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Dr. Mechthild von Vacano

Senior Lecturer

Contact

+49 761 203 3583

Room: 01012 (Werthmannstraße 10)

Office hours: see ILIAS

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Curriculum Vitae

 

  • Since November 2022 Senior Lecturer at the Institute for Social and Cultural Anthropology, Albert-Ludwig University of 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 Studies
  • 2008 M.A. at the Freie Universität Berlin (FU) - (Master's major: Ethnology)
    minor subjects: Political Science (FU) and Southeast Asian Studies
    at the Humboldt University of Berlin (HU)
  • 2005 - 2008 scholarship holder of the Heinrich-Böll-Foundation

 

Regional Interests

Indonesia: Toraja, Sulawesi; Bantul, Java; Jakarta

Thematic Interests

  • Psychological Anthropology
  • Economic Anthropology
  • Anthropology of Labour
  • Gender/queer studies
  • Race and Racism
  • (Natural) Disaster
  • Torism
  • Ethnographic writing

 

Current research activities

  • Follow-up of doctoral research: "Economic Subjects at Work: Livelihoods and Life Conduct in a Jakarta Neighbourhood"
  • Preparation of a habilitation project on "Neighbourhood 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 (eds.): 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 (eds.): 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 (eds.): 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 and K. Großmann. 2015. Umkämpfte Gendernormen. In: G. Stange, R. Jordan & K. Großmann (eds.), Handbook Indonesia. Angermünde: Horlemann, 143-151

 

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

 

von Vacano and M. Zaumseil (eds.). 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 (eds.), 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 (Eds.), Cultural Psychology of Coping with Disasters. New York: Springer, 85-102.

 

von Vacano, Mechthild, M. Zaumseil, S. Schwarz. 2014. Contextualising 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 (eds.), 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 (eds.), Cultural Psychology of Coping with Disasters. New York: Springer, 183-201.

 

von Vacano, Mechthild and 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 (eds.), 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 (eds.), 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, No. 2, Münster.

 

Teaching

Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg

Winter Term 2023/2024:

  • Decolonising Anthropology (workshop seminar for the inter-institutional lecture series)
  • Cash and Other Money: Economic Anthropological Perspectives

Summer Term 2023:

  • BA Methods of Anthropology: A Practice-Oriented Introduction
  • Racism. Theories, Critiques, Localisations

Winter Term 2022/2023:

  • BA: Economic Anthropology — Exchanging, Giving, (Re)Sharing — (Everyday) Economic Relationships from an Anthropological Perspective

 

Free University of Berlin

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 Labour — 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 Economics: A Thematic Overview, IfSKA, FU Berlin

Summer Term 2014:

  • MA: Indonesia: Ethnographies of the Economic, IfE, FU Berlin
  • BA: Integration Discourses in Germany — Analyses of the Theory 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: Disciplinary and Theoretical History of Social and Cultural Anthropology (Exercise C). IfE, FU Berlin

Summer Term 2012:

  • BA: Integration Discourses in Germany. IfE, FU Berlin

Winter Term 2011/2012:

  • BA: Disciplinary and Theoretical History of Social and Cultural Anthropology (Exercise A). IfE, FU Berlin
  • BA: History and Theory 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 the Example of Indonesia. IfE, FU Berlin

 

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 [with Ruth Hatlapa]). Institute of Cultural Studies, HU Berlin

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