Biographie

I am a human geographer focusing on social and development geography in the global south. In my work I focus on issues related to social inequalities, human-technology-relations, human-environment-relations, and social resilience in the context of globalisation. I am particularly interested in the diversifying patterns of mobilities and migration as well as digital transformations in the global south. My theoretical approach is, among others, inspired by Bourdieu's theory of practice, the new mobilities paradigm, as well as debates on translocality, transnationalism, and social resilience. In my point of view good geographical research should not only be theoretically profound but also empirically grounded. There is no good theory without proper and profound empirical research and vice versa.

I studied geography, development economics, and anthropology at the University of Bonn and focused in my PhD research on migration and translocal dimensions of social resilience in gendered migration systems. I very much appreciate working with Mixed-Methods and Multi-sited Ethnography and have worked for many years also with participatory methods in Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Thailand, Singapore, and Germany. I think as researcher, we also have the essential task to follow a 3rd Mission, which is why not only interdisciplinary but also transdisciplinary research is very important to me. Hence, besides my passion for empirical research, I am very much involved #SciComm and have implemented several projects such as the photo project Work Men on the Move.

Research interests

Conceptual: Transnationalism and translocality; social theories of practice; vulnerability and social resilience; entitlement approaches; transient urbanism

Thematic: social-geographic inequalities; rural-urban geographies; social adaptation to climate change; migration & mobilities; digital transformations in the global south

Methodological: Mixed-methods (MMR); qualitative social research; multi-sited ethnography; participatory research; visual methods

Regional: South- and South-East Asia (Bangladesh, Thailand, Singapore); Horn of Africa (Ethiopia)