Identity area
Type of entity
Authorized form of name
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
- SOSA
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
History
The Department of Sociology and Anthropology was established in October 1966 after hiving off from the Department of Economics and Sociology. The creation of an independent department was the initiative of sociology professor John Graham, with the support of H.B.S. Cooke, Dean of Arts and Science. The department grew rapidly from 1969-1972, with an increase in teaching staff from six to 22.
It was renamed Sociology and Social Anthropology in December 1977 following a departmental review that articulated the divergences and tensions between the sociologists and anthropologists in terms of disciplinary interests and resource allocation. The change in name from anthropology to social anthropology was seen as an affirmation of the department’s intellectual coherence and unity. The department continues to draw on the strengths of both disciplines—sociology and social anthropology—by recognizing their distinct intellectual and methodological heritages, while emphasizing how they complement each other.