24 monthsProgramme duration
AugStarting Month
Programme overview
Main Subject
Anthropology
Degree
Other
Study Level
Masters
Study Mode
On Campus
- During the 20th and 21st centuries, anthropological sciences have become firmly established. While they emerged with the purpose of examining cultures different from one's own, their objects of study have broadened in response to the changes experienced in the contemporary world. Anthropologists contribute to the study of forms of social organization; social, political, and economic institutions; processes of collective identity (ethnic, national, religious); hierarchical systems in societies with or without a state; power relations; social inequality stemming from distinctions of ethnicity, class, gender, and nationality; the family and kinship systems; social movements; religious phenomena; internal and international migrations; the relationship between humankind and nature; urban phenomena; the body; and otherness.
- Anthropological sciences offer the theoretical and methodological foundations for understanding societies and cultures, both past and present. Additionally, these disciplines can contribute to finding solutions to some of the current problems linked to the process of globalization. Examples include the generation and implementation of development models for overcoming poverty; the creation and application of environmental projects; the design of crime prevention mechanisms; and the formulation and implementation of public policies in various areas. All of this is based on respect for ethnic, social, and cultural diversity.
- History and anthropology engage in one of the most fruitful dialogues among the humanities disciplines for understanding society. Therefore, both disciplines are fundamental for studying the complexity of both the past and the present, as demonstrated by specialists from other regions such as France, the United States, and England (Chartier, 1992; Darnton, 1994; Darnton, 2010; De Certeau, 2000). Beginning in the 1970s, based on the idea of progress and the crisis of the industrialized world, historians and anthropologists began to share methods, codes, and approaches to explain a multitude of problems and objects of research. One expression of this is the flourishing of ethnohistory and cultural history (Poirrier, 2012; Serna and Pons, 2013). In this context, it is necessary to prepare professionals who understand the dialogue between these disciplines and who apply their foundations to explain the problems facing the modern world.
- The current political landscape in Mexico, fraught with changes and challenges, necessitates the study of power, forms of government, the State, social control, social movements, political culture, and relations of domination and resistance. Anthropological studies of politics originated from the need of colonizing societies to understand the social and political organization of colonized societies in order to dominate them. Subsequently, throughout the 20th century, the structural-functional tradition and evolutionism played a fundamental role as theoretical approaches for analyzing the social and political relations of diverse societies (Fábregas, 2014). The studies of Meyer Fortes, Evans-Pritchard, and Radcliffe-Brown (1940) were pioneering in this regard (Castro and Rodríguez, 2009; Fábregas, 2014). Isaac Schapera, Lloyd Fallers, and Edmund Leach also shaped political anthropology by focusing, respectively, on territory, authority, and the concept of equilibrium in structural changes. Bart (1959) and Smith (1960), for their part, focused on the analysis of power and political systems (Fábregas, 2014).
- Additionally, our country has a long history in political anthropology studies, which provides a solid theoretical and methodological foundation for future students. According to Guillermo de la Peña (2002), in Mexico, a significant portion of anthropological research has focused on the theme of power. In particular, local power relations have garnered attention since the 1970s, in works such as those by Roger Bartra (1975) and Arturo Warman (1976), and later in the 1980s, in the work of Guillermo de la Peña (1986). In these studies, the role of the cacique (local political boss) is situated within the economic structure and the processes of state and nation formation, in order to understand the legitimacy of a political system based on the capacity to respond to popular demands through clientelistic and corporatist relationships, and through the communication between the grassroots and political elites (De la Peña, 1980; Tapia, 1989; and Leyva, 1993). In the last two decades, studies in political anthropology have also focused on relations of domination and resistance (Lamas, 1996; Barrera and Massolo, 1998; Barrera, 2000; Barrera, 2002; Tarrés, 2002; Muñoz, 2003; Lamas, 2006; González and Rodríguez, 2008; Scott, 2016). Thus, it is clear that political anthropology is a robust field that has developed both within and outside of Mexico, a field that should continue to be cultivated in a society that is constantly evolving and changing.
