Saudi Arabia Establishes Royal Institute of Anthropology and Cultural Studies
Saudi Arabia’s Culture Minister, Prince Badr bin Farhan, welcomed the Cabinet’s decision on Tuesday to establish the Royal Institute of Anthropology and Cultural Studies, reported the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
On this occasion, Prince Badr expressed gratitude to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and the Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Salman, for their unwavering support for the cultural sector.
The Saudi Culture Minister said that the Institute will serve as a “credible narrator” of the Kingdom’s culture and a “beacon of inspiration” in the study of the human experience.
Furthermore, Prince Badr commended the move as a key milestone in developing the cultural sector, acting as a platform for documenting Saudi Arabia’s heritage and enhancing cultural awareness through anthropological research and cultural studies.
It will also promote cultural exchange for global enrichment, while providing meaningful and effective cultural insights, he added.
The Royal Institute of Anthropology and Cultural Studies will develop academic and applied research in anthropology and cultural studies. This includes the study of local communities, lifestyles, symbolic systems, social transformations, and forms of cultural expression in Saudi Arabia.
Moreover, the Institute will be responsible for the documentation of tangible and intangible cultural heritage within its social and historical contexts.
Additionally, it will monitor related knowledge, practices, representations, and values to ensure a comprehensive scientific understanding of cultural elements as an integral part of the living human experience.
Owing to its deeply-rooted history and civilization that stretch back centuries ago, Saudi Arabia boasts a distinguished significance in the field of anthropological and cultural studies.
The Kingdom also enjoys a vast cultural, social, and regional diversity, evident in all aspects of life, thus providing a rich field for study, analysis, and documentation.
