In the current era of rapid technological development, researchers at SOAS University of London are addressing an age-old issue: food assistance. Digital technologies, ranging from mobile phones to artificial intelligence, are increasingly being used by governments, businesses, and aid organisations worldwide to combat food insecurity.
Through research sites in Sudan, India, and the UK, experts on the Digitalising Food Assistance project based at the SOAS Food Studies Centre are studying the effectiveness of digitalisation for addressing hunger. The researchers are paying particular attention to the effects that digitalising food assistance has on marginalised populations, such as migrants and displaced individuals, who may be at risk of exclusion because of limited connectivity, digital skills and the need for national ID cards.

The MA Anthropology of Food programme is run in collaboration with the SOAS Food Studies Centre, giving students access to specialists and research opportunities. Source: SOAS University of London
Students on the MA Anthropology of Food programme discuss the global challenges of contemporary food systems and examine the expressions, movements and meanings of human food cultures.Run in collaboration with the SOAS Food Studies Centre, the programme uses food as the basis for exploring a kaleidoscope of cultures, economies, and communities around the globe.
“The diverse experiences from my fellow students on the MA Anthropology of Food programme, from food writers, chefs, and nutritionists to activists and policy advisors, made for a totally unique learning environment in which debates and discussion were both academically rigorous and very much from the heart!” Anna Seecharan, a graduate from the programme says.
The MA Anthropology of Food is led by an international lineup of experts from the Department of Anthropology and Sociology — ranked 6th in the UK, and 19th in the world by the QS 2024 world rankings.
The programme’s three core teachers are specialists in diverse topics of food anthropology, from diasporic cuisines and climate change to labour and livelihoods. Dr. Jakob Klein studies cultural change in China and the Chinese-speaking world through the lens of food and cuisine. Dr. Elizabeth Hull investigates food supply chains and rural livelihoods in South Africa. Professor Catherine Dolan specialises in the societies of eastern Africa. Her research interests include climate change, sustainability, racial injustice, gender, alternative food movements and digital food activism.

SOAS ranks 3rd in the UK for Employer Reputation, according to the QS World University Rankings 2024. Source: SOAS University of London
“The professors’ investment in their courses and accessibility outside them, the camaraderie among similarly passionate students, the number of events on campus and nearby — and indeed the opportunity to live and study in London — all delivered on my greatest hopes,” graduate Juliet Tempest says.
Students on the programme take specialist courses in food anthropology, which are closely integrated with activities at the Food Studies Centre, alongside theory and methods in general anthropology. Optional courses are offered on a wide range of topics and regions in the Anthropology Department and across SOAS.
For Elliot Gee, a 2017 graduate, the flexibility of the programme steered him towards a career in research and sustainable food systems:
“I arrived at the [programme] holding an undergraduate degree in cultural anthropology, some convictions about food sovereignty and local agriculture…and evidence that I would be better off working somewhere other than a farm or kitchen,” he says. “During the MA, I had the opportunity to supplement the food courses with fantastic modules on migration studies, which provided a human and historical context for my dissertation and appreciation for the SOASian spirit.”
With quality education comes rampant career development. Not only does SOAS produce graduates who hone an edge over their competitors with specialised knowledge, it prepares them to succeed in their careers through a wide range of work experiences too. Through a placement-based course, students on the MA Anthropology of Food have opportunities to engage with a variety of food-related organisations –– from artisan producers and organic farms to museums and social enterprises.
These rich experiences contribute to the MA Anthropology of Food programme’s high employability rate, with graduates landing positions at top organisations like UNICEF, the World Bank Group, and even the New York Times. If you’d like to follow in their footsteps, check out the MA Anthropology of Food programme at SOAS today.
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