Invited lectures and Keynotes
2024
"(Un-)gleiches Recht für alle? Ethnologische Perspektiven" At: Konstanz; March 12, 2024
2023
„We-formation. Reflections on methodology, the military coup attempt and how to engage with Myanmar today." At: Paris. May 16, 2023.
"Rethinking community in Myanmar. Practices of we-formation among Muslims and Hindus in urban Yangon". At: Laboratorio Demo-Etno-Antropologico, University of Venice. February 06, 2023.
2022
"The law of others. Legal anthropology between pluralism, indigeneity and alterity". At: Institut de recherche juridique de la Sorbonne. September 23, 2022.
"Rethinking Community in Myanmar: Practices of We-Formation among Muslims and Hindus in Urban Yangon". At: Institute of Anthropology, Heidelberg-University. May 17, 2022.
2021
Communal Sense: We-Formation and the Work of Community in Myanmar. At the Bielefeld University. May, 5.
2020
Harmonious Coexistence – Interfaith Dialogue in Myanmar. Myanmar Conference. At: Stuttgart, 06.10.2020.
2019
"On little and grand narratives in Central Asia". At "Central Asian Studies Inside Out. Challenging Grand Narratives”, organized by l’EHESS and ZMO (Berlin). Paris. March, 28.
Accountability and justice in asylum claims. Debating the issue of Rohingya statelessness in British courts. At: "Claiming Justice after Conflict: The Stateless, the Displaced and the Disappeared at the Margins of the State", organized by Yazid Ben-Hounet and Judith Beyer. FMSH, Paris. March, 15.
The arrival of the Indian Other. On classifying minorities in Burma. At: "Dialogues entre recherches classiques et actuelles sur l’Asie du Sud-Est". FMSH, Paris. March, 14.
The force of custom. Law and the ordering of everyday life in Kyrgyzstan. At: University Paris-Nanterre, Department of Anthropology. March, 12.
2018
"The force of custom. Law and the ordering of everyday life in Kyrgyzstan". Institutskolloquium am Institut für Ethnologie, Universität Hamburg. November, 13.
"The force of custom. Law and the ordering of everyday life in Kyrgyzstan. Séminaire "L'Asie centrale dans tous ses Etats : questions et méthodes", EHESS, Paris. March, 12.
Shari’a, tradition and the state in Kyrgyzstan. Competing repertoires of order: the case of mortuary rituals. Séminaire Transformations de la Normativité Islamique. Institut d'études de l'Islam et des sociétés du monde musulman. Paris. March, 8.
Being Muslim in contemporary Myanmar. On community and the problem with 'communal violence'. Séminaire de l’équipe Anthropologie Comparative des Sociétés et Cultures Musulmanes (LAS). Paris. March, 6.
2017
The force of custom. Law and the ordering of everyday life in Kyrgyzstan. Book presentation. Department of Anthropology, Aarhus University, Denmark.
2016
"'Don't trust the trustees!' Representing and administering religious minorities in Yangon, Myanmar," Institutskolloquium, Department of Anthropology, University of Freiburg. June, 14.
2015
"Zuhören als Methode. Oral history in der ethnologischen Feldforschung" At: Kolloquium Neuere Geschichte und Zeitgeschichte" (Osterhammel / Reichardt). University of Konstanz, Germany. 12. July.
"Work in Progress. Performing the state in Central Asia." At: Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Dipartimento di Scienze Umane per la Formazione "R. Massa." Milan, Italy.
"Den Staat verfassen. Ein rechtsethnologischer Blick auf Verfassungspolitik." Berliner Seminar 'Recht im Kontext'. Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, Berlin.
2013
Law and religion in Myanmar. De/Constructing religious communities. At: Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies. Kolkata, India. October.
2011
Settling descent. Place-making and genealogy in Talas, Kyrgyzstan. At: Seminar Series 'Central Asia in a Terrible State? Issues and Methods.' L'École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS), Paris. February, 10.
2009
Customizing law: Social ordering through salt in Talas, Kyrgyzstan. At: Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies. Kolkata, India. February.
2007
Imagining the state: How perceptions of the state influence customary law in the Kyrgyz aksakal courts. At: Harvard University, Central Asian and Caucasus Program, Boston, USA. April.
2006
Verfassungen und Verfassungswirklichkeiten: Ergebnisse einer einjährigen Feldforschung in Zentralasien. [Constitutions and constitutional realities. Results of a year-long field research in Central Asia]. At: 'Verfassungstheorie: Verfassungs-, europa- und völkerrechtliche Aspekte', Faculty of Law, Eberhard Karls-University Tübingen, Germany (in German). December.
