home’
  • Double Lives, Secrets, and Identities: An ethnographic perspective on socio- cultural tensions faced by British South Asian Youth
  • An Intersectional Analysis of the Marginalisation of Black women in Social Justice Movements in the United States of America
  • Narratives of The Displaced: Identity Formation Among Second-Generation Iranians Living in the UK
  • Nation and Narrative: Decolonising Memory and the Remaking of Belgium 

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The option of writing a dissertation is open to all Part IIB candidates. The dissertation counts towards the final degree as an alternative to the optional paper.

Many students find writing a dissertation to be one of the most challenging and enjoyable parts of their course.  It allows them to explore issues more widely or deeply than is possible within the supervision essay format and many excellent dissertations have been produced in the Department. For those planning to continue at postgraduate level, it also gives a sense of research possibilities.

On this page:

Regulations

Research Ethics  and Integrity

Past Dissertation  

  • At the start of your IIA year you should consider whether or not you wish to offer a dissertation in your final year. If you decide to go ahead, you will need as soon as possible to discuss it with your Director of Studies. You will need to have some idea as to a possible subject and source of data, but finalisation of the topic and how it should be tackled is best left for discussion with whoever is appointed by your Director of Studies to be the supervisor. During the initial discussion a possible supervisor may be suggested and the next stage – ideally still early within the Part IIA year – will be to talk the matter through with the supervisor. The idea is to work out a possible topic and begin preliminary reading during the second year. A key element to writing a good dissertation is posing a question to which the thesis is an answer . You should also attend the compulsory Part IIA dissertation workshops (in Lent and Easter terms of your IIA year). Most people gather the basic data for their dissertation and write it up in a preliminary form during the second year long vacation. We require students to complete FORM1 Proposal to Offer a SAN Dissertation form very early in Easter term of their IIA year. Deadline to submit the form is Friday 3 May 2024.
  • The date to submit   FORM2 Title of Dissertation  is on  Friday 20 October 2023 . 
  • Any changes of title after that date must be submitted on the appropriate form  FORM3 Change to a Dissertation Title   Friday 26 January 2024 . Deadlines are noted on the Part IIB Dissertation Moodle Course .
  • The Head of Department will formally approve your title by the Division of the Lent term in your final year. After the title has been approved, no change may be made without further approval from the Head of Department.

The  dissertation   must be  uploaded to the Assignment section of the Social Anthropology  Dissertation Moodle Course  not later than noon on 3 May 2024.

The dissertation should be accompanied by a cover sheet containing the following: (a) a brief synopsis of the contents; (b) your blind grade numbers (as issued by the exams office); (c) a declaration of the word count of the dissertation (see Dissertation Style Guide for wording and the Dissertation Moodle Course resources section for a Template Cover Sheet). 

You will be asked to sign an electronic declaration statement that your dissertation is your own original work and that it does not contain material that has already been used to any substantial extent for a comparable purpose. 

Following the dissertation submission, one or two of the examiners will hold a short oral examination (viva) with you on its scope and content and on background knowledge relevant to the topic.

A reminder of key points and deadlines:

  • Be thinking about your plans for a dissertation during your Part IIA year
  • Topic: should not duplicate material on which you will be examined
  • Length: 10,000 words excluding footnotes, appendices, and bibliography
  • Deadline for FORM2 Title of Dissertation  is  on Friday 20 October 2023
  • Final deadline for revised titles submitted on the FORM3 Change to a Dissertation Title  is on  Friday 26 January 2024
  • Deadline for submission of dissertation is  noon on   3 May 2024
  • HSPS have a policy of mandatory screening of all assessed work. The policy on Plagiarism can be read here .
  • Viva Voce Examinations: June 2024

All Social Anthropology IIB Dissertations conclude with a  Viva Voce  examination. This is between 15 and 20 minutes long. In general, the viva is an opportunity to confirm your conclusions and to speak meaningfully about your anthropological research and writing. It is unusual for the viva to reduce a student's mark - far more likely is that a student clarifies any matters that may have puzzled the assessors or indeed does so well in the viva as to invite the assessors to raise their mark.

The Dissertation Viva will be conducted b y   two assessors of your Dissertation, so you should come in expecting to have an interesting conversation about your Dissertation and your fieldwork.  The  vi vas  will be held in the Meyer Fortes room.  Whilst it is a formal event, and may at first seem intimidating, most students greatly enjoy the opportunity to speak about their thesis and the ideas therein to an anthropologist who has read and marked it.

The only real preparation you need to do before your viva is to read through your dissertation carefully so as to remind yourself of what you wrote. You will be invited to start off by saying a few words (no more than 5 minutes) about the project itself and why it interested you, what choices you had to make, what you found most interesting or surprising about the research and whether you think there are any weaknesses or anything you would now change. The brief is fairly open-ended and intended as a way to open up the conversation in the viva. At the very least, this should constitute great interview practice for the future!

Please note: The deadline for submission of Part IIB dissertations is strict and final. If you anticipate any problem in submitting your Part II dissertation on time you must consult your supervisor, Director of Studies and College Tutor immediately. Extensions will only be granted under exceptional circumstances. Work submitted late and without certification will be penalised. The examiners will deduct marks from dissertations in the event they are submitted late without prior Departmental agreement.

Penalties For Late Submission:

  • 1 point per hour or part thereof – up to 3 points (1 point per the first hour, another point for the second hour, and a third point for any further delay up to 12 noon the next day) 
  • Next 10 days or part thereof – 3 points per day 
  • Any work submitted after 10 days is marked 0 
  • Electronic submission is mandatory 
  • Submission times are standardised at 12pm (BST) on the due date, with daily penalties applied every 24 hours from the due time.
  • Hand-in times are standardised at 12pm (noon) on the due date, with daily penalties applied every 24 hours from the due time.

The general topic of the dissertation may be on any suitable subject within Social Anthropology provided that its content does not overlap with that presented in any paper being offered for examination. In other words it should address arguments and materials in addition to those drawn on for the written examinations. You will need to think about collecting the materials, sorting them and addressing arguments through them as a piece of independent research.

