The renaming primarily concerns the institute’s German name. The previous term Ethnologie (“ethnology”) is being replaced because it no longer reflects the institute’s academic focus. As Professor Behrends explains, researchers at the institute now focus on people’s diverse affiliations and social contexts rather than on so-called “peoples” or “ethnic groups” – categories that have been critically re-evaluated in light of historical research into colonial relations. This terminological shift aligns with broader disciplinary developments. In 2018, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Völkerkunde (German Ethnology Association) also renamed itself the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Sozial- und Kulturanthropologie (German Association of Social and Cultural Anthropology) after extensive debate about the field’s historical and contemporary position.
The institute has also reformed its bachelor’s degree programme in Ethnologie for the winter semester 2025/26. It is now the Bachelor Sozial- und Kulturanthropologie. “Renaming the institute was a logical step alongside this reform. The new name also matches our English-taught master’s programme, which is already called Anthropology,” says Professor Behrends.