- On the other hand, social anthropology studies the logical coherence of thought systems in order to reveal the nature of institutions, the family, morality, and religions, as well as the symbolic productions associated with social practices, which have been understood as representations of the social (Laplantine, 2001). Cultural anthropology, for its part, focuses less on institutions and more on individuals, who are the representatives of the cultures to which they belong. Therefore, it examines the behaviors, knowledge, and techniques specific to a human group or a given society in their articulation with psychology and psychoanalysis; it also analyzes the distinctive features present in individual behaviors, their differences and singularities, as well as the cultural models present in artisanal, artistic, and religious productions (Laplantine, 2001). Both social and cultural anthropology use ethnographic methods and share a comparative ambition. However, cultural anthropology prides itself on strictly studying the human, while in the study of the social, the existence of complex and communal modes of interaction has been recognized, such as those of animal societies and cellular societies (Laplantine, 2001).
- One of the defining characteristics of our country during the last two presidential terms has been the rampant violence generated by prohibitionist public policies on drug production and trafficking, the Mexican state's failure to provide security and legal certainty to the population, and the inadequate management of public security systems (García and Goslinga, 2016). As a consequence, the forced disappearance of persons, coupled with homicides, has transformed the national territory into a breeding ground for evidence of the barbarity plaguing the nation. The need for well-trained professionals in forensic anthropology is an urgent necessity for this country.
Programme overview
Main Subject
Anthropology
Degree
Other
Study Level
Masters
Study Mode
On Campus
- During the 20th and 21st centuries, anthropological sciences have become firmly established. While they emerged with the purpose of examining cultures different from one's own, their objects of study have broadened in response to the changes experienced in the contemporary world. Anthropologists contribute to the study of forms of social organization; social, political, and economic institutions; processes of collective identity (ethnic, national, religious); hierarchical systems in societies with or without a state; power relations; social inequality stemming from distinctions of ethnicity, class, gender, and nationality; the family and kinship systems; social movements; religious phenomena; internal and international migrations; the relationship between humankind and nature; urban phenomena; the body; and otherness.
- Anthropological sciences offer the theoretical and methodological foundations for understanding societies and cultures, both past and present. Additionally, these disciplines can contribute to finding solutions to some of the current problems linked to the process of globalization. Examples include the generation and implementation of development models for overcoming poverty; the creation and application of environmental projects; the design of crime prevention mechanisms; and the formulation and implementation of public policies in various areas. All of this is based on respect for ethnic, social, and cultural diversity.
- History and anthropology engage in one of the most fruitful dialogues among the humanities disciplines for understanding society. Therefore, both disciplines are fundamental for studying the complexity of both the past and the present, as demonstrated by specialists from other regions such as France, the United States, and England (Chartier, 1992; Darnton, 1994; Darnton, 2010; De Certeau, 2000). Beginning in the 1970s, based on the idea of progress and the crisis of the industrialized world, historians and anthropologists began to share methods, codes, and approaches to explain a multitude of problems and objects of research. One expression of this is the flourishing of ethnohistory and cultural history (Poirrier, 2012; Serna and Pons, 2013). In this context, it is necessary to prepare professionals who understand the dialogue between these disciplines and who apply their foundations to explain the problems facing the modern world.
- The current political landscape in Mexico, fraught with changes and challenges, necessitates the study of power, forms of government, the State, social control, social movements, political culture, and relations of domination and resistance. Anthropological studies of politics originated from the need of colonizing societies to understand the social and political organization of colonized societies in order to dominate them. Subsequently, throughout the 20th century, the structural-functional tradition and evolutionism played a fundamental role as theoretical approaches for analyzing the social and political relations of diverse societies (Fábregas, 2014). The studies of Meyer Fortes, Evans-Pritchard, and Radcliffe-Brown (1940) were pioneering in this regard (Castro and Rodríguez, 2009; Fábregas, 2014). Isaac Schapera, Lloyd Fallers, and Edmund Leach also shaped political anthropology by focusing, respectively, on territory, authority, and the concept of equilibrium in structural changes. Bart (1959) and Smith (1960), for their part, focused on the analysis of power and political systems (Fábregas, 2014).
