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Dr. Mechthild von Vacano

Senior Lecturer

Contact

+49 761 203 3583

Room: 01012 (Werthmannstraße 10)

Office hours: Wednesdays, 11-13h

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Curriculum Vitae

  • since November 2022 Senior Lecturer at the Institute for Social and Cultural Anthropology, Albert-Ludwigs University Freiburg

  • October 2022 PhD at the Freie Universität Berlin, title of the dissertation "Economic Subjects at Work: Livelihoods and Life Conduct in a Jakarta Neighborhood"

  • Since 2019 Trainer in continuing education for scholars, especially for doctoral candidates and doctoral students

  • 2018 - 2019 BA study coordinator at the Institute for Social and Cultural Anthropology, FU Berlin

  • 2014 - 2015 Research stay in Jakarta, funded by a DAAD- one-year scholarship for doctoral students, affiliation with Universitas Indonesia

  • 2011 - 2018 Lecturer at the Institute for Social and Cultural Anthropology (formerly: Ethnology), FU Berlin

  • 2009 - 2011 Academic officer at the International Academy for Innovative Pedagogy, Psychology and Economics (INA) gGmbH at the FU Berlin

  • 2008 - 2010 Lecturer at the Institute for Social and Cultural Anthropology, FU Berlin and at the Institute of Asian and African Studies, HU Berlin

  • 2008 Magistra Artium at the Freie Universität Berlin (FU) (main subject: Ethnology, minor subjects: Political Science (FU) and Southeast Asian Studies at the Humboldt University Berlin (HU)

  • 2005 - 2008 scholarship holder of the Heinrich-Böll-Foundation

Thematic Interests

  • Psychological Anthropology
  • Economic Anthropology
  • Anthropology of work
  • Gender/queer studies
  • Racism studies   
  • (Natural) Disaster Research
  • Torism research
  • Ethnographic writing

Regional Interests

Indonesia: Toraja, Sulawesi; Bantul, Java; Jakarta

Actual Research Activities

  • Follow-up of doctoral research: "Economic subjects at work: Livelihoods and life conduct in a Jakarta neighborhood".
  • Preparation of a habilitation project on "Neighborhood as an un/social relationship".

Main Publications

von Vacano, Mechthild. 2021. Going Gojek, or Staying Ojek? Competing Visions of Work and Economy in Jakarta’s Motorbike Taxi Industry. In: W. Monteith, D.-O. Vicol & P. Williams (Hg.): Beyond the Wage: Ordinary Work in Diverse Economies. Bristol, UK: Bristol University Press, 211-231. DOI: 10.51952/9781529208948.ch009.

von Vacano, Mechthild. 2019. Reciprocity in Research Relationships. In: T. Stodulka, F. Thajib & S. Dinkelaker (Hg.): Affective Dimensions of Fieldwork and Ethnography. New York: Springer, 79-86. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-20831-8_7.

von Vacano, Mechthild. 2019. Reciprocity Reconsidered: Towards an Ethic of Economic Participation. In: T. Stodulka, F. Thajib & S. Dinkelaker (Hg.): Affective Dimensions of Fieldwork and Ethnography. New York: Springer, 123-134. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-20831-8_11.

von Vacano, Mechthild. 2017. “Sharing economy” versus “informal sector”: Jakarta’s motorbike taxi industry in turmoil. In: ANUAC 6 (2): 97-101. DOI: 10.7340/anuac2239-625X-3076.

von Vacano, Mechthild, G. Findeisen und K. Großmann. 2015. Umkämpfte Gendernormen. In: G. Stange, R. Jordan & K. Großmann (Hg.), Handbuch Indonesien. Angermünde: Horlemann, 143-151

von Vacano, Mechthild, M. Zaumseil, S. Schwarz, G.B. Sullivan & J.E. Prawitasari-Hadiyono (Hg.). 2014. Cultural Psychology of Coping with Disasters - The Case of an Earthquake in Java, Indonesia. New York: Springer.

von Vacano und M. Zaumseil (Hg.). 2014. Understanding Disasters: An Analysis and Overview of the Field of Disaster Research and Management. In: M. Zaumseil, S. Schwarz, M. von Vacano, G.B. Sullivan & J.E. Prawitasari-Hadiyono (Hg.), Cultural Psychology of Coping with Disasters. New York: Springer, 3-44.

von Vacano, Mechthild, M. Zaumseil, S. Schwarz, G.B. Sullivan & J.E. Prawitasari-Hadiyono. 2014. A Cultural Psychological Framework for Coping with Disasters. In: M. Zaumseil, S. Schwarz, M. von Vacano, G.B. Sullivan & J.E. Prawitasari-Hadiyono (Hg.), Cultural Psychology of Coping with Disasters. New York: Springer, 85-102.

