Anthropology, the holistic study of human beings across time and space, is a field which provides a unique perspective to the College. Studying humans as both biological and cultural beings affected by their environment, anthropology is inherently interdisciplinary, bridging the humanities, arts, natural sciences, and social sciences. Within this wider field, the Anthropology Department at The City College of New York has refined its focus to specialize in the study of inequality and social justice within urban contexts and rural divides. Focusing on migration, diasporas, transnationalism, and political economy, the Department is concerned with issues of representation, identity, citizenship and exclusion, as well as race, ethnicity, class, religion, and gender. Additionally, the department's focus, in both teaching and scholarship, on New York City makes it unique.
Current faculty research includes Latin America and its diaspora, (El Salvador and Haiti), Islam (in both the East and the West), South Asian Diaspora and the anthropology of sport, and the diverse peoples of New York City (in both the present and the past). The Department is perched at an exciting and vital moment in higher education as it prepares students with the cross-cultural perspective necessary for a range of careers from engineering, education, to public health and allied professions. Moreover, Department majors are provided with a firm foundation for graduate work in anthropology and related social sciences. Ultimately, The Department of Anthropology assists all students in understanding themselves in the context of their community, nation, and world.