The research may be library-based or may include an element of survey- or ‘field’-work. The latter two kinds of project depend on the student’s initiative; the Department of Social Anthropology does not offer training in field research methods at this level. Where students have the opportunity to bring in ‘field’ experiences, they are encouraged to draw on them, as on any other resource, but there is no preference for a particular research approach. A library-based dissertation is given equal weight to a project-based one.

Length and format: The word limit is 10,000 words excluding footnotes, abstracts/synopsis, contents page, appendices, acknowledgements, glossary or bibliography. NB Students should not include important information in footnotes that could be included in the body of the text, as examiners are not obliged to read footnotes. Dissertations must be typewritten unless permission has been obtained from the Faculty Board to present work in manuscript. Apart from these two stipulations, there are no formal requirements concerning presentation and layout but the Department of Social Anthropology offers suggested guidelines as a useful rule of thumb (see Dissertation style guide on the Moodle course).

Use of video: candidates may submit a video or videoed material as an appendix. However, a special case can be made for video being submitted as integral to the subject of the dissertation. In that case, it will substitute for up to 25% of the written text. Written application must be made at the same time as titles are submitted for Departmental approval. In neither case should video material be longer than 20 minutes. Please note that instruction in the making of anthropological videos is not offered to Part II students; candidates considering this option should take advice from their Director of Studies, and should give careful consideration as to whether or not they wish to submit video for formal assessment. We have filming and editing facilities in our Visual Anthropology Lab , available for students to use for video projects whether formally submitted as part of the dissertation or not.

Examination: the dissertation counts towards the final degree as though it were a single examination paper and carries equal weighting. It will be read independently by two examiners, one of whom (who will not be the candidate’s supervisor) will hold a short oral examination (viva) on its scope and content and on background knowledge relevant to the topic.

Quality: successful candidates are expected to show both a theoretical grasp of intellectual issues in Social Anthropology and a substantive grasp of a body of knowledge. The range is assumed to include familiarity with a number of case studies/ ethnographies, as a basic training in comparative enquiry, and the dissertation affords excellent scope to demonstrate this. Examiners will look for evidence of the ability to formulate, develop and complete a piece of research. 

Research Ethics and Integrity

The University of Cambridge Research Integrity website provides extensive ethics and integrity guidelines to support staff and students. The Association of Social Anthropologists also provides extensive and detailed ASA ethics guidelines , which you should consult carefully while planning your research. As the statement from the ASA chair usefully points out, the above guidelines are not intended to provide ready-made answers or to absolve researchers from ethical responsibilities, but should be a starting point for a concrete reflection on the specific ethical issues which may have to be borne in mind in the case of your specific research:

“Codes of practice and guidelines are of necessity succinct documents, couched in abstract and general terms. They serve as a baseline for starting to think about ethical issues, but cannot of their nature encompass the complexities of concrete situations and the dilemmas of choice and positioning that anthropologists routinely face as they navigate through a variety of intersecting fields of power and responsibility and start to consider how their own work both reflects and affects power relations. If ethics is seen simply as a question of avoiding a lawsuit and our codes are simply a list of restrictions on conduct designed to protect us from interference, our ethical purpose will simply be a matter of self-serving professional interest.” (Statement from the Chair, ASA)

Researchers should also be aware of data protection issues that arise as a result of conducting research. In particular, you should keep in mind that when using cloud-based storage, or programmes such as Evernote, data will be crossing international borders even if your research does not. This means you should be aware of any issues raised concerning not only the security of your own research data, but also the legal issues surrounding data protection of all personal data. Further information on data protection can be found at the following places: The University of Cambridge Staff and Student Information Research data Q&A from Jisc Legal

If, having read these guidelines, you have any questions or would like any advice relating to research ethics, please consult the Department’s research ethics officer. 

For those considering conducting fieldwork, see the film ‘Fieldwork in the Himalayas’ narrated by Professor Alan Macfarlane. This film takes the viewer through the fieldwork endeavour, from leaving one’s own country through to getting back to it after fieldwork.  

Past Dissertations

There are over 2000 social anthropology and archaeology dissertations stored in the Haddon Library on the Downing site which can be read as reference documents in the library, dissertations from 2020 to present are available to view online. For more information please see the Haddon library  website.

Dissertation Resources

For deadlines, forms, past exam reports and to upload the final electronic version of your dissertation please see the  Social Anthropology Dissertation Moodle Course .

Please note students enrolled on the Dissertation will automatically be enrolled on the Part IIB Social Anthropology Dissertation Moodle course and you will find a link to the course in the ‘My Home’ section of Moodle.

If you are a member of the University of Cambridge and you wish to view the past exam reports for dissertations then you can access the Moodle Course as a guest. For more information on how to access Moodle Courses as a guest please see Moodle Help .

Department of Social Anthropology Free School Lane Cambridge CB2 3RF Tel: 01223 334 599

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Explore our doctoral dissertations and master’s theses that span all of the subfields of anthropology, including sociocultural, archaeological, museum and visual, linguistic, medical, and biological.

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Anthropology Theses & Dissertations

Theses/dissertations from 2021 2021.

The Materiality of Metaphor in Mayan Hieroglyphic Texts: Metaphor in Changing Political Climates , Dinkel A. Rebecca

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Senior Thesis Style and Formatting Guide

  • Undergraduate /
  • Senior Thesis Option

Writing Support Resources

Style Guide

Page Numbering

Title Page Format

In-Text Citations

Endnotes vs. Footnotes

References Cited

Figures and Tables

Formatting the Printed Version

Useful Sources on Formal Writing

If you would like feedback and support while writing, the Marks Family Resource Center, located at 3808 Walnut Street, is an excellent resource.  Consult their web page , where you will find links to guides on writing. They also meet with students to improve their writing one-on-one. Writing Center drop-in tutoring hours can be found here . 