- Additionally, our country has a long history in political anthropology studies, which provides a solid theoretical and methodological foundation for future students. According to Guillermo de la Peña (2002), in Mexico, a significant portion of anthropological research has focused on the theme of power. In particular, local power relations have garnered attention since the 1970s, in works such as those by Roger Bartra (1975) and Arturo Warman (1976), and later in the 1980s, in the work of Guillermo de la Peña (1986). In these studies, the role of the cacique (local political boss) is situated within the economic structure and the processes of state and nation formation, in order to understand the legitimacy of a political system based on the capacity to respond to popular demands through clientelistic and corporatist relationships, and through the communication between the grassroots and political elites (De la Peña, 1980; Tapia, 1989; and Leyva, 1993). In the last two decades, studies in political anthropology have also focused on relations of domination and resistance (Lamas, 1996; Barrera and Massolo, 1998; Barrera, 2000; Barrera, 2002; Tarrés, 2002; Muñoz, 2003; Lamas, 2006; González and Rodríguez, 2008; Scott, 2016). Thus, it is clear that political anthropology is a robust field that has developed both within and outside of Mexico, a field that should continue to be cultivated in a society that is constantly evolving and changing.
- On the other hand, social anthropology studies the logical coherence of thought systems in order to reveal the nature of institutions, the family, morality, and religions, as well as the symbolic productions associated with social practices, which have been understood as representations of the social (Laplantine, 2001). Cultural anthropology, for its part, focuses less on institutions and more on individuals, who are the representatives of the cultures to which they belong. Therefore, it examines the behaviors, knowledge, and techniques specific to a human group or a given society in their articulation with psychology and psychoanalysis; it also analyzes the distinctive features present in individual behaviors, their differences and singularities, as well as the cultural models present in artisanal, artistic, and religious productions (Laplantine, 2001). Both social and cultural anthropology use ethnographic methods and share a comparative ambition. However, cultural anthropology prides itself on strictly studying the human, while in the study of the social, the existence of complex and communal modes of interaction has been recognized, such as those of animal societies and cellular societies (Laplantine, 2001).
- One of the defining characteristics of our country during the last two presidential terms has been the rampant violence generated by prohibitionist public policies on drug production and trafficking, the Mexican state's failure to provide security and legal certainty to the population, and the inadequate management of public security systems (García and Goslinga, 2016). As a consequence, the forced disappearance of persons, coupled with homicides, has transformed the national territory into a breeding ground for evidence of the barbarity plaguing the nation. The need for well-trained professionals in forensic anthropology is an urgent necessity for this country.
Admission Requirements
- Have a degree, or degree certificate and proof of completion of social service, for bachelor's degrees in humanities or related areas to the LGAC, as determined by the Academic Board.
- To have accredited, with a minimum average of eighty, with an original certificate or equivalent document, the preceding studies.
- Demonstrate a minimum level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), preferably in English or its equivalent.
- Submit a letter of intent explaining your reasons for applying to the program.
- Letter of commitment to exclusive dedication to the program.
- Two academic letters of recommendation issued by researchers in the field, who have postgraduate level studies.
- Submit a research protocol related to one of the LGACs of the Master's program.
- Conduct an interview with the program's Academic Board.
- Take a preparatory course.
- Take the EXANI III exam.
- Cover the corresponding fees.
- Those additional ones that are established in the call for applications.
- Foreign applicants, in addition to meeting the aforementioned academic and institutional requirements, must have, where applicable, the corresponding immigration authorization and demonstrate financial solvency.
2 Years
Aug
- Candidates are required to submit an essay(s) for acceptance
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