Arabic and Social Anthropology

Arabic and Social Anthropology is a combination that offers a particularly powerful way of engaging with the cultures, societies and thought of the Arabic-speaking world and beyond. Social anthropology is the comparative study of human societies and cultures, examining how people organise their social lives, how they create meaning and how kinship, religion, politics and economics are structured differently in different contexts. Arabic, as the language of the Middle East, North Africa and the broader Islamic world, opens access to one of the richest anthropological fields available, spanning ancient urban civilisations, nomadic societies, contemporary political movements and diverse religious traditions.

At the University of St Andrews this four-year full-time joint Honours degree develops your linguistic competence in Arabic alongside your grounding in anthropological theory and fieldwork methods. Your Arabic study will build both modern and classical language skills, enabling you to engage with contemporary Arabic-speaking societies and with the classical texts that shape their intellectual traditions. Your anthropology work will develop your capacity for careful cross-cultural analysis, your understanding of ethnographic research methods and your engagement with theoretical debates about culture, society and power.

The degree includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to develop your language skills and anthropological perspective in an international context.

Graduates from Arabic and Social Anthropology degrees are well positioned for careers where cross-cultural understanding and linguistic competence in Arabic are valued. Many go on to work in international development, diplomacy, humanitarian organisations, journalism, government and foreign affairs. Others find roles in education, research, publishing and the cultural sector.

The degree provides strong preparation for postgraduate study in social anthropology, Middle Eastern studies, Islamic studies, international development or related social science disciplines.