You should use consistent style for your in-text citations, references cited, and writing in general.  All Undergraduate Theses submitted to the Department of Anthropology must use the formal “style guide.” We recommend the  American Anthropologist  for cultural anthropology and linguistics topics,  American Antiquity  and  Historical Archaeology  for archaeology topics, and  American Journal of Physical Anthropology  for physical anthropology and biological anthropology topics.  You must use the style guide consistently for the Abstract, Main Text, References Cited, Figures, and Tables.  All citations must have the complete reference in the section “References Cited.”  All figures must be numbered and must be referred to in the text at least once.  Online style guides are available for the following journals:

American Anthropologist :

http://www.aaanet.org/publications/guidelines.cfm

American Antiquity :

https://documents.saa.org/container/docs/default-source/doc-publications/style-guide/saa-style-guide_updated-july-2018c5062f7e55154959ab57564384bda7de.pdf?sfvrsn=8247640e_6

Historical Archaeology

http://www.sha.org/publications/for_authors.cfm

American Journal of Physical Anthropology :

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/%28ISSN%291096-8644/homepage/ForAuthors.html

All pages in your thesis should be numbered at the bottom center using Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3 . . .) (including Main Text, References Cited section, Figures section, and Tables section).  The Title page is not numbered.  Any preliminary pages (Abstract, Table of Contents, or lists of Figures) use small Roman numerals (i, ii, iii . . .).

Your title page is unnumbered. All text of the title page should be centered and have the same font as the main text  Your title page should have the following elements (note the use of upper and lower case):

[TITLE OF THE UNDERGRADUATE THESIS IN UPPER CASE]

[Author’s Name]

Anthropology

Submitted to the

Thesis Advisor:  [name of the Thesis Advisor]

The Undergraduate Thesis must include a formal abstract (summary) of 100-200 words at the beginning, immediately following your Title page. Your thesis abstract presents a concise summary of the thesis (research problem or issue, the methods or approach used, and results). Do not cite references in the abstract.

Anthropology generally uses in-text citations to refer to published work as you’ll see in the Style Guide above. It is better to over-cite your sources than to under-cite them!  Below are links to the Penn Library’s documentation guide and the University guide to academic integrity.  Please read these documents carefully:

http://gethelp.library.upenn.edu/PORT/documentation/

http://www.upenn.edu/academicintegrity/index.html

We discourage the use of footnotes and endnotes for “additional information.”  If necessary, use endnotes rather than footnotes.  Endnotes appear in sequence at the end of the main text as a separate section titled “Endnotes” and are numbered in sequence in the text (using a superscript font). Endnotes are single-spaced with double spaces between them.  

Your Undergraduate Thesis should include a complete “References Cited” section (this is not a “Bibliography”). Refer to the appropriate style guide ( American Anthropologist ,  American Antiquity , Historical Archaeology,  or  American Journal of Physical Anthropology ) above for details on citations.  Your References Cited section must include all and only the references that you’ve formally cited in your main text, endnotes, figures, and tables. Work with your advisor to agree on appropriate citations for archival sources, interviews, museum records, and other research data.

The Undergraduate Thesis in Anthropology is a formal document, so your figures and tables should be sharp, clear, readable and directly relevant to the topic. Your figures should be clear and legible. Scan images from publications and reduce or enlarge these to best fit the margins of your page using Photoshop or Illustrator (available on computers in the Department and in Weigle Information Commons).

Figures includes diagrams, photographs, drawings, graphics, illustrations, and maps. They will be numbered in sequence “Figure X..”. Label all of your tables “Table Y..” in a separate numbered sequence. You should mention each figure and table at least once in your text [for example:  “As Table 5 demonstrates, the alcoholic content of maize beer is low.”]  Each figure or table must have an individual caption on the page where it appears. If information or images in your figures come from published or unpublished work of others, you must include formal citations in your captions and References Cited section (“Figure 3:  Location map showing the excavations completed during the 1994 field season (after Smith et al. 1995).”

Photographs are numbered in the figure sequence. Photographs should be sharp, fit within the required margins, and have direct relevance to your thesis. Like all figures, each photograph must have a caption, must be cited in the text, and must be listed in the table of figures if you include one. You must cite the sources of any published image you reproduce, and that citation must appear in your “References Cited.”

The text, tables and figures of your thesis should have a 1-inch margin on all sides. Your text should be double spaced except for the Title Page, Abstract, Table of Contents, long quoted passages (“block” quotes), References Cited, Endnotes and Captions. Format these sections according to the style guide for your thesis subject area.

Choose a clear standard typeface (Times New Roman, etc.) and format pages with 12-point font throughout your document.

Gibaldi, Joseph.  2009.  MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers.  7th ed. New York:  Modern Language Association of America.  A comprehensive guide to writing research papers.

Strunk, W. and E.B. White.  2005.  The Elements of Style.  New York:  Penguin Press.  Appropriate for more humanities-oriented papers (and therefore possibly for cultural- and linguistic anthropology theses).  Focuses on rules of standard English and calls attention to common errors.

Turabian, Kate L.  2007.  A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations.  7th ed.  Chicago:  University of Chicago Press.  Updated in accordance with the Chicago Manual of Style.

University of Chicago.  2010.  The Chicago Manual of Style.  16th edition.  Chicago:  University of Chicago Press.  Another classic, comprehensive style guide; extensively revised for the 16th edition.

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Ethnographic study of scottish gaelic language revitalisation and nature conservation in the western isles , critical socio-cultural autoethnography: a soldier, here, there and back again , understanding agricultural transitions and sustainability: a study of farmers' perspectives in rural north-west india , technocratic tuberculosis control: health professionals at the interstices of dots in shanghai, china , seeking the riches of the past: uncertainty, historicity, and treasure-hunting in north-western turkey , biosocial fragiities: life with chronic lyme disease in scotland , speaking up for the dead in bukit brown cemetery an anthropological enquiry on contemporary civil society in singapore , markets, morals and medicalised maternity: navigating a shifting health service terrain in bangladesh , spectacles of development: the materiality of success at the barefoot college, rajasthan , surviving senses: life-forms in a contaminated world after the fukushima nuclear disaster , toxicities, illegalities and protest: a landscape of coal in south india , fractals of a mountain: human-environment relations in the peruvian andes , dog person: nature–cultures of more-than-human kinship in edinburgh and on the internet , bittersweet: living with sugar and kin in contemporary scotland , holding space: friendship, care and carcerality in the uk immigration detention system , fast forward: technography of the social integration of connected and automated vehicles into uk society , biblical women of influence: feminine identities, imbued bodies, and intimacy among conservative evangelicals in the ozarks , being church': agency and authenticity in a protestant revival movement in scotland , making mothers, making fathers: the transition to parenthood in edinburgh , contending with space and time: the navigation of class, marriage, and identity by chinese temporary migrants in the uk .

