Two people using a traditional cooking hearth

Research at the School of Sociological and Anthropological Studies

On the strength of Canada’s two major intellectual traditions, anglophone and francophone, the Faculty of Social Sciences stands as a centre of excellence in knowledge creation, research and training.

Research at the school

On the strength of Canada’s two major intellectual traditions, anglophone and francophone, the Faculty of Social Sciences stands as a centre of excellence in knowledge creation, research and training. Driven by both disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives, research at the Faculty is at once rich, innovative and varied, contributing to the depth and breadth of discussions on current issues here and elsewhere. And whether fundamental, theoretical, applied or action-oriented (action research), this research stems from proven expertise—most notably in Canada’s Francophonie—and greatly influences individual communities and society in general.

In step with contemporary society on both the national and international fronts, the Faculty of Social Sciences fosters social innovation, creates and shares knowledge, promotes public policy development and builds research partnerships with the public and private sectors, as well as community organizations.

Digital artwork

“Healing Roots - Anthropology in Life and Medicine”

The drive behind following how an indigenous plant becomes a biopharmaceutical is a political one. My colleague Ari Gandsman, who did a commentary on the book for its launch, found that my enemy was the Randomized Clinical Trial (RCT), hence science’s current gold standard to test the efficacy of medicines and also the greater part of our current North American ethical policies.
Read the full article in World of Ideas (PDF, 6.2 MB)

World of Ideas features

Aquaculture fish

“Business and Government Need to Appreciate the Open-ended Nature of Scientific Evidence”

Aquaculture— the farming of ocean and fresh waters—is one of Canada's newest industries, and has the potential to increase food supply from the oceans. However, critics charge that it poses risks to human health, local communities, and the environment.

Author: Nathan Young, School of Sociological and Anthropological Studies.

Polynesian culture

“La coexistence avec les populations autochtones dans les États pluralistes modernes”

Ethnicity has gradually risen as a key element in the process of political legitimization among Indigenous peoples. This work studies the New Zealand Maaori and the Tahitians of French Polynesia, and argues that mobilizations and claims, as well as the ethnicization processes, are frequently the result of pluralistic modern state political structures. (Available in French).

Author: Natacha Gagné, School of Sociological and Anthropological Studies.

Research chairs, groups, and laboratories

Postdoctoral fellows and research associates

The faculty is proud to attract the tremendous intellectual wealth that postdoctoral fellows and research associates represent. These scientists are embarking on a quest for complementary expertise or more specialized knowledge in their area of research and, in the process, they play an active role in their unit's scientific pursuits. For more information, visit the Postdoctoral Fellows section on the uOttawa Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies website.

Contact us

School of Sociological and Anthropological Studies

Faculty of Social Sciences
Social Sciences Building
120 University Private, Room 10005
Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5
Canada (map)

Tel.: 613-562-5720

[email protected]

Office hours

Monday to Friday
8:45 a.m. to 12 p.m. & 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
(June to August: closed at 3:30 p.m.)

Note

Please note our services and our personnel are available by MS Teams and by email.

The Social Sciences (FSS) and Vanier (VNR) buildings are open seven days a week from 6:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.