Presentations at Conferences and Workshops
2022
"Crisis, activism and kom’iuniti. The new feminist movement in Kyrgyzstan". Paper at: Società Italiana di Studi sul Medio Oriente (SeSaMO). Napoli 22-24 June 2022.
2021
“Activism and affect. Activist lawyers in British asylum cases”. At “Activist Atmospheres. Bodies and Emotions in the Tremors of Protest. (Workshop – Panel 32)” organized by Benedict Mette-Starke and Jeannine-Madeleine Fischer. At: “Worlds. Zones. Atmospheres. Seismographies of the Anthropocene”, University of Bremen and online. September 30, 2021.
"Roundtable "The Role of Academia in the Present Situation in Myanmar". At: Interdisciplinary Myanmar Conference 2021. Myanmar’s Transition – from Where to Where?, May 27, 2021. (virtual).
"The common sense of expert activists.Predicaments of advocating an end to statelessness in Europe ". At: Common Sense and the Contemporary Modes of the Political, organized by Jelena Tosic and Andreas Streinzer. University of St. Gallen, Switzerland. (virtual) May 21-22, 2021.
An intellectual odyssey. The case of legal pluralism. At: Allegra Lab. Webinar in honour of Sally Engle Merry (jointly with Prof Keebet von Benda-Beckmann). Virtually on Zoom, January 29.
The common sense of expert activists. Predicaments of advocating an end to statelessness in Europe. At: Gramsci and common sense (organized by Jelena Tošić and Andreas Streinzer). Virtually on Zoom, January 29.
2019
Intermarriage and racial purity. At: Colloquium Social and Cultural Anthropology (Judith Beyer and Thomas Kirsch). University of Konstanz, Germany. November, 12.
Legal activism between common sense and practice. Debating the end of statelessness in Europe. At: German Anthropological Association (DGSKA). Panel on "Common sense and the end of negotiations? "The end of negotiations." University of Konstanz, Germany. October, 01.
Processing possession. At: Colloquium Cultural Sociology (Christian Meyer). University of Konstanz, Germany. May, 21.
2018
Communal sense. Law, property and the making of ethno-religious Others. Institute for Advanced Study University of Konstanz. December, 06.
Participation in the discussion "Recht vermitteln! Eine Aufgabe der Rechtsforschung in Zeiten des 'Rechtsempfindens'? led by taz-journalist Christian Rath on the occasion of launching the edited volume "Interdisziplinäre Rechtsforschung". At: 4. Kongress der deutschsprachigen Rechtssoziologie-Vereinigungen. University of Basel. September, 14.
On the co-production of accountability. Asylum cases of stateless Rohingya in the UK. At: European Association for Social Anthropology (EASA), Panel "Investigating accountability: practices and performances [LAW NET]" organized by Jane Cowan and Julie Billaud. University of Stockholm. August, 16.
2017
Women of protest, men of applause. Political activism, gender, and tradition in Kyrgyzstan (together with Aijarkyn Kojobekova). At: Practices of traditionalization in Central Asia. Organized by Judith Beyer 16.-18. November 2017. Institute for Advanced Stud, University of Konstanz. November, 18.
From gossip to grievance. Rumour and religious property in Myanmar. At: Divergent resource claims in plural ecologies. Case studies from Southeast Asia. Organized by Judith Beyer (Konstanz) and Birgit Bräuchler (Monash University, Australia). 6.- 8. July. Institute for Advanced Study, University of Konstanz, Germany. July, 8.
False flag. Rumour, religious property and the politics of community-making in Myanmar. At: Interdisciplinary Myanmar Conference 2017. University of Bonn, Germany. June, 16.-18.
Securing community through property. A case study from Yangon. At: Everyday Justice and Security in the Myanmar Transition. Department of Anthropology, Aarhus University, Denmark. April, 26.-27.
For the workshop Programme see here.
2016
Individuality and the making of urban communities. European Association for Social Anthropology, University of Milano-Biccoca, Italy. July, 23.
Religious minorities in Myanmar. First findings from fieldwork. Arbeitsgespräch am Kulturwissenschaftlichen Kolleg. Universität Konstanz. July, 14.
Gemeinschaft ohne Gesellschaft? Religiöse Minderheiten in Yangon. Myanmarforschung Tagung 2016, Humboldt Universität Berlin. June, 23-25.
Gerichtlich gesicherte Existenz. Ethnizität, Besitz und die Rolle des Rangoon High Court als Ort der Wissensproduktion. DFG-Netzwerktreffen, Universität Heidelberg. June, 10.-12.
