The library of the Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology (formerly the ‘Institute of Ethnology’) emerged from the private library of the German ethnologist Richard Thurnwald. The collection focuses on Africa, Southeast and South Asia. It comprises around 30,000 volumes and 80,000 microfiches (Human Relations Area Files). The collection is accessible to students at all Berlin universities.

In February 2007, the institute library was incorporated into the joint departmental library of the subjects of political science, sociology, journalism and ethnology (or social and cultural anthropology) under the name Library for Social Sciences and East European Studies at the Otto Suhr Institute, Ihnestr. 21 and Garystr. 55.

Head of the Library for Social Sciences and East European Studies

Dr. Verena Paetow
Garystr. 55
Phone: +49(30) 838 75839
E-mail: verena.paetow@fu-berlin.de

The library is open at the following times:
Monday to Friday 9:00 to 19:00

Book search

Publications acquired from 2000 onwards can be found via OPAC (the FU catalogue)
Publications acquired before 2000 can be found via the catalogue box in the library. The older holdings will be added to the OPAC gradually.

It is also possible to access online publications from home, which are otherwise only available in the FU libraries and PC pools. A ZEDAT account is required for this. More information on the ZEDAT pages (Tip #16).

Further online catalogues and research options

Anthropology Online & Ethnographic Video Online

The Master's programme Visual and Media Anthropology at the Institute for Social and Cultural Anthropology has acquired a licence for an ethnographic video archive together with the university library of the Freie Universität Berlin, which is available to all students of the Freie Universität Berlin.

It currently offers 404 videos with over 200 hours of film material relating to culture and human behaviour. The productions, created between 1951 and 2008, come from all over the world, but are mostly available in English. They range from video field studies lasting just a few minutes to interviews and professionally produced feature-length documentaries. Many of the films come from the non-profit organisation Documentary Educational Resources (DER). Many classics are included (Timothy Asch, Robert Gardner, John Marshall, etc.). Three different resolutions up to full-screen mode can be selected; the picture quality is good, even if it naturally varies from production to production.

The database is still under construction and should contain 1000 films with a total running time of more than 750 hours when it is complete.

The e-book collection ‘Anthropology Online’ has also been permanently licensed.

To view the films and download the literature, you need an FU account (Zedat) and a VPN client from outside the FU network.

Login to Anthropology Online: https://search.alexanderstreet.com/anthropology
Login to Ethnographic Video Online: http://anth.alexanderstreet.com/ANT1

If you have any questions, please contact Dr Verena Paetow from the library, e-mail: verena.paetow@fu-berlin.de