Associate Tutor, Oxford Lifelong Learning
john.loewenthal@conted.ox.ac.uk
John Loewenthal designs and teaches short courses in anthropology at the University of Oxford’s Lifelong Learning Department (formerly the Department for Continuing Education). After five years of teaching ‘Social Anthropology: An Introduction (Online)’, his teaching is currently concentrated on the residential summer programme, the Oxford University Summer School for Adults (OUSSA). There, he has designed and teaches the courses: ‘What makes life meaningful? Perspectives from anthropology’ and ‘Therapy as anthropology: engagements with the human condition’.
John works as the Education and Training Officer for the Centre for Anthropology and Mental Health Research in Action (CAMHRA) at SOAS, University of London, where he is also a Research Associate in the Department of Anthropology and Sociology. His research and teaching are particularly concerned with educational, existential, and psychological anthropology. John is a Co-Convenor of the European Network for Psychological Anthropology (2022-26) and an integrative psychotherapeutic counsellor (MBACP), which informs his research and teaching.
For more information:
https://lifelong-learning.ox.ac.uk/about/archaeology-and-anthropology
https://www.soas.ac.uk/about/john-loewenthal
Recent publications:
Loewenthal, J. (forthcoming) ‘Person-centred and existential approaches to anthropology’, in Cañás Bottos, L, Krause-Jensen, J, and Manos, I (Eds.) Educating anthropologists for/ in the contemporary world. Oxford and New York: Berghahn.
Loewenthal, J. (forthcoming) ‘Sonic diaspora in a tropical metropolis: Colombian cumbia fuelling the spirit of Mexico City’, in Bull, M. and James, M. (Eds.) Dissonant Sounds: The alternative cultural politics of diaspora. London: Bloomsbury Publishing.
Pirrie, A. and Loewenthal, J. 2025. ‘Section III: Introduction – Experiment, experience, education’, in Gatt, C. and Loovers, P, J. (Eds.) Beyond Perception: Engagements with Tim Ingold’s work. London: Routledge.
Kotsira, E. and Loewenthal, J. 2025. ‘Mind the Culture, episode 2: What makes life meaningful?’ Podcast of the European Network for Psychological Anthropology.
Loewenthal, J. 2023. ‘Supportive or overpowering? Entangled agency of young adults and parents during and after higher education in the U.S.A.’, Qualitative Studies, 8(2), pp. 55-78. Special Issue on The Politics of Parenting.
Loewenthal, J. 2023. ‘Counselling and psychotherapy as a career for anthropology graduates’, European Network for Psychological Anthropology Blog.
Loewenthal, J. 2022. ‘Existential mobility and immobility through higher education’, The University of Edinburgh Higher Education Research Group Blog.
Broughton, J. and Loewenthal, J. 2020. ‘Youth Culture’, In Cook, D. (Ed.), The SAGE Encyclopedia of Children and Childhood Studies. London: Sage Publications Ltd, pp. 1711-1716.
