Anthropology School

The Yerevan Centre for International Education invites applications for the International School in Architectural Anthropology, entitled “Building as Social Practice: Design, Materiality, and Urban Transformation.”

The program is designed for Master’s students, PhD candidates, and early-career professionals interested in anthropological approaches to the built environment, regardless of disciplinary background. We particularly encourage applications from anthropology, sociology, history, architecture, urban studies, art history, cultural studies, and related fields.

Architectural anthropology examines the relationships between people and the built environment, understanding buildings not as passive objects but as active participants in social life. Central to the field is the concept of relationality, which highlights how spaces, materials, institutions, and people are interconnected and continuously co-constituted.

The Anthropology School explores architecture as a dynamic social practice through lectures, workshops, discussions, and field-based inquiry. Participants will investigate how built forms shape everyday life, how meanings emerge through spatial relationships, and how cultural values, power relations, financial flows, and materiality become embedded in urban environments.

The program aims to create a stimulating environment for critical dialogue, interdisciplinary exchange, creative collaboration, and the development of innovative perspectives on architecture, design, and urban transformation.

During the School the participants will be able to present and discuss their projects.

Applications should include:

• A short CV (maximum 2 pages);
• A one-page cover letter, explaining your interest and qualifications;
• A brief, one-page description of your research project on the Anthropology School topic;
  
• Names, positions, and email addresses of two referees.

Application deadline: 15 October 2026

To submit your application, please fill out the form here.

Successful applicants will be notified by 15 November 2026.

Deadline for students’ paper to be discussed at the school: 1 February 2027

Draft program will be announced shortly.

Financial Support

Participation in the Anthropology School is free of charge. The Yerevan Centre for International Education will cover:

• Accommodation for all participants;
• Meals throughout the program.
• Travel support may be also available and will be considered on an individual basis.

We look forward to welcoming participants to Yerevan for an intensive week of interdisciplinary learning, fieldwork, and discussion on architecture as a socially embedded and transformative practice.

For any inquiries, please contact: s.shtyrkov@yerevancenter.org