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The Best Anthropology Topics For Your Research

Anthropology topics

Do you have an upcoming anthropology research paper that you have to write? If so, you need to craft an excellent research paper that follows all the examiners’ specifications to score the best grade. However, that is not always easy, and you need to put in the effort to find the best anthropology research topics.

If you write an interesting paper, there is no doubt that the reader will appreciate it. Are you wondering what makes good anthropology paper topics and how you can make your paper enjoyable? We have a list of intriguing and aggressive anthropology topics to write about.

Pick any of the anthropology essay topics and do additional research on it. Our topics are free to help as many anthropology students as we can pass their research assignments. But first, what should you write?

What You Should Write About In Your Anthropology Topics

The history of past and present societies, cultures, behaviors, and trends in various cultures constitutes the study of anthropology. Though this is one of the underestimated fields of science, anthropology offers data on different cultures, societies, beliefs, cultures, and behavior. It covers each aspect of human life and their culture.

By studying anthropology, you will clearly understand how people of different cultures live and behave. It will also help you learn how they build relationships. Anthropology is fascinating and broad, and at times, it can be challenging for students to research the best topic they can use for their thesis or dissertation.

This subject covers almost all aspects of human life. If you are writing a thesis, you need to consider the cultural, medical, biological, physical, linguistics, and other exciting aspects that revolve around anthropology. Here are exciting anthropology paper topics for you; read on.

Interesting Anthropology Topics

Anthropology is one of the fascinating subjects in universities. It is easy to get exciting anthropology research paper topics to use. Check out these topics and choose what excites you.

  • Is there a link between Eastern healers and western medicine?
  • What is the impact of social media on cultures?
  • What is the similarity between African and Asian Hip-hop?
  • What is the religious diversity in Africa?
  • How race and racism has evolved for the past ten years.
  • What is the link between rituals and pagan festivals?
  • How did migration around the world take place?
  • A look at complicated culture marriage rituals that continue to distinguish societies.
  • The challenges that interracial couples face in Islamic society?
  • How modernization has impacted hunter-gatherer societies.

Cultural Anthropology Topics

The different cultures in different societies are what make people unique. You should make your cultural anthropology essay topics for cultural anthropology unique and captivating. Here is a list of the best cultural anthropology topics list for you.

  • What roles are played by the modern South African woman?
  • Research on how religion has influenced the various African cultures.
  • The similarities and differences of kissing traditions in Western and Eastern societies.
  • What is the main link between political science and cultural anthropology?
  • Culture baggage in the Asian communities that have been passed across generations.
  • What are the critical points of western culture?
  • The reasons people have a hard time accepting cultures that are different from theirs.
  • The difference between gender differences in Africa and Eastern societies.
  • A global perspective of HIV for the past decade.
  • A look at heroes in various societies of the world and their roles.

Biological Anthropology Topics

If you are interested in doing research and writing about the evolution of humans and origin diversity, then here is a list of interesting biological anthropology research topics to use.

  • How biological anthropology helps us to understand the evolutionary development of primates.
  • What are the main geographical areas that anthropology explores?
  • The difference between biological anthropology and other science fields.
  • Why do biological anthropologists study modern humans?
  • What is the limitation of biological anthropology research?
  • How does biological anthropology attempt to explain the development in primates?
  • How do fossil records help scientists learn about the origin of man?
  • Can fossil records be used to determine what is to come in the future?
  • A look at different human evolution theories: Knowing the facts and demystifying lies.
  • How does biological anthropology impacts modern medicine?

Medical Anthropology Topics

One way of making sure your research paper stands out is to settle on medical anthropology research topics that you enjoy writing about. Here is a medical anthropology research topics list that will transform the narrative about medical anthropology.

  • Is there a link between cultural practices and domestic home care?
  • A look at the effects of biotechnology on human anthropology.
  • How do pharmaceuticals affect the overall well-being of humans in society today?
  • Do cultural conditions affect the shape of current medical policies and practices?
  • A look at the political ecology of infectious disease and the vector-borne transmissions.
  • What is the relationship between violence, chronic disease, and malnutrition?
  • The evaluation of medical anthropology?
  • What role do medical anthropology play in the health sector and society at large?
  • What are the benefits of biomedicine in reproduction?
  • How has medicine anthropology impacted women’s health?

Physical Anthropology Topics

Do you want to write about the human body? If so, we have combined the best topics in physical anthropology for you. They include the following:

  • How does technology impact physical anthropology?
  • What are the essentials of physical anthropology?
  • Compare the animal stability variation of the animals in captivity and those in the wild.
  • What is the human development of abiogenesis all about?
  • Define and explain adaptive mutation.
  • Is altruism a trait that most people are willing to learn?
  • A look at the different evaluation theories around the globe.
  • How does animal captivity affect animal stability?
  • How does human development abiogenesis affect the traits you see in humans today?
  • How does adaptive mutation come about?

Forensic Anthropology Research Topics

Forensic anthropology is highly recognized due to the ability to solve criminal cases. Luckily, there’s a lot to write in this category. Here are some of the anthropology research paper topics you can’t go wrong with:

  • How has technology impacted crime detection?
  • What evidence supports the existence of Homo habilis?
  • Is DNA evidence accurate when matching and testing on criminology?
  • What are the limitations of archaeological dating methods used today?
  • A look at the primary agent that causes biological changes in the human body
  • Is the use of radioactive carbon dating valid?
  • What is the primary agent that causes a biological change in the bodies of humans?
  • Difference and similarities on creationist views and evolution.
  • What influenced different cultures to choose different migration paths?
  • How did migration influence the Neanderthal’s appearance and survival?

