Cultural Anthropology/European Ethnology (M.A.)

Cultural Anthropology/European Ethnology (KAEE) is a discipline that combines cultural and social science approaches and deals with everyday ways of life in European societies. It asks how these ways of life and their institutional conditions have developed, how they are changing, and how they relate to symbolic orders, conflicts, politics, and (future) developments. Key questions include how people deal with processes of transformation such as globalisation, digitalisation and migration, and how they help to shape these processes – both in the present and from a historical perspective. With its range of courses and research, the Göttingen Institute is one of the largest university institutes for cultural anthropology in the German-speaking world.

In addition to the general Master's degree in Cultural Anthropology/European Ethnology, the subject can also be studied with a focus on ‘Curriculum Visual Anthropology’ (CVA), which provides in-depth training in the field of ethnographic film. With three professorships, the Göttingen Institute is one of the largest institutions for this subject in the German-speaking world. Thanks to the diverse areas of specialisation of its teaching staff and the locally available resources, the Institute guarantees further qualification across the entire breadth of the subject.

Further information

A degree from KAEE enables graduates to work in various professional fields. It does not train students for a specific profession. Graduates have the ability to understand social phenomena in all their complexity and to critically analyse them. They demonstrate independent skills in survey and documentation methods and their further processing in various knowledge formats (text, image, sound, digital). They are also qualified to work independently in the exhibition sector, in the media and in cultural and social policy. Graduates of the KAEE Master's programme work in the following areas, among others:

• Museums, print and online media institutions
• Documentary film making
• Universities and research institutions
• Non-government organizations (NGOs)
• Trusts and foundations
• Public relations
• Publishers
• Cultural management, cultural policy
• Market research and advertising
• Film, theater and literary establishments

The programme also prepares students for consecutive scientific qualification (Ph.D./Doctorate).