Social Anthropology Class of 2021/22
Julia SChutt
Julia Schutt is originally from Boston, USA, but now calls Mexico home. Julia's professional and academic experience includes international human rights (with a focus on Colombia), social and civil justice, applied social research, and project management. She most recently has been working on independent film projects in Mexico and Colombia in production and impact. At Manchester she hopes to use her studies to approach the social impact of film from an anthropological perspective - and to continue her work as an impact producer with new ideas and perspectives about designing, implementing, and evaluating social impact projects and campaigns. Julia loves hiking and outdoor activities, dancing (most recently flamenco), fiction, puzzles, mangos, and donkeys.
Hi everyone, I’m Antonia. I’m 23 and from Preston, a town just north of Manchester. Now I live in Levenshulme - I moved here in September for the start of the MA, but I do plan to live in Manchester for the foreseeable future. I’m studying part-time, so in this first semester I’m only in classes for the compulsory modules.
My first degree was in History and Italian at Oxford University, I graduated in 2020. While studying this combination of subjects, I realised that my real interest is in studying people and communities of the present day and how they navigate the social groups and environments they live in. During my undergrad dissertation research on folk music revival in the south of Italy, I became particularly interested in how cultural activities such as participating in making music, as well as listening and dancing to it, can inform people’s sense of identity and belonging to a community.
Growing up so close to Manchester and visiting quite often, I was always spellbound by the city and aware of its amazing music scene, cultural heritage and general climate of political activism. My time spent in the south of England for my first degree made me realise just how much there is to appreciate about the energy of Manchester (not to say the south isn’t lovely… just lacking a certain type of soul that you find ‘up here’).
Last year I lived in Italy, in the Aosta Valley alpine region, teaching English in primary and middle schools through topics such as music, the environment and human rights issues. This helped me to become fluent in Italian, and it was really eye-opening to see how understanding the finer nuances of a language opens up a whole new world of implied meaning and irony in what people say (or choose to omit!).
I love all things outdoors - hiking, running, climbing and snowboarding. If anyone new to the area or to the UK would like to explore a bit of the nearby Peak District, or the Lake District and Lancashire, let me know! I’d love to organise some adventures.
In the future I hope to use the research skills gained from the master’s to work in the public or non-profit sector, focusing on social causes. I’m passionate about equality in education and opportunities for children to take part in sport and music activities. But I’m open to different types of careers with a social impact, definitely not got it all worked out yet!
DINESH RAJENTHIRAN
I am a Malaysian citizen with a background in business studies. My previous qualifications include a Bachelor of Management from the University of South Australia and a MSc in Marketing and Business Analysis from the University of Edinburgh. I’ve worked predominantly in the higher education sector (non-academic) and my most recent role was as Associate Director of Marketing and Corporate Communications at Curtin University, Malaysia , the offshore campus of Curtin Perth. I’ve also been active on the social front, and served in a community-based NGO in Malaysia.
Although both my career and social engagement in the past 10 years have given me immense satisfaction ,they have also unraveled a multitude of pressing concerns:
1. Community groups in multiracial Malaysia tend to narrowly advance their own interests at the expense of others
2. Rising levels of hate speech on social media
2. Seating patterns in lecture halls are often racially clustered
3. Assimilation issues faced by minorities/international students i.e. social alienation in group projects
I believe the above are symptoms of a larger issue that is deeply-rooted in the societal fabric of Malaysia. Ironically, they are seen to manifest in the education sphere- the very sector tasked to address these issues.I chose to take up a course in social anthropology primarily due to its focus on ethnographic research. In the context of cultural insensitivity/cross-cultural challenges that I am keen on exploring, identifying the micro-level underlying factors leading to this phenomena is important as it ensures interventions are correctly aimed at preventing these occurrences,and not mitigating its consequences. I had initially planned to pursue this degree on a part-time basis in Malaysia but I was fortunate to secure the Chevening Scholarship that provided funding for my full-time studies in the UK. I chose the University of Manchester because of its strong global ranking, and partly because of the positive reviews I had read about the city. I had consciously avoided London as I was looking for a more laid back home away from home.
Apart from my university years, I’ve lived most of my life in Malaysia. I have also had the opportunity to live in India for a year in 2020. I speak Malay and English and have a basic understanding of the Tamil language. My hobbies include travelling, reading (non-fiction) and both playing and watching football.