Topics in Biological Anthropology

Do you want to write about the origin, diversity, and evolution of humankind? Get the best biological anthropology research topics from the list below.

  • A look at human biological variability
  • Research on biological anthropology and how it impacts human warfare.
  • How does biological anthropology impact human social patterns?
  • What is the impact of human biological anthropology on social interactions?
  • What are the differences and similarities between biological contrast and physical anthropology?
  • How has technology impacted the study of Biological Anthropology?
  • How has Africa impacted Biological Anthropologies studies?
  • What evidence is there that the primates rafted from Africa to America?
  • What are the tools that we can use to study rare and endangered species?
  • The changes made due to biological Anthropology.

Current Topics in Anthropology

Times are changing, and now scientists have modern tools to help them with their research. If you are looking for the best current topics in anthropology, here is a look at ideas you can use.

  • How has technology impacted storytelling in different cultures?
  • How do facial expressions and hand gestures play a role in overcoming cultural barriers?
  • A review of the evolution of Anthropology in modern history
  • How has anthropology impacted the globalization era?
  • The difference between cultural development and cultural growth.
  • How has social media impacted culture?
  • What is the impact of religion on anthropology?
  • How did terrorism get into human society?
  • Challenges that people face to adapting to different cultures.
  • Research on anthropology and genetics.

Linguistic Anthropology Research Topics

If you are searching for the most interesting linguistic anthropology topics on the internet, you are likely to find many options. Here are some of the best topics you can find.

  • What led to the emergence of linguistic anthropology?
  • What discoveries impacted the development of linguistic anthropology?
  • How has linguistic anthropology changed over time?
  • What contributions did Dell Hymes make to linguistic evolution?
  • How has linguistic Anthropology changed over time?
  • Language rediscovery and culture reassurance.
  • Definition of language endangerment and how it came into action.
  • Is language an abstract concept?
  • A look at the different indigenous languages in Africa.
  • How societies now feel about language classification.

Get Help with Your Anthropology Paper

Are you looking for expert help to write your anthropology papers and assignments? We have competent writers experienced in anthropology-related academic research writing. We can help choose the right topics in anthropology or do the paper with your suggested topic.

We want you to get the best grades and have an easy time progressing with your coursework. All you need is to get in touch with us and give us details of your project. You can rest assured that we’ll deliver beyond your expectations.

We are dedicated to offering our clients the best quality research anthropology paper within a short time. Get in touch with us today. Our team is ready to assist you regardless of any topic you present to us.

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  • Dissertation Prospectus - Archaeology

The dissertation prospectus should normally be written and defended in the third year, and must be defended no later than the end of the seventh enrolled semester. A dissertation topic is developed through consultations between the student, the principal advisor(s), and other appropriate scholars. The dissertation prospectus consists of a proposal that describes the question/hypothesis to be investigated in the dissertation, the methods that will be employed to address that question/hypothesis, and the plan of research on which the dissertation will be based. It should include a statement of the problem(s) and topic(s) to be addressed and should relate how the student intends to address them. The prospectus normally should be no longer than 20 double-spaced typewritten pages of text and should include relevant visual and bibliographic materials and details on possible funding sources. With the approval of the student’s advisor, the prospectus may be produced in the form of a proposal to the National Science Foundation for a doctoral dissertation improvement grant (DDIG). 

The student must circulate the prospectus to the Archaeology Program faculty at least two weeks before the prospectus examination. The examining committee shall consist of at least three members: the student’s advisor(s), one other member of the Archaeology faculty, and a third member who may come from outside of the Anthropology Department or outside of Harvard University.  The chair of the examining committee must be a member of the archaeology program and is ordinarily one of the student’s advisor(s). All Archaeology Program faculty are invited to participate in the examination. 

The dissertation prospectus examination shall take the form of a defense before the student’s advisory committee. Following the defense, the final version of the prospectus should be circulated for comment and approval to the prospectus examination committee (or to the dissertation committee, should said committee have been constituted by that time) at least two weeks before being placed on file with the department’s graduate program administrator. 

Upon successful defense of the prospectus, all students are required to present their prospectus projects in the Spring Anthropology Prospectus Symposium, normally held annually in early May. 

Students ordinarily may not apply for outside funding for dissertation field research until they have successfully defended their prospectus. Any application to a funding source outside of Harvard University for either fieldwork or other research funding for dissertation research must be approved by the student’s advisor(s), and it is expected that students shall first submit all research proposals to their advisor(s) for approval. 

Following the eighth semester, students must normally submit at least one draft chapter of the dissertation to their Dissertation Committee annually in order to maintain good standing in the Program. 

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100 best anthropology topics to write about.

April 1, 2021

anthropology topics

However, anthropology is a complex subject. And writing about any topic in this subject requires knowledge of different societies, traditions, and cultures. What’s more, social anthropology topics combine studies like sociology and history.

As such, researching and writing about some topics related to anthropology can be a challenging task. Nevertheless, this subject largely covers almost all human life’s aspect. Here is a list of some of the best anthropology topics from our customer writing service .

  • The Top 10 Anthropology Topics

Controversial Topics in Anthropology

Medical anthropology research topics, physical anthropology topics, biology anthropology topics, cultural anthropology topics, linguistic anthropology research topics, forensic anthropology research topics, the top 10 anthropology topics.

Maybe you are looking for anthropology research topics that most people will be interested to read about. In that case, consider these anthropology paper topics.

  • The merits and demerits of eugenics during the 21st century
  • Exploring how the environment influences the human skin color
  • Explain the aging process in the Western culture
  • How Kyphosis relate to human senescence
  • The long-term effects of physical labor on the physical appearance of a person
  • How smoking affects the human physical appearance
  • Clarifying what causes drowning through the examination of anatomical and physical evidence
  • Investigating modern facts that support the existence of homo habilis
  • Theories about the origin of humans
  • The underlying beliefs behind the preservation of the dead in ancient Egypt

Most people will be interested in reading about such anthropology research paper topics. However, you should be ready to research any of these ideas extensively to come up with a brilliant paper.

