This Master's program in Social and Cultural Anthropology of the Indian Ocean aims to reinforce and deepen the knowledge acquired during the Bachelor's degree in Social Sciences. It also seeks to train students in research, with a view to writing a Master's thesis, but also with a broader focus on professional development or future doctoral studies.

The approaches of ethnology and anthropology are essential for understanding the societies, languages, and cultures of the southwestern Indian Ocean. Situated at the crossroads of encounter and dialogue between these societies, languages, and cultures, the University of Reunion Island, through its Faculty of Arts and Humanities, has a greater responsibility and duty than any other institution to continue providing teaching and supervision of research in social and cultural anthropology, which it has been leading for the past five years.

There is only one track (a common core curriculum) in the first year of the Master's program (M1) within this specialization. Students always have the choice of their second foreign language (LVE2) and their main thesis topic. In M1, the diversity of the Master's course units (UEs) is focused on research training through research.

In the second year (M2), during semester 3 (S3), the major and minor modules are related to anthropology. Semester 4 (S4) is primarily devoted to the internship and the writing of the research thesis.

Educational goals :

This program, comprising 424 hours of equivalent tutorials (HETD), including 60 hours of language instruction, is structured around four semesters within a single track. The major and minor courses are distributed across the first three semesters. Students have a significantly reduced course load in the fourth semester (S4), thus allowing them more time to write their research paper and complete their 120-hour internship at the end of their second year.

The anthropology courses are structured around the fields of social and cultural anthropology of the Indian Ocean, kinship in Indian Ocean societies, religion, ethnology of Creole spaces, health, gender, nature and the environment.

Minor course units are offered in the fields of cultural mediation and heritage, creolization, and applied language sciences. These shared courses serve as genuine bridges between the disciplinary fields of Information and Communication, Language Sciences, and Regional Language and Culture.

The development of language skills is inherent to this Master's program. Students will have the opportunity to enroll in a language specific to the Indian Ocean region and will take 20 hours of research-oriented Modern Foreign Language (MFL) courses each semester.

Research training is progressively integrated throughout the two years of the Master's program. The research workshops for first- and second-year Master's students, as well as the seminars and conferences organized by the Master's teaching team or by the research laboratories on Creole- and Francophone Spaces (LCF) and Displacements, Identities, Perspectives, and Writing (DIRE), are open to all and foster a genuine competitive spirit in research. Students benefit from courses in "research methodology in anthropology." Research is therefore a key objective after the Master's degree. The continuity of postgraduate studies is ensured by the university professor of anthropology in the Department of Social Sciences who offers this Master's program.

Training opportunities:

The Master's program in Anthropology, specializing in the social and cultural anthropology of the Indian Ocean, addresses a clear need in Réunion and beyond, throughout the Indian Ocean region. This degree reinforces the genuine demand from students and institutions.

This Master's program is fully aligned with the institution's implementation of the recommendations from the latest external evaluation by the High Council for Evaluation of Research and Higher Education (Hcéres). Given that the Bachelor's degree in Social Sciences has one of the largest student populations in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, it is therefore desirable to expand the program offerings with this Master's degree.

The Master's program in Anthropology fills a gap in the training offered by the University of Reunion Island and, through its anthropological content, provides the teaching and research necessary for understanding and shaping the future of societies in the Indian Ocean.

The structure of this Master's program reveals research topics related to the cultural and social situation of Réunion and the civilizations of countries in the southwestern Indian Ocean region. The research themes are therefore well-defined within the international context, but also, and this is important for our university, within the local context.

This second-cycle program in anthropology is structured as a continuation of the first cycle: the Bachelor of Social Sciences. This degree offers course units in anthropology and research methodology. It also incorporates other disciplines such as sociology, psychology, and education sciences.

This Master's program is therefore part of a continuum both through the supervisory teams and in the progressive nature of the knowledge transmitted from the content of the teaching units.

Pre-vocational skills are developed across the EU participation in demonstrations, the EU internship and the EUs related to the main research work.

It should be noted that students can now also actively participate in the organization of scientific events, conferences and study days within the framework of their course unit.  training  in order to be introduced to the various facets of the researcher's profession. They can participate in the organization and logistics of events (video recording, welcoming participants, coffee breaks, providing information to the public) but also in certain more scientific aspects such as the analysis of a sampled corpus.

One of the strengths of the training is the involvement of international invited experts and European teacher-researchers via the ERASMUS+ program, at the Master's seminar level will continue and will also allow to complement and diversify this training in and through research by an international opening.

Total hours: 544 hours, including 120 hours of internship

The courses are divided into three levels.

The major teaching units constitute a core curriculum related to the anthropology of Indian Ocean societies. The pedagogical approach is progressive over the three semesters.

In semester 1:

• Cultural and social anthropology of the Indian Ocean
• Anthropology of nature and the environment in the Indian Ocean
• Intercultural psychology

In semester 2:

• Anthropology of kinship in Indian Ocean societies
• Anthropology and socio-history of gender
• Anthropology of Religions in Context

In semester 3:

• Anthropology of heritage and the arts in the Creole spaces of the Indian Ocean
• Applied Anthropology: The Profession of Anthropologist
• Anthropology of health

Minor modules offer students the opportunity to acquire content and skills related to fields of the humanities and social sciences that complement anthropology. Departments within the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, such as the Departments of Linguistics, History, and Information and Communication, contribute to this degree by offering a minor module in each of their departments.