von Vacano, Mechthild, M. Zaumseil, S. Schwarz. 2014. Contextualizing the Research: Introduction to the Case Study in Java, Indonesia In: M. Zaumseil, S. Schwarz, M. von Vacano, G.B. Sullivan & J.E. Prawitasari-Hadiyono (Hg.), Cultural Psychology of Coping with Disasters. New York: Springer, 105-127.

von Vacano, Mechthild. 2014. The Material Dimension of Coping: Socioculturally Mediated Biophysical Process. In: M. Zaumseil, S. Schwarz, M. von Vacano, G.B. Sullivan & J.E. Prawitasari-Hadiyono (Hg.), Cultural Psychology of Coping with Disasters. New York: Springer, 183-201.

von Vacano, Mechthild und S. Schwarz. 2014. The Religious Dimension of Coping: The Roles of Cosmologies and Religious Practices. In: M. Zaumseil, S. Schwarz, M. von Vacano, G.B. Sullivan & J.E. Prawitasari-Hadiyono (Hg.), Cultural Psychology of Coping with Disasters. New York: Springer, 245-264.

von Vacano, Mechthild, M. Zaumseil, S. Schwarz, G.B. Sullivan & J.E. Prawitasari-Hadiyono. 2014. Concluding Remarks In: M. Zaumseil, S. Schwarz, M. von Vacano, G.B. Sullivan & J.E. Prawitasari-Hadiyono (Hg.), Cultural Psychology of Coping with Disasters. New York: Springer, 345-350.

von Vacano, Mechthild. 2010. ReiseReflexionen – SelbstBilder. Eine rassismuskritische Studie über Ethnotourismus in Tana Toraja, Indonesien. Berlin: regiospectra Verlag.

von Vacano, Mechthild. 2006. "Ethnologie aus kritisch-weißer Perspektive?!" In: Ethmundo, Nr. 2, Münster.

Teaching

Albert Ludwig University Freiburg

Winter Term 2022/2023:

  • BA: Economic Anthropology - Exchanging, Giving, (Ver-)Sharing - (Everyday) Economic Relationships from an Anthropological Perspective.

 

University of Berlin (FU)

Summer Term 2018:

  • BA: Academic writing for students of social and cultural anthropology, IfSKA, FU Berlin

 

Summer Term 2017:

  • Care/Work - Social Anthropological Colloquium [with B.Röttger-Rössler] IfSKA, FU Berlin.

 

Winter Term 2016/2017:

  • BA: Anthropology of Work - An Autoethnographic Approach, IfSKA, FU Berlin.
  • BA: Introduction to Social and Cultural Anthropology (Proseminar D), IfSKA, FU Berlin

 

Summer Term 2016:

  • MA: Self - Person - Subject, IfSKA, FU Berlin.

 

Winter Term 2015/2016:

  • BA: Social Structure, Politics and Economy: A Thematic Overview, IfSKA, FU Berlin.

 

Summer Term 2014:

  • MA: Indonesia: Ethnographies of the Economic, IfE, FU Berlin.
  • BA: Discourses of Integration in Germany - Theoretical Analyses of Racism, IfE, FU Berlin.

 

Winter Term 2013/2014:

  • BA: Introduction to Social and Cultural Anthropology (Proseminar C), IfE, FU Berlin.

 

Summer Term 2013:

  • BA: Introduction to (post)colonial ethnographies of Indonesia, IfE, FU Berlin.

 

Winter Term 2012/2013:

  • BA: Subject and theoretical history of social and cultural anthropology (Exercise C). IfE, FU Berlin

 

Summer Term 2012:

  • BA: Discourses of integration in Germany. IfE, FU Berlin

 

Winter Term 2011/2012:

  • BA: Subject and theoretical history of social and cultural anthropology (Exercise A). IfE, FU Berlin
  • BA: Subject and theoretical history of social and cultural anthropology (Exercise C). IfE, FU Berlin

 

Winter Term 2009/2010:

  • BA: Cyberethnology. IfE, FU Berlin

 

Winter Term 2008/2009:

  • BA: Ethnological views on gender and sexuality using Indonesia as an example. IfE, FU Berlin
  • ism in multiculturalism. Project tutorial. Institute of Cultural Studies, HU Berlin [with Ruth Hatlapa].

 

Humboldt University Berlin

Winter Term 2009/2010:

  • BA: Popular Culture and Identity in Indonesia. Institute for Asian and African Studies, HU Berlin

 

Summer Term 2006 and Winter Term 2006/2007:

  • Old and New Racism in Multiculturalism. Project Tutorial. Institute of Cultural Studies, HU Berlin [with Ruth Hatlapa].