Do you enjoy the idea of researching and writing about controversial issues? If yes, you will find these anthropology essay topics quite fascinating to research and write about.

  • Social anthropology is nothing because it generalizes science
  • Society is a theoretically obsolete concept
  • Human worlds are cultural constructions
  • Language is the culture’s essence
  • Humans should see the past as a foreign country
  • Patrol behavior in Chimpanzee
  • The myth of man as a killer
  • Human morality evaluation
  • Biology as the human behavior’s bases
  • Anthropology and ethnic cleansing

This category comprises controversial issues that make interesting anthropology topics. Nevertheless, take your time to explore any of these topics to come up with a great essay or paper.

Maybe you love reading and writing about different medical anthropology topics. This anthropology subfield draws upon cultural, social, linguistic, and biological anthropology. It aims to understand factors that influence the wellbeing and health, distribution and experience of illness, as well as, treatment, prevention, and the healing processes. Here is a medical anthropology research topics list worthy of your exploration.

  • The health ramifications of adapting to ecology and maladaptation
  • Local interpretations of different bodily processes
  • Domestic health care and health culture practices
  • Body projects’ changes and the valued attributes
  • Critical and clinical engagement in anthropology applications
  • The political ecology of vector-borne and infectious diseases
  • Chronic diseases, violence, and malnutrition- how they relate
  • The political healthcare provision- the economic aspect
  • The perceptions of vulnerability, risk, and responsibility for healthcare and illness
  • Protective and risk dimensions of cultural norms, human behavior, and social institutions
  • Harm reduction and preventative health practices
  • Illness experience and social relations of a disease
  • Factors that drive nutrition, health, and healthcare transitions
  • Clinical interactions in a social organization
  • Pluralistic and ethnomedicine modalities in a healing process
  • The historical and cultural conditions that shape medical policies and practices
  • The interpretation of biotechnology and pharmaceuticals
  • Medical practices within the colonial, post-colonial, and modernity social formations
  • The commodification and commercialization of medicine and health
  • Health disparity and disease distribution

This category also has some of the most current topics in anthropology. These are ideas that touch on issues that affect the current healthcare and medical systems in most countries. However, you should be ready to research any of these topics extensively.

Physical anthropology research topics entail studying and writing about the human body. If this is something you find interesting, here are good topics for physical anthropology research paper to consider. Feel free to check more physics topics .

  • Genotype-environment correlation study
  • Genetic hitchhiking- What it means
  • Do people learn altruism or is it a trait?
  • The cephalization process
  • The contribution of Henry Walter Bates to the Anthropology field
  • Adaptive mutation- What is it?
  • The effects of adaptive mutation
  • Human development and abiogenesis- what are they about?
  • Discuss the placental mammals and Australian marsupials’ convergent evolution
  • Explain animal stability variation after being in captivity compared to those in the wild
  • Variations in the evolution of different species in various parts of the globe
  • Physical anthropology essentials
  • Physical anthropology trends

These are interesting topics to explore if you love physical anthropology. Nevertheless, take your time to research your topic to come up with a brilliant paper.

Biology anthropology research topics revolve around the origin, diversity, and evolution of humankind. Until the late 20th century, this field was also called physical anthropology. If interested in researching and writing about the origin, diversity, and evolution of humankind, here are interesting topics in biological anthropology to consider.

  • Explain how biological anthropology differs from the other science fields
  • How does biological anthropology attempt to interpret and explain human evolution?
  • Explain the use of biological anthropology by primatologists in improving the understanding of evolutionary developments in primates
  • Explore the use of fossil records in paleoanthropology
  • How biological anthropology attempts to explain human behaviors and social structures’ development
  • Explain how studying modern humans enables scientists to draw conclusions and insights from the biological anthropology viewpoint
  • Identify the primary geographical areas where biological anthropologists explore
  • How geographical locations help in explaining the human evolution

Pick any of these topics and then research them extensively before you write your paper.

Cultural ethnography entails the study of behavior and patterns in humans, as well as why and how they differ in modern societies. Some cultural anthropology research topics may also include ethnohistory, ethnography, and cross-cultural studies. Here is a list of possible topics to consider for your paper.

  • The underlying religious beliefs that influence forced nuptials among children in Northern Nigeria
  • The challenging roles played by women in modern Africa
  • Investigating how religious beliefs influence the African cultures
  • How superstitions affect the African way of life
  • The evolution of sexual discrimination in modern times
  • The influence of cultural and social backgrounds on gay marriage
  • Explain the existence of racism in modern times
  • Assess the causes of homelessness among the Indian people
  • How can India deal with homelessness?
  • How homosexuality influences the cultural and social landscape
  • Influence of homosexuality on societal attitudes in Africa
  • How culture influences human society
  • The link between cultural anthropology and political science
  • Cultural imperialism and contemporary media
  • Describe culture shock and how to overcome it
  • How to minimize cultural baggage
  • The key points of any culture
  • How religious practices and beliefs affect culture
  • How language acquisition influences culture

These are interesting cultural anthropology research paper topics you can explore. Nevertheless, take your time to research any of these ideas before you write about them.

Linguistic anthropology entails the study of the link between culture and language. This includes how a language relates to social action, thought, power, and identity. Here are interesting topics to explore if interested in linguistic anthropology.

  • Discoveries and events that led to the emergency of linguistic anthropology
  • Important changes in theories behind linguistic anthropology
  • Dell Hymes’ contribution to linguistic anthropology
  • How some methodological changes affected linguistic anthropology from the 1980s
  • The language with the most social life’s influence among the Bengali immigrants
  • Language rediscovery and culture renaissance
  • What is language endangerment?
  • Language is an abstract concept
  • Exploring Latin America’s indigenous languages
  • A detailed analysis of language classification

Explore these topics if you love learning and writing about language and its development over time.