• Cultural mediation and heritage (Semester 1)
• Creole World and Culture (Semester 2)
• Historical documentation, media, places of conservation and promotion (S3)

The cross-disciplinary and multidisciplinary modules include:

• Research methodology
• The living foreign language
• Written and oral communication
• Scientific demonstrations
• The research paper: dissertation

The skills acquired during this training are in line with those of the RNCP record 

Skills specific to the training:

• Implement advanced and specialized uses of digital tools
• To mobilize and produce highly specialized knowledge
• Implement specialized communication for knowledge transfer
• Contributing to transformation in a professional context
• Develop anthropological expertise and intervene within the framework of public policies or in private organizations
• To mobilize intervention and research techniques from an anthropological perspective in order to respond to an identified need
• To ensure the communication of scientific or cultural productions, and the organization of events, to various interlocutors by making use of the contributions of anthropology.

Students' pre-professional training is achieved through an internship and supervised projects.

Master's students in Anthropology are required to complete a 120-hour internship during their second year. Ideally, this internship should take place after the third semester (S3), in December and January. However, to accommodate the circumstances of both students and participating organizations, the internship may exceptionally begin at the start of the third semester (S3). The internship aims to provide students with exposure to the professional environment by allowing them to experience situations related to local or regional socio-cultural activities. The internship structure may or may not be directly related to the student's research. Examples of organizations where students can complete their internships include:

• Museums in Réunion and the Indian Ocean countries
• Regional parks: Marine Park, Highlands Park
• Cultural services of local authorities: Town Hall / Departmental Council / Regional Council
• Cultural and social associations
• Public and/or private companies involved in humanitarian work
• Research centers: IRD, CNDRS (National Center for Scientific Research of the Comoros)...
• Research laboratories
• Libraries and media libraries
• Social services

The internship can take place in Réunion or in another Indian Ocean country. Given that this Master's program focuses on the study of anthropology within Indian Ocean societies, students are encouraged to broaden their understanding of the cultures of this region. At the initiative of the Master's team, partnership agreements have been established between the University of Réunion and research centers or universities (Comoros, Mauritius, and Madagascar) in the Indian Ocean region. These collaborations provide opportunities for young people to engage in applied anthropology and facilitate the signing of internship agreements.

Supervised projects are carried out within the framework of the Teaching Units. The "Applied Anthropology" unit allows students to better understand careers related to anthropology. Fieldwork and the application of analytical methods are also offered through assigned projects.

Registration fees are set annually by the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Space and are available on our institution's website: Register at the University of Reunion

• To have a good academic level, to demonstrate progress during higher education.
• To be able to conduct effective research on a given subject, to construct corpora, justify and analyze them, to argue, defend and promote one's research work and to appreciate, understand, synthesize, summarize, analyze and comment on all types of documents.
• To demonstrate that he can easily use the different registers of written and oral expression in the French language.
• To be able to use digital tools.
• To be able to understand and express oneself easily orally and in writing in a foreign language.
• To be autonomous, involved and rigorous.
• Demonstrate a strong interest in this training with an identified professional project and advanced reflection on the research topic.

• Particular attention will be paid to the grades from the different years of the candidate's post-baccalaureate course as well as to their progress.
• The research project proposed by the candidate will be an opportunity for him to demonstrate his academic qualities, as will his Curriculum Vitae (CV). His results in his previous studies in methodological modules, foreign language courses, and communication skills will also be considered.
• Any annual evaluations of the candidate by their professors will be an asset, as will the results obtained in the transversal modules of the previous training and the activities mentioned in the CV.
• A cover letter and a research proposal consistent with the training are required.
• The CV will allow the candidate to highlight the specific features of their career path.

Bachelor's degreeSocial sciences

Bachelor's degree in humanities and social sciences such as degrees in anthropology, ethnology, sociology, history, geography and education sciences.

Depending on the student's situation, applications for admission to the first year of the Master's program (M1) follow three specific procedures (the national platform MonMaster, Études en France, Validation of Acquired Experience). For more information, please consult the university's student services page. Enroll in the first year of a Master's program

Baccalaureate +3 or equivalent

The target audience includes motivated students who have obtained a Bachelor's degree in Social Sciences from the University of Reunion Island, as well as students with a Bachelor's degree in Humanities and Social Sciences, such as Anthropology, Ethnology, Sociology, History, Geography and Education Sciences from all universities in France.

30 seats

The admission dates for the first year of the Master's degree (M1) are set nationally each year and are available on the platform.

For admission to the second year of the Master's degree (M2), the schedule is determined by the institution. It is available on the student services page of the university website: Students re-registering

Period 2020-2026: 60 to 80%

This research Master's program also opens the door to doctoral studies in anthropology for some students, allowing for continuity from Bachelor's to Master's to Doctorate. Furthermore, this program is available as a dual degree with Master's programs from other departments when the research themes are compatible (e.g., Law – inheritance and Health Biology).

Following the Master's degree, the most deserving students have the opportunity to pursue their studies towards a postgraduate degree by undertaking a doctorate in anthropology.

The sectors of activity and types of employment targeted by this training correspond to those listed in the RNCP record:

• Ethnology project manager in museums, regional natural parks, conservatories, etc. For 20 years, the department of Réunion has had a highland park, a marine park, and heritage sites where the anthropological dimension is a major focus.
• Local government employee, responsible for tasks related to cultural mediation, heritage promotion, and social affairs (educator, facilitator)
• Contractual research consultant for private, public or semi-public organizations
• Project manager for social cohesion and educational success (regional education authority)...
• Business owner (wealth management, personal services, consulting…)
• Anthropology researcher (PhD)
• Primary, middle, or high school teachers, education professionals
• Consulting and expertise for local authorities and international NGOs