Anthropology is concerned with the unity and diversity of humanity (and related primates) and of human culture and society from a comparative and global perspective. For nearly 150 years, aspects of Anthropology have been taught at the University of Toronto. The Department of Anthropology was established in 1936 and has included many of the most prominent figures in Canadian Anthropology. The first MA degree was awarded in 1949, the first PhD in 1956.
The University of Toronto is comprised of three campuses: the University of Toronto St. George (UTSG) in downtown Toronto, the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) to the west, and the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC) to the east; undergraduate Anthropology programs are delivered on all three. Although the campuses themselves are separate, their academic communities are linked through common research interests and tri-campus graduate programs.
Members of the department conduct research on present and past human societies, cultural knowledge and practice, evolutionary antecedents, and closely related species. We offer graduate training in socio-cultural, medical, evolutionary/biological, linguistic, and archaeological branches of the field. Anthropology students at the University of Toronto can study human biology and evolution; human behaviour from its first appearance in the archaeological record to the first appearance of writing; language and society; Anthropology of health, and the diversity of human culture in today’s world. In that Anthropology concerns the diversity and commonality of humans over time and around the globe, faculty and graduate research is broadly international and varies in method and theoretical frame. It nonetheless coheres in the quest to understand past and present human experience in social, cultural, and evolutionary contexts.
In This Section:
- Covid-19 Information and Resources
- Facilities and Virtual Tour
- History of the Department
- Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the Department of Anthropology
- Permanent Exhibit – Uncovering Our Early Past: First Nations in Toronto
Department of Anthropology Statement on Diversity
Our department embraces diversity among its membership. We commit to providing a welcoming and safe space for all scholars, staff and visitors. There is no place within our department for bullying, harassment or discriminatory forms of behaviour on the basis of academic affiliation; age; cultural background; dis/ability; ethnicity; financial situation; gender; gender identity; immigration status; indigeneity; national origin; parental or marital status; physical appearance; pregnancy; racialized and linguistic identity; religion; sexual orientation; or any other aspect of identity.