Forensic anthropology entails studying human remains with a focus on skeletal analysis. This field is commonly used to solve criminal cases. Here are topics to consider in this category.

  • Discuss the primary agents that cause biological changes in the human body
  • A critical assessment of radioactive carbon dating accuracy
  • Recent improvements in crime detection
  • Evidential support for evolutionist and creationist views about human origin
  • Recent evidence that supports Homo habilis’ existence in the past
  • How accurate is DNA evidence in matching and testing on criminology?
  • The effect of radioactivity on different forms of life because of the 1986’s atomic catastrophe Chernobyl
  • A review of the latest archaeological dating methods
  • Exploring migratory paths and environmental influences on Neanderthals appearance and survival
  • How effective were the methods used in Egyptian mummification?

Any of the topics listed here can be a good idea for an essay or research paper. Nevertheless, understand your assignment requirements first, and then take your time to research your chosen topic extensively before writing.

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What is your main extracurricular activity and why is it important to you? 

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When I came to Cornell, I knew I wanted to get involved in initiatives that aligned with my personal values of justice and mercy and served a community beyond the one on campus. I joined the Parole Preparation Project (now Cornell University Parole Initiative) and began working with an incarcerated person in preparation for a Parole Board hearing that determines whether he can be released on parole. Along with two other student volunteers, I liaised with community partners to establish a plan for re-entry, gathered various legal and medical documents for the parole packet, and met regularly with the parole applicant in a maximum-security correctional facility to practice for his hearing. Three and a half years later, I now consider the incarcerated applicant I work with not only a teammate and coworker, but also a friend. Through working together, we have found common ground in the pursuit of justice, the importance of family and the role of faith and prayer in guiding our lives. This year, I became a teaching assistant for the Cornell Prison Education Program, going to Auburn Correctional Facility once a week to teach incarcerated students within a French club and an anthropology course, which has allowed me to explore my interests in the intersection of education and incarceration. Due to Cornell’s resources and investment in community engagement, I had the unique opportunity to work within facilities that reveal the immense inequalities in America’s criminal legal system and to play a role in working toward a more equitable world.

What Cornell memory do you treasure the most?         

The Cornell memories I treasure the most are the evenings I’ve hosted potlucks or dinners with large groups of people at my apartment because they embody the best parts of my time at Cornell: community and bringing people together. I’ve invited close friends and acquaintances from my classes, faith community, work and clubs, many of whom do not know each other and otherwise wouldn’t cross paths, and new friendships have been formed. On these evenings, my kitchen and living room are full of conversations and laughter, and the area sometimes gets so warm because of the number of people that we have to open a window even in the winter, while we share food and discover unlikely common ground.

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What are the most valuable skills you gained from your Arts & Sciences education?     

I learned how to critically examine the things I see and learn, rather than take them at face value and accept the status quo. I came into college accustomed to the type of learning that consisted of knowing facts and successfully regurgitating them on a test or essay. My eyes were opened to the beauty of academic discourse and debate in one of my first classes at Cornell. For each class topic, we read multiple scientific articles that built upon each other or disagreed with one another. As we discussed the strengths and weaknesses of each scientist’s research findings, I developed critical thinking and analysis skills. I learned not to take at face value every piece of information I am given within the context of a classroom, but gained the courage and confidence to challenge and critique other viewpoints while developing my own.    

What have you accomplished as a Cornell student that you are most proud of?

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While working as an investigator at the public defender’s office in D.C., I wondered about a paradoxical observation I made: that people who have had negative experiences with the police seem to call the police a lot. At the beginning of my junior year, I had the opportunity to turn that curiosity into a semester-long research paper for Professor Joseph Margulies’ Crime and Punishment class. I began interviewing young people who have had negative encounters with law enforcement about times they have called the police. The class project evolved beyond the semester into an independent study, and eventually into my senior honors thesis. I’m most proud of my research because I learned that a small seed of curiosity can grow and mature into a full-fledged thesis project. Through my thesis, I’ve been able to combine my interests in social justice with academic pursuits, and I learned how to conduct research that has implications for public policy and social change.

Who or what influenced your Cornell education the most?     

Cru has undoubtedly influenced my Cornell education more than anything else. I came into college with an abundance of questions about meaning and purpose, both generally and personally. Through the Cru community, I have become close friends with people from so many more backgrounds, cultures, and life experiences than I thought possible. Together, we have wrestled with difficult and existential questions. The diverse set of friends offering input and encouragement has been invaluable to my growth, as I figure out who I am and why I’m here. We have also supported each other through some of the most challenging times of sorrow and loss that tested the strength and genuineness of our beliefs. The Cru community has taught me to be resilient in the face of difficulties and to find hope in something bigger than myself. I learned how to allow my personal values to fuel every pursuit —academic, extracurricular, spiritual and personal — and every moment of my life, from the biggest highlights to the utterly mundane.

Every year, our faculty nominate graduating Arts & Sciences students to be featured as part of our Extraordinary Journeys series.  Read more about the Class of 202 4.

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Ph.D. Student Georgia Burcher Successfully Defends Her Dissertation

Georgia in front of a government building

Congratulations to Dr. Georgia Butcher who successfully defended her cultural anthropology dissertation “In the Eye of the Reaper: Drone Pilots, Remote War, and Resistance in the United States.” She had the unanimous support of her committee – advisor Alison Cool, and committee members Lorraine Bayard de Volo, Donna Goldstein, Carla Jones, and Carole McGranahan.

anthropology topics for dissertation

'I strive to practice bravery and authenticity'

5/17/2024 A&S Communications

Chit Sum Eunice Ngai

Anthropology Hong Kong

What was your favorite class and why?  

Collaborative Songwriting is one of my favorite classes, because it blends learning theory and practice directly to develop students’ creative voices. Each person in our class is required to write and present three songs. This both is and isn’t as scary as it sounds: at this point in the semester, we’ve completed our first two songs, and it’s been amazing to witness our musical and personal growth.

