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Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology

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The Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology (ISCA) is a leading centre for anthropological teaching and research in the UK and the world. Originally established as the only centre in the UK specialising in postgraduate teaching and research within the discipline, it continues to supervise large numbers of graduate and research students. The department came top of the Power Rankings for Anthropology in the UK in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise and received a score of 5 in the 2001 equivalent exercise. Research in ISCA is particularly broad based, including not only traditional ethnographic specialisms in social anthropology, but also thematic specialisms such as visual anthropology, material anthropology and museum ethnography, medical anthropology, and cognitive and evolutionary anthropology. The Institute's links with the Pitt Rivers Museum contribute a particular strength in material culture and the anthropology of representations. In 2001, the ESRC Centre on Migration Policy and Society (COMPAS) was established within within the School of Anthropology. COMPAS is now responsible for considerable research and an MPhil programme in Migration Studies.

Series associated with Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology

Anthropology
Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS)
Disobedient Buildings
Institute for Science, Innovation and Society
New Thinking: Advances in the Study of Human Cognitive Evolution
Oxford Kafka24
Unit for Biocultural Variation and Obesity (UBVO) seminars
# Episode Title Description People Date
43 Talking about Somié: from the social to the individual and back (2003-04 Evans-Pritchard Lecture 4) 4/5. In Autumn 2003 Professor David Zeitlyn (University of Oxford) presented the 2003/2004 Evans-Pritchard Lectures at All Souls College, Oxford. The theme was 'The life of Diko Madeleine and the History of Somi, Cameroon, in the Twentieth Century'. David Zeitlyn 04 Nov 2010
42 Talking about Diko: introducing a woman, and means of researching a life (2003-04 Evans-Pritchard Lecture 3) 3/5. In Autumn 2003 Professor David Zeitlyn (University of Oxford) presented the 2003/2004 Evans-Pritchard Lectures at All Souls College, Oxford. The theme was 'The life of Diko Madeleine and the History of Somi, Cameroon, in the Twentieth Century'. David Zeitlyn 04 Nov 2010
41 Writing history, talking historically: problems of biography, autobiography and social history (2003-04 Evans-Pritchard Lecture 2) 2/5. In Autumn 2003 Professor David Zeitlyn (University of Oxford) presented the 2003/2004 Evans-Pritchard Lectures at All Souls College, Oxford. The theme was 'The life of Diko Madeleine and the History of Somi, Cameroon, in the Twentieth Century'. David Zeitlyn 04 Nov 2010
40 Sample of One: joining the queue (2003-04 Evans-Pritchard Lecture 1) 1/5. In Autumn 2003 Professor David Zeitlyn (University of Oxford) presented the 2003/2004 Evans-Pritchard Lectures at All Souls College, Oxford. The theme was 'The life of Diko Madeleine and the History of Somi, Cameroon, in the Twentieth Century'. David Zeitlyn 04 Nov 2010
39 Race, kinship, genetics and the ambivalence of identity A paper presented at the University of Oxford School of Anthropology Departmental Seminar on Friday 15 October 2010 by Professor Peter Wade, University of Manchester. Peter Wade 27 Oct 2010
38 What is social anthropology? First lecture of the series 'Introduction to anthropological theory' given to first year students on the Oxford BA degrees in Archaeology and Anthropology and in Human Sciences. Lecture given Tuesday 12 October 2010. Marcus Banks 27 Oct 2010
37 An Africanist's Legacy: Responsibilised citizens? - Discourses and practices around care of the self among HIV positive people in Tanzania Presented by Dr Nadine Beckmann (Leeds) at 'An Africanist's Legacy - A Workshop in Celebration of the Work of David Parkin', held at the School of Anthropology, Oxford, 8-9 July 2010. Nadine Beckmann 24 Aug 2010
36 An Africanist's Legacy: Performing fragmentary movements - perspectives on the life-history of a Muslim dancer-choreographer Presented by Asst. prof. Zulfiker Hirji (University of York, Toronto) at 'An Africanist's Legacy - A Workship in Celebration of the Work of David Parkin', held at The School of Anthropology, Oxford, 8-9 July 2010. Zulfiker Hirji 24 Aug 2010
