Tourism and Social Anthropology – (M.A.)

The synergies between tourism and social anthropology are clear since social anthropology aims to understand the social processes that underpin what it means to be human.

As an activity, tourism moves people from the familiar world of the everyday to the unfamiliar world of other places, people, and cultures. An anthropological perspective is crucial for understanding the role of tourism in shaping the social and cultural dynamics of human activity.

Through tourism individuals may become strangers or exotic outsiders in their own land. This matters because the choices made about the places to visit, the activities engaged in, the postcards, souvenirs and photographs acquired along the way can reveal much about the ways in which people relate to and make sense of the world in which they live. An understanding of the social science perspectives on tourism will help manage social impacts of tourism and ensure beneficial relations between hosts and guests

Career and progression opportunities
Graduates from this course will develop a range of skills for example intellectual development, the ability to synthesise and critically evaluate information, analytical skills, research and interpretation of data, organisation and communication.

A student studying this course will develop in the areas of cultural and self-awareness and comparative perspectives. In terms of careers the course will be useful for employment generally because of the skills developed and specifically: tour operators/ travel companies, tourism consultant, museum sector and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

Anthropologists are also employed by retail/market research organisations so graduates from this course will be able to offer such organisations a specialist focus in the tourism and travel sector.