What is your main extracurricular activity and why is it important to you? 

In junior year, I worked as a research assistant on a project investigating how technology design both exacerbated — and could address — wage theft of home care workers in the U.S. Through qualitative coding analysis of interviews with home care worker and legal and payroll experts, our team studied how interlocking sociocultural, economic and political contexts manifested in the design and implementation of digital pay processes. We co-authored a paper on our findings, which will be published in the Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work. This experience gave me practice with critically examining the contexts that give rise to institutional design processes, and deeply inspired the topic for my thesis.

person on a ferry boat

What have you accomplished as a Cornell student that you are most proud of?

I am most proud of researching and writing my senior honors thesis, “It’s a Worthy Job Paying People For: Home Care Workers and Clients in Tompkins County.” My thesis examines sociocultural narratives about care work in the U.S.; how these narratives have undervalued care work and influence inadequate systemic support for people in it; and how anthropological research and ethnographic documentation can make visible the important work of care workers and clients. My interviews and fieldwork focus on home care workers and their clients in Tompkins County, N.Y. Working on my thesis trained me to persist in uncertainty, overcome perfectionism through deadlines, listen actively with empathy, and so much more.

How have your beliefs or perspectives changed since you first arrived at Cornell? 

I strive to practice bravery and authenticity. Whether it’s presenting my song to a class through stage fright, or reaching out to people for anthropology research as a quiet and shy introvert, I’ve had so many opportunities to go out of my comfort zone (even when I am often forced into it for homework!) at Cornell. My teachers, classmates and friends have also inspired me to express myself with authenticity in my projects and creative assignments. These experiences have shown me how empowering and impactful living bravely and authentically can be.

Who or what influenced your Cornell education the most?  

My parents. They’ve been on my side from every niche major I’ve considered, random hobby I’ve pursued, and career path I’ve resonated with — and that’s saying a lot. Their diligence in education and life has also propelled me to make the most of every one of my learning experiences at Cornell. My college education would not have been as fruitful as it was without their abiding support and strength.   

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Highfill defends dissertation on military domestic abuse policies

Thursday, May 16, 2024 • Jaelon Jackson :

By Jaelon Jackson School of Social Work

Christine Highfill, PhD Graduate

In her remarkable academic journey at The University of Texas at Arlington, Christine Highfill was supported by a dedicated team of mentors and collaborators. 

Her dissertation committee, chaired by Social Work Associate Professor Dr. Rachel Voth Schrag and Social Work Assistant Professor Dr. Donna Schuman, provided invaluable guidance and expertise throughout her research process. Other esteemed members of her committee included Social Work Assistant Professor Dr. Rebecca Mauldin, Social Work Associate Professor Dr. Ling Xu, and Sociology and Anthropology Professor Dr. Beth Anne Shelton.

Highfill's dissertation, under the guidance of her committee, examines the historical changes in laws regarding domestic violence, particularly within the military context. She investigates the current policies within the military and their real-world impact on individuals and families affected by domestic abuse. 

Drawing from her own experiences surviving domestic abuse within the military, Highfill's research is deeply personal and driven by a passion to make a difference in the lives of others facing similar challenges.

"Dr. Highfill's work highlights the importance of considering the unique needs of military families in domestic violence research. She is working to translate what we have learned in civilian survivorship research into the context of military connected families. 

“Her approach can serve as a crucial foundation to build and tailor effective interventions for military connected survivors of intimate partner violence in both civilian and military contexts," Voth Schrag said.

Her dedication to research is evident in her extensive publication record. Highfill has authored 11 articles and two reports, with one article recently accepted for publication and four others currently under review. 

Highfill has also registered six scoping review protocols and is contracted with Oxford Press to write the Encyclopedia of Social Work entry on scoping reviews—a methodology she has mastered to systematically analyze literature on diverse topics.

In addition to her academic pursuits, Highfill is a Licensed Master Social Worker actively engaged in community service. She serves as the data and evaluation coordinator for a local nonprofit agency, facilitating communication between the agency and a national program evaluation firm. 

Moreover, Highfill provides mental health therapy services to community members in North Texas, contributing to the well-being of those she serves.

Highfill reflects on her journey. 

She said Antwan Williams, the School of Social Work’s assistant director of communications, marketing and recruiting and an adjunct assistant professor, was the first person she talked to when looking at if social work was right for her before deciding to start the Master of Social Work program here at UTA. Now she has not only earned her MSW degree but also a Ph.D. in Social Work from UTA.

“You start as one person and end up changed, with the Ph.D. title it represents not just academic success but personal growth," Highfill said.

Schuman says she has worked with Highfill on several research projects focused on improving health and well-being outcomes in military-connected populations. 

“She is a dedicated and intrepid researcher whose passion and commitment to her work shine through in every project she tackles. 

“I look forward to the next chapter of her professional journey and the outstanding contributions she will make toward improving the lives of our military and veteran families," Schuman said.

Highfill's expertise in military-connected domestic violence and abuse has earned her national recognition from The Institute for Military and Veteran Family Wellness. Her commitment to improving policies and support systems for survivors underscores her dedication to creating positive change in both academic and real-world contexts.

In addition to earning her MSW and PhD in Social Work degrees from UTA, Highfill received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Southwest Baptist University majoring in psychology, and a master's degree in human services counseling: military resilience cognate from Liberty University.

Dr. Highfill officially graduated on May 10, marking the culmination of her academic journey and the next step of what surely will be an impactful career.

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COMMENTS

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  26. Ph.D. Student Georgia Burcher Successfully Defends Her Dissertation

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  27. 'I strive to practice bravery and authenticity'

    We co-authored a paper on our findings, which will be published in the Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work. This experience gave me practice with critically examining the contexts that give rise to institutional design processes, and deeply inspired the topic for my thesis.

  28. Highfill defends dissertation on military domestic abuse policies

    Highfill's dissertation, under the guidance of her committee, examines the historical changes in laws regarding domestic violence, particularly within the military context. She investigates the current policies within the military and their real-world impact on individuals and families affected by domestic abuse.