35 An Africanist's Legacy: Credit societies and the search for school fees in Uganda Presented by Dr David Mills (Oxford) at 'An Africanist's Legacy - A Workshop in Celebration of the Work of David Parkin' held at Oxford, 8-9 July 2010. Co-authored by Richard Vokes. David Mills 24 Aug 2010
34 Insights into the Development of Wellbeing in the Very Long Run Nikola Koepke gives a talk for the UBVO seminar series entitled: Insights into the Development of Wellbeing in the Very Long Run: Status of Pe-Historic and Historic Europe. Nikola Koepke 27 Jul 2010
33 International Initiatives in Obesity Prevention Phillip James gives a talk for the UBVO seminar series in Hilary term, 2008. Phillip James 20 Jul 2010
32 Understanding Determinants of Phenotypic Variation: A Gloomy Prospect? George Davey Smith gives a talk for the UBVO seminar series in Hilary term, 2008. George Davey Smith 20 Jul 2010
31 Alanine Transaminase vs. Socio-Cultural Factors in determining body mass increase Maciej Henneberg gives a talk for the UBVO seminar series entitled 'Alanine Transaminase is a better marker than Socio-Cultural Factors for Body Mass Increase in Healthy Males: A Study of 46,000 Swiss Conscripts'. Maciej Henneberg 20 Jul 2010
30 From Within Annie Cattrell, a Senior Research Fellow in De Montfort University gives a talk for the UBVO Seminar Series. Annie Cattrell 20 Jul 2010
29 Korea: Indications and Implications Daniel Schwekendiek from the Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology in Oxford gives a talk for the UBVO seminar series. Daniel Schwkendiek 20 Jul 2010
28 Inquiry into the Simultaneous Existence of Malnutirion and Overweight in India Aravinda Gunupalli gives a talk entitled 'Inquiry into the Simultaneous Existence of Malnutirion and Overweight in India Using Quantile Regression'. Aravinda Gunupalli 20 Jul 2010
27 The Dilemmas of Affluence: Lessons from the Great American Experiment Peter Whybrow gives a talk as part of the UBVO seminar series on health and obesity in America. Peter Whybrow 20 Jul 2010
26 Physiological Demands of Dance Emma Redding of The Laban Contemporary Dance studio in London gives a talk for the UBVO seminar series. Emma Redding 20 Jul 2010
25 Part 1: Studying Anthropology at Oxford Current graduate students in the School of Anthropology at Oxford University talk about what it is like to study anthropology at Oxford and the different graduate degrees available. Jennie Rothera, Sophie Chao, Darryl Stellmach, Santhy Balachandran 12 Jul 2010
24 Part 2: Studying at Oxford Current students at the Department of Anthropology talk about what studying in Oxford is like, including choice of college and resources. Jennie Rothera, Sophie Chao, Darryl Stellmach, Santhy Balachandran 12 Jul 2010
23 Creative Commons Obesity: A Personal View Stanley Ulijaszek, Professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Oxford gives a Nutritional Anthropology talk on Obesity in different cultures around the world. Stanley Ulijaszek 12 Jul 2010
22 Cognition, Religion and Theology Justin Barrett gives a talk for the Cognition, Religion and Theology Project Conference, held at Merton College on the 28th-30th June 2010. Justin Barrett 12 Jul 2010
21 Tibetan Vampire Slayers in Nepal Dr Charles Ramble, of the Oxford University Oriental Institute, gives an Anthropology Departmental Seminar entitled The Mysterious Reluctance of Tibetan Vampire Slayers in Nepal (12 March 2010). Charles Ramble 12 Jul 2010
20 Creative Commons Measurement of Bodily Transformations (1 Feb 2010) Professor Stanley Ulijaszek, from the Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology, Oxford, gave a talk on 1 February 2010 as part of the Medical Anthropology Research Seminar Series. It was entitled 'Measurement of Bodily Transformations'. Stanley Ulijaszek 15 Jun 2010
19 Dying for Islam: An Alternative History (12 Feb 2010) Dr Faisal Devji, from the Department of History and Anthropology at St Antony's College, Oxford, gave an Anthropology Departmental Seminar on 12 February 2010 entitled 'Dying for Islam: An Alternative History. Faisal Devji 15 Jun 2010
18 Creative Commons Nutritional Anthropology Lecture 5: Political Ecology of Food Security (15 March 2010) Professor Stanley Ulijaszek, of the Institute of Cultural Anthropology, Oxford, gave a lecture on 15 March 2010 forming part of the Nutritional Anthropology lecture series. It was entitled 'Political Ecology of Food Security'. Stanley Ulijaszek 15 Jun 2010
17 Creative Commons Nutritional Anthropology Lecture 4: Intensification of subsistence (10 Feb 2010) Stanley Ulijaszek, Professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Oxford, delivers his fourth lecture in the Nutritional Anthropology series. This lecture focuses on agriculture and pastoralism. Stanley Ulijaszek 27 May 2010
