Anthropology and Spanish & Latin American Studies

Anthropology and Spanish and Latin American Studies is a combination that brings together the most fundamental question in the human sciences, what does it mean to be human, with deep engagement with a major world language and the rich and diverse cultures of the Spanish-speaking world. Anthropology examines human societies, cultures, and biological diversity across time and place, developing a comparative perspective on social organisation, kinship, ritual, economic life, and the relationship between people and their environments. Spanish and Latin American Studies gives you high-level language competence alongside detailed knowledge of Spain and the enormously diverse nations of Latin America, many of which are both anthropologically fascinating and of major contemporary importance.

At the University of Aberdeen, this four-year, full-time programme includes a year abroad, which is central to both the anthropological and linguistic dimensions of your studies. You will develop a thorough grounding in what it means to be human, examining the full range of cultural and social forms that humanity has produced, alongside growing expertise in Spanish as a language and a cultural medium. Latin America is a particularly rich context for anthropological inquiry, with its extraordinary biodiversity, its pre-Columbian civilisations, its colonial histories, and its contemporary social movements, and the combination of Spanish language competence and anthropological training is a particularly productive way of engaging with that world.

Graduates of this combination pursue careers in international development, research, journalism, diplomacy, education, cultural organisations, and the voluntary sector. The ability to combine cross-cultural analytical thinking with practical Spanish language skill is valued wherever organisations work across Latin American or Spanish-speaking contexts. Postgraduate study in anthropology, Latin American studies, social research, or development studies is a common next step for those seeking academic or specialist professional careers.