Persian and Social Anthropology

Persian and social anthropology is a combination that opens access to one of the world's great civilisations alongside one of the most intellectually demanding social sciences. Persian is the classical and modern language of Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan, and the vehicle for a literary tradition spanning more than a thousand years, including the poetry of Rumi, Hafez and Ferdowsi, which ranks among the most celebrated in world literature. Social anthropology studies human diversity in its full range, examining how different societies organise kinship, religion, economy, ritual and political life, using ethnographic fieldwork as its primary method.

At the University of St Andrews, this four-year full-time programme includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to study in another institution and engage directly with the language, society and culture you are learning about. Persian at St Andrews is available in combination with a range of other subjects, and social anthropology provides a particularly rich partner, since understanding Iran, Afghanistan and the Persian-speaking diaspora through both linguistic access and anthropological method offers an unusually deep and rounded perspective.

You will develop your Persian language skills progressively across the programme, engaging with classical and modern texts alongside the contemporary culture and politics of the Persian-speaking world. Social anthropology introduces you to ethnographic research methods, kinship theory, the anthropology of religion, political anthropology, medical anthropology and the global scope of comparative social analysis.

Graduates go on to careers in diplomacy, intelligence services, international development, journalism, academic research, NGOs, translation, international business and organisations working with South Asian and Middle Eastern affairs. Many continue to postgraduate study in Persian studies, social anthropology, area studies or related disciplines.