In 2018, by the decision of the ANAS Presidium, the Anthropology Center was established in the structure of the institute. As a result of the structural reforms carried out in the institute, the Department of Anthropology was established on the basis of the center by the decision of the Presidium of ANAS dated April 23, 2024 No. 13/7.

Anthropology, in a broad sense, as a general science about man, studies various relations and relationships of man with the world and the environment. From this point of view, man is examined both as a product of biological evolution, as a natural individual with his own genetic program, and as a person who is the subject and object of the historical-cultural process. In this concept, anthropology is divided into physical or biological, social and cultural anthropology. With this in mind, the structure of the Department of Anthropology currently consists of two sections – the Social Anthropology Sector and the Physical Anthropology Laboratory.

Currently, “Anthropological studies in Azerbaijan” has been accepted as the general topic of the Department of Anthropology. The theme of the laboratory of biological anthropology is tentatively called “Research of the anthropological characteristics of the ancient and modern population of Azerbaijan”. The topic of the social anthropology sector is defined as “The influence of modern economic, political, cultural and ecological processes on the traditional culture and lifestyle of the population of Azerbaijan”.

Physical anthropology studies the variability of human biology over time and space, its origins, racial diversity, age and constitutional (body structure) characteristics, and the processes that accompany them. The basis of physical anthropology is anatomy, morphology, physiology and biometrics. Physical anthropology is also inextricably linked with genetics, molecular biology, embryology, paleontology. Apart from biological sciences, physical anthropology intersects with natural sciences such as geology, geography and statistics. It is no coincidence that one of the main tasks of anthropology as a whole is the study of the process of transition from the biological regularities to social regularities which the life of the animal ancestors of man was subject.

Based on the above, the main research direction of the Physical Anthropology Laboratory of the Department of Anthropology is the study of biological characteristics of the ancient and modern population of Azerbaijan, the specific characteristics and diversity of their local groups, the degree of genetic proximity of Azerbaijani to other peoples of Eurasia, the history of the formation of the anthropological uniqueness of Azerbaijani, the life activities population of Azerbaijan,paleoecology and the influence of modern ecology.

The main direction of the social anthropology sector of the anthropology department is to reveal the characteristics of socio-cultural changes among the country’s population under the conditions of modern globalization processes. When conducting research in the field of socio-cultural anthropology in Azerbaijan, attention is also focused on revealing the nature of changes in the lifestyle (style) of the country’s urban and rural population. In particular, it is intended to study the traditional and modern organization of space and interior, the character of intra-family relations and mutual relations between generations, cultural trends and many other aspects of the culture of the modern population of the country, the degree of stability of the traditional culture of Azerbaijani in modern reality.

One of the important directions of the researches of the socio-cultural anthropology sector is the formation and development of the national self-awareness of Azerbaijanis, the problem of the role of ethnic symbols, historical figures, and historical places in these processes.

In recent years, the first edition of “Anthropological studies” reflecting the activities of the Department of Anthropology was published – Anthropological studies. Collection of scientific articles. Issue I. / Baku: – Fyuuzat, – 2023. 400 p.

22 researchers work in the anthropology department. 4 of them are doctors of science, and 4 are doctors of philosophy. The head of the department is Doctor of Anthropology, Professor Aliagha Mammadli.

Employees of the “Anthropology” department:

  1. Aliaga Eyyub oglu Mammadli – department head, doctor of historical sciences, professor
  2. Fazail Imran oglu Valiyev – senior researcher, doctor of historical sciences, professor
  3. Shirin Teymur gizi Bunyadova – leading researcher, doctor of historical sciences, professor
  4. Mahabbat Tofig gizi Pashayeva – leading researcher (0.5), doctor of historical sciences, professor
  5. Maryam Rasul gizi Oruclu – leading researcher, doctor of philosophy in history, associate professor
  6. Ruslan Hilal oghlu Rahimli – leading researcher, doctor of philosophy in history, associate professor
  7. Dmitry Aleksandrovich Kirichenko – leading researcher, doctor of philosophy in history, associate professor
  8. Yusif Tofig oglu Ibrahimov – scientific worker
  9. Samira Nadir gizi Garayeva – scientific worker
  10. Eldar Sananovich Musayev – scientific worker
  11. Aygün Faig gizi Bagirova – scientific worker
  12. Nurana Vahid gizi Guliyeva – scientific worker
  13. Shakhanm Ilgar gizi Bayramali – junior researcher
  14. Gunay Khalil gizi Orujova – senior laboratory assistant