Department of Anthropology

The Department of Anthropology at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP), Universitas Indonesia (UI), was established in early May 1957. Founded within the Faculty of Letters under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Koentjaraningrat, it stands as the first anthropology department in Indonesia.

In its early years, the department focused solely on the Undergraduate Program. Since its inception, UI’s Department of Anthropology has served as a central training ground for new generations of anthropologists. It played a pivotal role in the establishment of anthropology departments at various state universities across the country, including Universitas Padjadjaran, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Universitas Hasanuddin, Universitas Udayana, Universitas Sam Ratulangi, and Universitas Cenderawasih.

The Postgraduate Program was later introduced in 1981 by Prof. Dr. Koentjaraningrat and Prof. Dr. Harsya W. Bachtiar, officially welcoming its first cohort in the 1981/1982 academic year. As the discipline evolved to align more closely with the social sciences, the department transitioned from the Faculty of Letters to the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences in 1983. That same year, the Anthropology Laboratory was established as a dedicated research institution to advance anthropological studies at UI. In 1989, the scientific magazine “Berita Antropologi,” which had been in circulation since 1969, was rebranded as “Jurnal Antropologi Indonesia” to better reflect and accommodate the growing development of the discipline nationwide.

The Department of Anthropology is dedicated to excellence through continuous evaluation and strategic improvement. We foster an innovative learning environment driven by research and technology, while building global bridges with world-class institutions. Furthermore, we actively engage our alumni network to refine our curriculum and broaden our students’ career horizons.

All of our academic programs are fully accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Higher Education (BAN-PT) under the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia.

To be a leading higher education institution dedicated to the critical, collaborative, and inclusive understanding and appreciation of the dynamic interplay between biological, social, and cultural diversity.

1. To provide Undergraduate, Master’s, and Doctoral programs that uphold the principles of transparency, accountability, integrity, and critical thinking.
2. To develop a curriculum rooted in critical, collaborative, and inclusive research that appreciates the diverse and dynamic intersections of biological, social, and cultural life.
3. To conduct and advance credible research, publications, and community service that contribute to the growth of knowledge and the improvement of quality of life.
4. To maintain an organizational management system that is transparent, accountable, non-discriminatory, and integrative.