Siyang Liu
Hello everyone. I am Siyan Liu. I was raised and born in China. During my 10 years’ study in China, I was junior high school ambassador and founder of a Chinese high school broadcast club. In 2015-2017, I went to Lake Ginninderra college in Canberra, Australia. In year 11 and 12, I am the student ambassador of school and StudyCanberra program. Constantly exploring and experience new sports activities, joining different ethnic groups and travelling are my new interests.
In 2018, I got into University of Melbourne. I enjoyed new exciting outdoor activities like skiing, snorkelling and skydiving. There’s a time I became a senior mandarin lecturer in school club and tour guide to test my communication and teaching ability. Personally, I still take my birthplace as my home, because of my long-term social connection with China, kinship links and personal ideology.
I now live in Manchester to study Social Anthropology. The TV show Bones leads me to physical anthropology, but after two years bachelor study and three-month’s intership in an applied anthropology company RHIZOME, I realize social anthropology was my enthusiasm. I have always been interested in discovering how people behave in specific contexts, but my time as an undergraduate opened my eyes to the excitement and wider benefit of anthropology. I had the chance to use my knowledge to soften my tense parent-child relationship, to reflect on my own behavior and the society I am living in. However, my bachelor study could not reveal the answer to my question: what kind of life should humans be living? After a deep conversation with my dear Professor Fabio Mattioli, he suggested me come to United Kingdom to find out the answer. Manchester accepts and welcomes more pioneering work which could provide me with the newest information.
I would like to further explore and establish more detailed research in urban social study for PhD in 2023. During the gap year, I want to find a paid job in consulting firm or an NGO while doing my research proposal. If all those cannot happen, then I would like to work in a consulting firm and focusing more on the clients’ problem-solving tasks. International enterprises and the global market are now pushing globalisation, but cultural diversity and differences are fading. Consequently, I plan to use a more inter-cultural perspective to make sense of foreign and local elements and problems. I could apply my strong observation and fieldwork skills gained from anthropological studies to comprehensively analyse and interpret workplace data.
I speak Mandarin, English, French, Japanese
Jess Greenhalgh (pronounced Green-hal-ch)
I chose to study Social Anthropology after a number of years thinking about going back to university but not knowing which subject to choose. I thought about doing History, Philosophy, English Literature and Film Studies and attended an open day at Manchester to get some inspiration. I had a lightbulb moment when I realised that I could combine the parts of these subjects I’m most interested (the study of people and the human experience) in into one course.
On a more personal note, the sudden and unexpected death of my Dad last year had a major influence on me to coming to study this course now. I had been thinking about doing a Master’s for some time and such a big shock inspired a lot of change in my life.
I have lived in Salford most of my life aside from some years in Bristol (during and following my undergraduate) and London (for work). I’ve been back in Manchester since 2019 and staying in the city (and close to my two brothers and Mum) was also very important to me.
I studied English Literature and Philosophy at the University of Bristol. Bristol is an amazing city and I’d recommend a visit (3 hours on the train from Manchester) particularly in the summer. I’m very happy to share recommendations.
I live in Salford which is about 10/15 minute drive (in good traffic) from the city centre. I have a strong sense of home there (having lived in the same area most of my life) and I’m lucky to live close to family and lots of green space.
I love to cook and spend a lot of my free time reading cookbooks, watching food programmes or recipe tutorials, and trying to make things I haven’t done before. I love watching films and TV but sadly the percentage of high-brow/acclaimed content I watch is eclipsed by the low-brow reality TV I can’t seem to resist.
Regretfully, I only know English. It is a major goal of mine to learn another language. I studied Spanish at GCSE, so the hope is to build on my very basic knowledge.
Since I graduated from my undergraduate degree, I’ve had a communications role at the BBC and various healthcare membership organisations and charities. I’ve found my professional life frustrating, unfulfilling and repetitive so I’m hoping this course can open my eyes to different opportunities both within and outside academia. I’m interested in a PhD, the not-for-profit sector and the civil service – however, I’m keen to step away from comms/marketing towards roles in research.
Vivild Zanne Livastol
My decision to study social anthropology initially came from a place of not knowing how to choose between a STEM and social science degree. At the time I felt that pursuing anthropology would allow me to keep learning parts from both sides, be it through biological anthropology or through social anthropology. During my undergraduate degree I quickly came to realise that I much prefer to read and research the socio-cultural parts of society and learning how to make sense of all the diverse people around me.
Manchester became an obvious choice for me to apply for after my favourite lecturer at Bristol talked fondly of her time doing her post-graduate degree in social anthropology at Manchester. I also specifically wanted to go to Manchester as the modules available seemed interesting and built on topics I already had an interest in.
