The master of arts program in Anthropology and Social Change is unique among graduate programs in the United States due to its focus on activism and social justice. We recognize social movements as a key location of knowledge production alongside that of the university. The mission of the M.A. program is to generate a dialogue among agents active in these two locations of knowledge production. Our intention is to establish a particular kind of institutional space where social movement activists immersed in organizing would meet scholars primarily engaged in theoretical work. The program, inspired in part by the vision of the Popular University of Social Movements, proposed by the Portuguese academic and activist Boaventura de Sousa Santos, is envisioned as a space of translation of academic and grassroots knowledge and experiences, produced in the encounter among social scientists, artists, and activists from the Bay Area. The M.A. in Anthropology and Social Change provides students with an opportunity to simultaneously engage with the world of prefigurative social struggles and with the world of social science and radical theory. As our program is located in an area that is unique in terms of diversity and richness of social struggles, we encourage students to establish a relationship with local social justice groups, organizations, movements, and campaigns. Activist research with a focus on concrete utopia makes this investigative experience rewarding both for students and for the local community.
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