About the GASCA
The German Association of Social and Cultural Anthropology (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Sozial- und Kulturanthropologie) congregates social anthropologists as well as people and institutions interested in anthropological issues. It was founded in the 1920s, with even older predecessors.
The GASCA devotes itself to the promotion of social anthropological research and teaching and to the distribution of social anthropological knowledge. It is a network of scientific exchange. 35 working groups focus on thematic and regional subdivisions of social anthropology.
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As its major scientific activities the GASCA organizes a biannual congress and publishes the Zeitschrift für Ethnologie│Journal of Social and Cultural Anthropology (ZfE│JSCA). Founded in 1869, the ZfE│JSCA is one of the oldest anthropological journals worldwide. It is co-published with the Society for Anthropology, Ethnology and Prehistory of Berlin (Berliner Gesellschaft für Anthropologie, Ethnologie und Urgeschichte). The ZfE│JSCA is published in two volumes a year which contain peer reviewed articles in German and English, each of which is accompanied by an English abstract. Online access to the journal is available via JSTOR.
Twice a year the GASCA publishes the Newsletter of the German Anthropological Association (Mitteilungen der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Sozial- und Kulturanthropologie). Besides a thematic focus it contains reports and information from the social anthropological institutes and museums in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
The GASCA is a non-profit association. It currently has close to 850 members. The highest governing body of the association is the General Meeting, which convenes biennially. The GASCA is managed by a board of three, and is assisted by an advisory board and an administrator.
The GASCA (DGSKA) is member of the World Council of Anthropological Associations (WCAA) and therefore part of a network of national and international associations that aims to promote worldwide communication and cooperation in social anthropology.
News
GASCA Conference: Deadline for Call for Workshops extended
The CfW for the upcoming GASCA conference entitled “Un/Commoning Anthropology”, 29 September – 2 October 2025 in Cologne, starts now. GASCA members can submit proposals for workshops, roundtables and labs until 15 September.
Appeal regarding the planned resolution on the protection of Jewish life in Germany
The GASCA board has co-signed an appeal to the members of the German Bundestag regarding the planned resolution on the protection of Jewish life in Germany
Workshop on secondary publications
Why is it worthwhile for researchers to release their publications for open re-use? Under what legal and contractual conditions may their own texts be made available online? Visit our online workshop on June 24
GASCA Conference 2025
The next conference will take place in Cologne, from 29.9.-2.10.25. The topic will be: “Un/Commoning Anthropology “. The Call for Workshops closed on 25 September.
The last conference took place in Munich from 25 – 28 July 2023 on the topic ” Contested Knowledge: Perspectives in Social and Cultural Anthropology”.
Click here to go to our 2023 conference homepage. There you can find information about the programme as well as photos, blogs and the keynote speech to watch.
GASCA Notices
Issue 56 of the “Mitteilungen der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Sozial- und Kulturanthropologie” 2023 is out now.
You can download the current as well as older issues in pdf.
Please find them in our online archive.
Thematic and Regional Working Groups
Thematic and Regional Working Groups of the German Anthropological Association offer a forum for a vital exchange on certain topics, aspects and regions. Please find here the guidelines for working groups (PDF).