Our Culture

Our culture: respect, support and inclusion  

In the School of Anthropology & Museum Ethnography, we are committed to establishing an inclusive and supportive culture in which all staff and students feel welcomed, accepted and given a voice, irrespective of individual and group difference. We each have a responsibility to create an environment where everyone feels equally valued. The School Code of Conduct sets out standards of behaviour and good practice expected from its members, as well as visitors and contractors. 
 
If you feel expectations of respectful behaviour are not being met, please act: 
  • If you experience or witness any form of bullying or harassment, make it clear that such behaviour is unacceptable. But only if you feel it’s safe for you to do so. Your safety and wellbeing are paramount. 
  • Contact the Harassment Advisory Service, or one of SAME’s harassment advisors. Details of the School Harassment Advisers can be found here or on the posters placed around the School.
  • Ask your line manager or a neutral colleague (e.g. HR) to raise the matter on your behalf. 
  • Make a formal complaint under the appropriate procedure.  
 
It’s equally important that we take responsibility for and are mindful of our own words and behaviour towards others, especially if we are in a relationship of unequal power. Being open to learning and to receiving constructive feedback is critical to creating a safe and respectful environment for everyone. If you feel you need support in this area: 
 
  • See People and Organisational Development for resources on personal development, coaching and mentoring, leadership/management and organisational development, and practical support.  
  • Speak with someone you trust, or consider approaching a counsellor/therapist privately or through the University’s counselling service for students or staff. 
  • Ask your line manager or a neutral colleague (e.g. HR) for support. 
 
In all instances, you’re welcome to speak confidentially with the Head of Administration and Finance or Head of School.

Work - Life balance

The School is mindful of the fact that staff and students may have wider responsibilities and that such responsibilities may affect work and study. Staff and students are encouraged to discuss their specific needs with their supervisors, line managers and/or Head of School.
 
For further details on University provision please see pages the University staff information pages for parents and carers. Information for student parents is available on the University's student welfare and wellbeing pages. 

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion 

Comprising a broad range of staff and students, the Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) committee works to devise and implement good practice on EDI across the School. We seek to identify equity and equality objectives for SAME and monitor action plans and implementation of these objectives. We evaluate data and evidence, including the staff survey, to understand equity needs within the School and regularly review SAME policies with regard to EDI.  

The committee manages a small budget for developing projects to improve EDI, including, but not limited to, appropriate training. We welcome suggestions from staff and students on how we can use this funding to better support and promote activity across the School dedicated to meeting our shared objectives. Please share any ideas or suggestions with the EDI Secretary.

The School is critically engaging with the complex and at times shameful history of the discipline and its origins in Oxford through the Histories of Oxford Anthropology Project (HOAP). This project aims to better represent the ‘hidden histories’ of the department, through student-led re-evaluation of our history and what is relevant to it.  

As a department directly linked to the training of colonial officers, one aim is to reflect further on the relationship between anthropology at Oxford and the history of colonisation. Equally, the HOAP project, alongside the Diversifying Portraiture project, are starting to highlight contributions to scholarship which have been wrongly overlooked – though there remains much to do. 

Our equity objectives

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  1. Strengthen the infrastructure for and improve recognition and embedding of EDI work  

  1. Strengthen School culture to foster inclusivity and sense of belonging 

  1. Take concerted action on anti-bullying and anti-harassment

  1. Improve recruitment for diversity to address any biases within recruitment 

  1. Support better career progression routes for early- and mid-career staff – opening up opportunities for progression into leadership roles and reducing precarity 

  1. Use data and evidence to identify and tackle biases in student admissions, attainment and experience 

  1. Review the curriculum in order to ensure a more diverse and inclusive learning experience for students 

  1. Improve support and guidance to promote ethical and non-extractive research, knowledge exchange, and impact methods and practice  

 

Bronze Level Athena Swan Award

Valid July 2023 – July 2028  

The renewal of our Bronze Award signals our ongoing commitment to tackling gender inequalities and barriers in the life of the School. Our new action plan will ensure we are able to better support all those who wish to further their careers whilst maintaining a balance with their home and family lives.  

School Priorities for 2023-2028 

  • Empower the new EDI committee to serve as the hub of gender equality action across the School. 
  • Improve career progression, particularly for colleagues on fixed term contracts. 
  • Continue to address gender bias in admissions, attainment and recruitment. 
  • Work to strengthen School culture to foster inclusivity and a sense of belonging. 
  • Sustain work against bullying and harassment. 

Examples of EDI focused initiatives our staff and students are involved with

SAME staff and students are involved with initiatives and societies across the University which share common EDI concerns and goals. This includes the Indigenous Studies Network, and the Africa Oxford Initiative (AfOx).  

SAME staff collaborate on two UNIQ Summer Schools – for Archaeology and Anthropology, and for Human Sciences. UNIQ prioritises state school students with good grades from diverse backgrounds to make successful applications to the University of Oxford.  

SAME participates in the Academic Futures programme, a series of scholarship programmes that will address under-representation and help improve equity, diversity and inclusion in our graduate student body, including Black Academic Futures, Refugee Academic Futures, and Care Experienced Futures. We welcome all applications and enquiries through these routes.  

COMPAS has devised its own action plan, in recognition of its work with refugees and migrants and the importance of including lived experience leadership within its work. This includes a recent award from the Public Engagement with Research fund to further develop Expert by Experience and peer researcher groups to support our research and a new partnership with the Refugee-Led Research Hub.

Useful Links

SAME Staff Sharepoint 

Oxford University Staff Gateway

Social Sciences Division Equality, Diversity and Inclusion pages 

UNIQ

Academic Futures Pages  

HOAP project  

University’s Equality and Diversity Unit (EDU)  

University’s Staff and Student Networks  

Harassment Advisory Service 

Equality & Diversity Unit’s Harassment Advice 

Sexual Harassmnt and Violence Support Service 

Student Counselling Services  

Staff Employee Assistance Programme 

People and Organisational Development 

Family Leave Guidance

Childcare Services

Staff information for parents

Staff information for carers

Information for student parents