16 Interview with Evans-Pritchard Lecturer Dr Charles Stewart (13 May 2010) Dr Charles Stewart (UCL) is interviewed by Anthropology graduate student Ana Ranitovic at All Souls, Oxford, about his longterm interest in dreams and historical consciousness in modern Greece. Charles Stewart 27 May 2010
15 Neither Freud nor Artemidorous, Evans-Pritchard Lecture by Charles Stewart (27 April 2010) The first Evans-Pritchard Lecture for 2010, presented at All Souls College on 27 April by Dr Charles Stewart (UCL). The series theme was Dreaming and Historical Consciousness in Island Greece. Charles Stewart 27 May 2010
14 Facial tattooing among Drung women in Southwest China Facial tattooing is essentially a transition to what is and ought to be a woman. Gender performativity is associated with the materiality of the body: it is in fact the tattoo that makes a woman. Stéphane Gros 12 Apr 2010
13 Qigong Deviation as a Diplomatic Disaster What has acknowledging the human-like qualities of 'qi' to do with preventing and treating qigong malpractice? Chee Han Lim 12 Apr 2010
12 Creative Commons Nutritional Anthropology Lecture 3: Hunter-gatherer diet (5 Feb 2010) In this third Nutritional Anthropology lecture, Professor Stanley Ulijaszek (ISCA, Oxford) discusses hunter-gatherer subsistence ecology and its relevance to the modern world. Stanley Ulijaszek 07 Apr 2010
11 Medical anthropology: Famine, food crisis and living standards in North Korea (25 Jan 2010) Dr Daniel Jong Schwekendiek (ISCA, Oxford) examines the methodology and evidence for determining who has been 'better off' in North Korea between the 1940s and 2000s. Daniel Jong Schwekendiek 07 Apr 2010
10 Anthropology seminar: Indigenous capitalism in Upland Indonesia (5 Feb 2010) Based on numerous field research trips over the last 20 years, Prof. Li (University of Toronto) describes how much attitudes and horizons have changed in this remote, mountainous area. Tania Murray Li 07 Apr 2010
9 Creative Commons Nutritional Anthropology Lecture 2: Nutritional Quality and Child Growth Professor Stanley Ulijaszek (Social and Cultural Anthropology, University of Oxford) discusses nutritional factors that impact on the growth of children across the globe. Stanley Ulijaszek 10 Mar 2010
8 Anthropology seminar: Re-Tooling a Body with The Body Assistant Professor Adam Frank (University of Central Arkansas) describes Three Ways of Teaching Tajiquan to the White Guy. Adam Frank 10 Mar 2010
7 Medical Anthropology: Drink me... Take me... Read me... Mark Lawrence, Director of First Read This (an Oxford company that aims to promote patient information leaflets), discusses how following instructions makes the patient feel better. Mark Lawrence 10 Mar 2010
6 League of Nations; Minority Regime as Anthropological Object Jane K Cowan (Professor of Social Anthropology, University of Sussex) on rethinking minority, nationality, the international and international governance through history in an effort to understand the League of Nations in terms of anthropology. Jane K. Cowan 18 Feb 2010
5 People Losing Credit: Models and Innovation in Finance Dr Gillian Tett, Assistant Editor of the Financial Times gives a talk as part of the Ethnicity and Identity Seminar series on her experience of working for the Financial Times and how her background in Anthropology helps her in her journalistic work. Gillian Tett 18 Feb 2010
4 Creative Commons Nutritional Anthropology Lecture 1: What is the natural human diet? Professor Stanley Ulijaszek of the School of Anthropology gives a talk on the 'natural' human diet, and asks whether we, people living in an industrialised society, should be trying to follow the natural diet. Recorded 22nd January 2010. Stanley Ulijaszek 18 Feb 2010
3 Why people get fat: an integral approach Mike Rayner and Stanley Uljiaszek give a talk about the causes of obesity on 7th November 2007. Mike Rayner, Stanley Ulijaszek 12 Feb 2010
2 Genetics of obesity, and the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children Nicholas Timpson, of the Department of Social Medicine, University of Bristol, gives a talk on Genetics of obesity, and the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children on the 9th November 2009. Nicholas Timpson 12 Feb 2010
1 Networks and Obesity Stanley Ulijaszek, Professor of Human Ecology, Director of UBVO, University of Oxford, gives a talk on networks and obesity. Stanley Ulijaszek 12 Feb 2010