C.V. | Current Project | Publications
Research Interests
Gender and sexuality (queer anthropology), intra-community differences, community and subcultural spaces, activism, social relations in urban landscapes, same-sex intimate partner violence
Research Area(s)
Namibia
Profile
I am a PhD candidate in the Department Anthropology of Economic Experimentation and a member of the working group Urban Anthropology of the Nearby, led by Christoph Brumann. I hold a bachelor's degree in social anthropology and educational science from the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg and a master's degree in gender studies from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden.
In one of my previous research projects I examined the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on queer activism in Namibia. In this context, spatiality emerged as a central analytical theme as I observed how LGBTQIA+ activists responded to the intensified isolation and precarity experienced by sexual and gender minorities during the pandemic through the creation of spaces such as drag nights. These spatial interventions followed the at least temporary closure of existing gathering places (bars, cafés, etc.) and the discontinuation of community outreach initiatives by non-governmental organizations. However, these artistic attempts to establish “safer spaces” for the broader queer community often remained inaccessible to large segments of it – partly due to their location in Windhoek’s urban centre and the unequal distribution of financial resources.
At the same time, I was once taken by local queers to a shebeen in the informal settlements on the outskirts of the capital, which they described as “gay-friendly.” Nothing about the bar signalled this alleged gay-friendliness. While I felt nervous and expected hostility, my companions – some of them visibly trans women – appeared at ease, and my negative expectations were not confirmed. This encounter highlighted the embodied knowledge local queers draw upon to navigate spatial and social terrains and that “safer spaces” can be found in the least expected places.
During my field research for my master’s degree, I returned to Namibia to investigate same-sex intimate partner violence. The issue gained some local attention in 2022 when an amendment to the Namibian Combating of Domestic Violence Act failed to remove the explicit exclusion of same-sex relationships from the legal protections afforded by the law, contrary to the hopes of activists and community advocates. Although I interviewed several participants who had experienced various forms of abuse in queer relationships, the topic was rarely openly discussed within their communities. I became particularly interested in the oppressive silence surrounding same-sex intimate partner violence and sought to trace its origins and examine how it shapes survivors' responses to abuse.
In the course of this research, I also observed significant class divisions within local LGBTQIA+ communities. A small group of well-educated, highly mobile queer activists appeared to stand apart from the broader community. While some of these activists regularly participated in conferences hosted in hotels across Namibia – and at times even abroad – to discuss the challenges facing sexual and gender minorities, I also encountered critical voices within the field who referred to these gatherings as “hotel activism,” expressing scepticism about their relevance to the wider community.
All these different spaces – hotels, drag nights, shebeens – carry notions of community belonging while simultaneously reflecting dynamics of class and exclusion. It is this tension between community cohesion and fragmentation that forms the core puzzle I aim to investigate in my doctoral research. You can read more about my current project under the corresponding section.