Saint Mary's University Anthropology

The Dept. of Anthropology at Saint Mary's University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada: Biological, Li

About Anthropology

Anthropology is the study of people - through all time and space - as both biological and cultural animals. The four subdisciplines traditionally distinguished are represented by our faculty and curriculum: Biological, including Forensic, Anthropology; Linguistic Anthropology; Archaeology; and Socio-cultural Anthropology. A common interest in culture and human biology unites th

ese various subdisciplines into a unified study of Homo sapiens. Biological Anthropology

Biological anthropologists approach the question "Where did we come from?" in terms of biological evolution. Guided by Darwinism, they examine how and why existing human types have come into being. The fossil record of humanity, the significance of race, the relationship of human beings to other animals, and the evolutionary future of our species are among the topics of concern. Biological anthropologists specializing in forensic anthropology help law enforcement officials investigate crimes involving human remains. Linguistic Anthropology

Linguistic anthropologists are interested in language and communication. They investigate spoken languages, articulated speech being one of the most striking characteristics of human language and many groups in the world maintaining their culture through oral tradition rather than relying on written languages. Within the field of linguistic anthropology, ethnolinguists study the influence of culture on linguistic systems and language use. Others concentrate on the social aspects of human interactions. All linguistic anthropologists adopt linguistic concepts and methods to understand language structure and to compare languages in time and space. Archaeology

Archaeology is the part of anthropology that examines the lives and cultures of former societies. Archaeologists face a major challenge, for they are unable to interact directly with the people about whom they are seeking information. The data archaeologists collect are but a small portion of a total culture. The artifacts found relate mainly to the material culture of a society, which encompasses only a fraction of the total make-up of a culture. From this evidence, which has survived the tests of time, archaeologists must reconstruct as much of the culture as is possible. Their aids to reconstruction of the social and cultural life of a society are found in the other subdisciplines of anthropology, and in certain of the natural sciences. Socio-cultural Anthropology

Socio-cultural anthropologists study the great diversity of lifestyles, past and present, exhibited by people living in all parts of the world. They record, compare, and analyze variation in social and cultural systems with the aim of documenting and explaining cross-cultural regularities as well as variability. The intellectual allies of the socio-cultural anthropologist are to be found in the humanities and the social sciences. Career Opportunities

Besides preparing students for graduate work in anthropology, an undergraduate program prepares students for careers in museums, government work, social work and public school teaching. Knowledge of anthropology also proves beneficial to adults in the community who desire to enlarge the horizon of their general education.

02/03/2026

The Department of Anthropology will be hosting CASCA 2026 in May. The conference is now accepting submissions - and student volunteers are more than welcome

CASCA 2026 The 2026 CASCA conference will take place within the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Wabanaki Confederacy, the land of The People of the Dawn. When juxtaposed to recent and troubling developments in Canada and indeed across the globe, the inherent sense of renewal embedded in....

Struggle and hope: The challenge of saving the coastal dialect of Inuvialuktun | CBC News

01/22/2026

Despite the challenges, many northern communities are finding ways to revitalize and grow their languages.

Struggle and hope: The challenge of saving the coastal dialect of Inuvialuktun | CBC News Elders in Paulatuk, N.W.T., say more can be done to save their coastal dialect of Inuvialuktun. A language program that's gained momentum recently in Tuktoyaktuk sheds light on a successful strategy — and a reason to hope Sallirmiutun won't disappear.

01/15/2026

Join us on Friday for a public presentation by anthropology honours students of their progress reports. Faculty, students, and all others are welcome!

Presenters:
Beau Broderick
Lachlan Brown
Alexandra Campbell
Jaiden Kariuki-MacDonald
Emma Miskulin
Rian Murphy
Georgia Williams

11/24/2025

Anthropology was represented well at the university Open House on Saturday. Thank you Emma for helping with our public outreach and playing pick-a-skull with visitors.

10/27/2025

Join us next week for a talk by sociolinguist Nicole Rosen on the use of accent to signal social values such as hardiness and self-reliance on the Canadian prairies.

10/21/2025

10/10/2025

Anthropologist Amy Donovan is speaking next week as part of the Dalhousie SOSA speaker series. Check out her talk on: Whales and How to Know Them: Cetology’s Retreat From the Ocean and an Ethnographic Response.

Friday, October 17th, 2025 2:30 p.m. in McCain, #1116. All are Welcome!

cdn.dal.ca

In Human Origins Research, Communities Are the Missing Link

09/26/2025

Read paleoanthropologist Jessica Thompson's reflection on community collaborations in research on human origins.

In Human Origins Research, Communities Are the Missing Link A paleoanthropologist reflects on relationships between researchers and communities living around sites relevant to human evolution.

08/26/2025

We are very proud to share the work of Linguistics Honours student Jay Carmichael and her sociolinguistic research on Maritime English(es). Listen to her interview on CBC radio.

www.cbc.ca

03/28/2025

Edit: Due to inclement weather, the date for this session has changed to Friday, April 11th at 3:00 in the BioAnth Lab

Thinking about grad school? Got questions? Dr. Eastham has the answers, covering key topics such as funding, taught vs. research-based programs, and how to craft that all-important first email to a potential supervisor.

03/19/2025

The Faculty of Arts Student Conference is this Friday - come out to see research being done by undergraduate students (and check out the substantial representation of anthropology students). Click on the link for the full schedule

Faculty of Arts Student Conference 2025 Fri. 21 Mar., 9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. [ADT]: Join us as undergraduate and graduate Arts students present and discuss their research. Back again this year is an alumni roundtable! All are welcome to attend. THE 2025 PROGRAM 9:30 - 10:00am Welcomi

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Location

Halifax

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Telephone

+19024205628

Website

http://www.smu.ca/academics/departments/anthropology.html

Address

923 Robie Street
Halifax, NS
B3H3C3