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Department of Anthropology

Career Opportunities in Anthropology

Employment opportunities for anthropologists can be said to fall into to two broad categories: those that revolve around teaching and academic research, and those that apply anthropological knowledge, concepts, and methodologies to dealing with identifiable social issues and problems. These categories are not mutually exclusive-indeed they inform each other-and anthropologists often find themselves working in both academic and applied contexts.

'Applied anthropology' refers to the application of anthropological knowledge, theories, concepts and methods to real world problems (e.g. development issues, including Social Impact Assessment, understanding of poverty, livelihoods or externally driven processes of change and their social and cultural impacts). Anthropologists doing applied work contribute to policy development and shaping interventions. They are increasingly employed in the development world, by government, non-government and multilateral aid agencies, as consultants and evaluators. They are also employed in the corporate world, for example in market research and consumer behaviour studies.

Professional anthropologists also work in other areas of cross-cultural significance, for example in specialist teaching, welfare, counselling, medical services, and the media. They work in organisations concerned with human rights, indigenous issues, migration and women's development programs. They are employed in museums and in academic institutions. Many anthropologists work as private consultants to Aboriginal Land Councils or international development agencies.

More specifically, the work of professional anthropologists includes such activities as:

  • fieldwork to identify Aboriginal sacred sites and identify claimants, traditional owners and native title holders
  • analysis and recommendations regarding community development projects
  • feasibility studies, reviews, evaluations and social impact studies for development projects both in Australia and abroad
  • collection, identification, documentation, preservation and preparing displays of cultural objects such as those held in museums or other collections
  • liaison with art organisations curating exhibitions of indigenous or other artefacts or art works
  • lecturing, curriculum development, and supervision of students
  • making, editing and presenting film and videos such as ethnographic films or other documentary records
  • field research
  • archival research, genealogical research and presentation
  • acting as an expert witness in legal cases

Normally, professional anthropologists will have an Honours degree, and usually a higher research or course work degree (for example, Master of Applied Anthropology, Master of Philosophy (MPhil), PhD).

Students with a pass degree in Anthropology, or those who have taken Anthropology as an undergraduate subject in their degree, will find employment usually in administrative or public service contexts where skills such as research and the evaluation of information, identification and critical examination of issues and report writing will be of use. However, anybody employed in a cross-cultural context will find anthropology an essential aid to their work.

For more information on potential employers, click here.

 

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