Cultural Anthropology: Research

Research in cultural anthropology has changed significantly over the hundred plus years of The Field Museum's existence. Today, anthropologists in the Science Action center and in the Anthropology Department are asking such questions as:

  • What are the ways in which urban dwellers define and care for their environments?
  • What are the significant patterns of trade and exchange that operate to distribute material goods across time and space?
  • How do the collections inform our understanding of changes in settlement patterns?
  • What is the link between past traditions of craft production and contemporary practices?

At The Field Museum, we are conducting research in Chicago, the Pacific, Africa, and South America.