Prior to coming to the University of Manchester, I did my undergraduate degree at the University of Bristol, where I studied Anthropology. I chose to study in Bristol after attending the IB (international baccalaureate) programme in my native Norway, using this as a basis for wanting to study in the United Kingdom.
I am born and raised in the south-western city of Stavanger in Norway, where I lived my entire life until moving to England to attend university. Despite being raised in Norway, I have always been drawn to the UK, through my mother being born and raised in the North of England, with much of my family living here. I think having family in different countries growing up exposed me to much more multiculturalism from a young age, making me interested in people of different cultural backgrounds. I think this in the combination of being lucky enough to travel throughout my childhood is what prompted me to have anthropological interests.
Languages I speak:
I am fluent in English and Norwegian, with strong proficiency in Swedish and Danish as well. During my undergraduate degree I also had introductory courses in Japanese, as I have family there, and I try to keep this up. However, I have to admit after the pandemic hit, I have not prioritised it as much, and writing this should possibly be my inspiration to make more time to practise it.
After completing my master’s, I am torn between pursuing a PhD in social anthropology to contribute to research and to be part of academia, or to apply for work as an anthropologist working preferably with children. I find it fascinating to work with children as they can give much insight and new perspectives to anthropological queries that have not been addressed before, and also through how children as a demographic has for a long time been excluded from anthropological research.
Changyu Jiang
Hi everyone, my name is Changyu Jiang and I am from China.
The reason why I chose to study Social Anthropology is that I think the meaning of my life is to observe, to think, and to change. Taking science as a vocation, I found that I would better start by being an observer and storyteller, trying to disenchant the world around me.
I love Manchester’s vibes of creativity and vigour. Here is where Marx and Engels first met, various great ideas constantly interweaving makes Manchester the best choice for me.
I majored in sociology for my undergraduate degree and I graduated from Anhui University, China.
I am based in Manchester now and my flat is pretty close to Manchester Oxford Road Station.
My favorite Chinese poet Su-Dongpo once wrote, ‘Where my soul gets peace, where myself get home’, which is also my definition of ‘home’.
I love music and I am a crazy fan of Pink Floyd. I love film and my favorite director is Stanley Kubrick and Jiang Wen. I play basketball as well!
I can speak Chinese and English.
Maybe in future, I want to be a professor and a filmmaker at the same time.
Zhiyuan Wang
I chose to study Social Anthropology because I was interested in doing interviews, writing and getting to know more about the world. I read about all kinds of news, and found that my favourite writer was studying anthropology in the United States, which was the first time I got to know this subject. Then after searching related articles and reading them, I found that this is what I really want to study. I searched for all the universities in the UK, and then found that the content of MA Social Anthropology at Manchester mostly interests me. As an undergraduate, I studied Translation in Shanghai Maritime University in China.
I live in Manchester, UK now. I have lived in china since I was born, so China makes me feel at home. In my spare time, I like playing the piano, writing some pieces of music, reading and writing, and cooking. I speak Mandarin, English and French. In future, I hope I can do some creative jobs, like being a researcher or journalist.
Marie Toseland
I work as a Visual Artist and educator. I have a research-based practice which has taken me into the midst of different communities, such as battle rappers, so that I can make artworks informed by my gained knowledge and analysis.
I chose to study Social Anthropology because I want to develop an understanding of the discipline and its theoretical concerns in order to improve my knowledge, methodologies and – importantly – my understanding of my own position and consideration of other voices.
The Manchester Social Anthropology MA appealed to me because it offered a combination of academic and practical modules, and is taught by people whose research is interesting to me. The department’s history, and the history of Manchester, appealed to me as I am interested in class, post-industrial communities, and labour.
My first degree was in Art and Visual Culture, which I studied in Bristol (UWE, 2010). In between then and now, I have continued to study art through postgraduate level programmes at Open School East, and the Royal Academy of Arts.
Amongst other things, alongside my arts practice I have worked as an arts administrator, and also a florist. My career has meant I have been quite itinerant, and I’ve spent time in London, the South West, and the Midlands. In the summer my partner and I moved to Sheffield from London, but I think of Derbyshire (and a small town in Italy) as my home, as this is where my family is. My Italian is truly awful though, which is a barrier. I can only really speak English, and enough German to get myself out of trouble.
My great love is swimming. I’m more comfortable in water than I am out of it, and am currently on a waiting list to train to be a swimming teacher so that I can share the skill with others.
My most immediate ambition is that the course expands my understanding of what it means to be human, increases my capacity for empathy, and de-centres my assumptions of what is ‘normal’.