ANTROPOLOGY FAQ
WHAT IS ANTHROPOLOGY?
Anthropology is an academic discipline in which researchers are involved in human research in its broadest sense. The Latvian Association of Anthropologists mainly unites cultural and social anthropologists who focus on people's socio-cultural life, spending time with research participants in their current contexts and performing qualitative analysis of how we live and think about different aspects of life.
WHAT DO ANTHROPOLOGISTS DO IN LATVIA?
In Latvia, academic study opportunities in anthropology are offered by the University of Latvia and Riga Stradins University. The most extensive research in Latvia, as elsewhere in the world, takes place in medical anthropology, which also has its own subsection. Medical anthropology combines the practical application of anthropological knowledge with an analysis of how medicalization shapes our understanding of the body, care, health, relationships, and science and technology. Active research is also taking place in public, gender, economic and urban anthropology, while students are increasingly focusing on the use of digital and technology.
There are several active research companies in Latvia, whose teams include anthropologists, also conducting research in the public sector and marketing. Others with anthropological education work in public administration, business and non-governmental organizations, revealing a wide range of job opportunities after graduation.
WHY THE WORLD NEEDS ANTHROPOLOGY?
People with an anthropological education in the world are in demand in public administration, planning, development projects, medical facilities, communication, marketing and innovation, as in-depth research and analysis of human practices, on-site and incorporating the voices of those not always heard, how we organize our daily lives and thus design products and public services that better meet people's needs. In academia, many anthropologists are also politically active as critics of the dominant social and political processes, offering the means to look from the sidelines at our vision of one's own and others' lives, as well as alternative visions for solving certain problems.