2015
"Anthropology between book and blog. Evaluation criteria and communication in contemporary academia." At: Finnland-Institut in Deutschland. Gemeinnütziges Forum finnischer Kultur, Wissenschaft und Wirtschaft im deutschsprachigen Europa. Berlin. February, 19.
"Harmony and shame-anxiety. Practicing emotions in Kyrgyz mortuary gift exchange." Kolloquium Ethnologie Prof. Kirsch. University of Konstanz, Konstanz. January, 13.
2014
"Between monks and militiamen. Where is Myanmar's civil society?" Workshop: A post-civil society? Political society beyond Western constructs Organized by Raul Acosta. University of Konstanz. December, 10.
"What's in a name? Zum aktuellen Verständnis einer politischen Anthropologie an Beispielen aus Zentral- und Südostasien". Forschungskolloquium Neuere und Wissenschaftsgeschichte. University of Konstanz. November, 18.
"Debating faith and justice in Kyrgyzstan. The negotiation of authority among elders and imams". Centre for Socio-Legal Studies. University of Oxford. November, 14.
2014
Race and the state. On the category of 'race' in British asylum appeal cases. At: Stuck at the gates. Seminar on migration, biotechnologies and limits of regulation. Allegra Lab in cooperation with the Finnish Anthropological Society and the Department of Social Anthropology. University of Helsinki, Finland. August, 04.
On forged documents and lack of written evidence. Tracing eligibility in Rohingya asylum cases. At: Tracing eligibilities. Moralities, performances, practices. Organiser: EASA network Anthropology of Law and Rights. Heike Drotbohm/Julia Eckert. 13th EASA Biennial Conference. Estonian Institute of Humanities. Tallinn University, Estonia. August, 03.
Eigentum, Recht und Religion. Religiöse Minderheiten in Yangon. At: Myanmarforschung 2014. Projekte, Pläne, Partnerschaften. Centre for Interdisciplinary Area Studies (ZIRS). Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg. June, 27.
Traces of the colonial in contemporary practices. Personal status laws and their repercussions for religious minorities in Myanmar. At: Empire and the making of personal status. Organiser: Natasha Pairaudeau. Centre for History and Economics. Cambridge University. June, 09.
(paper presented in absentia) Houses of Islam. Muslim property regimes and the state in Myanmar. At: Islam, law and the state in Myanmar. Organiser: Melissa Crouch. Centre for Asian Legal Studies. National University of Singapore. January, 23.-24.
2013
Das Dilemma der "Be-Urteilung". Zum Forschungsstand angewandter Rechtsethnologie. Panel: Ethnologie und Recht - "außeruniversitär". Neue Herausforderungen an die Rechtsethnologie. Verortungen. Ethnologie in Wissenschaft, Arbeitswelt und Öffentlichkeit. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Völkerkunde, Mainz University. October, 02.-05.
Panel participant. Jointly with Jeanne Féaux de la Croix, Lutz Rzehak, Moritz Florin, Rudolf Mark, Andrea Schmitz, Andrei Dörre. Panel: Forschungsberichte aus den Disziplinen. Hamburger Zentralasientag 2013. Institut für Friedensforschung und Sicherheitspolitik an der Universität Hamburg (IFSH). September, 16.
'The Customization of Law and the Legalisation of Custom: A Legal Anthropological Analysis of the Interaction between Courts of Elders and State Courts in Kyrgyzstan.' At: Tracing legal connections. Interactions between courts of elders and state courts across Kyrgyzstan. European Society for Central Asian Studies (ESCAS). Astana, Kazakhstan. August, 04.-07.
Roundtable Participant. At Scholarship for a Broader Public: How to Improve Our Communication with the Media. European Society for Central Asian Studies (ESCAS). Astana, Kazakhstan. August, 04.-07.
Law and religion in Myanmar. Glimpses of an ongoing research project. At: Second Exploratory Meeting - Department 'Law & Anthropology'. Panel: Ongoing Research at the MPI for Social Anthropology and Future Activities - Part II. May, 23.-25.
2012
The customization of law. A case study from Kyrgyzstan. At Anthropological Workshop. Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology. October, 16.
2010
Fighting customary law with Shariat. The multiplex roles of imams at funeral rituals in Talas, Kyrgyzstan. At: Religious Dynamics in Central Asia: Islam in Focus. Seminar for Central Asian Studies. Institute for Asian and African Studies. Humboldt University Berlin, Germany. December.
Poster presentation. According to salt. An ethnography of customary law in Talas (Kyrgyzstan). At: International Symposium of the VolkswagenFoundation. Between Europe and the Orient. A Focus on Research and Higher Education in/on Central Asia. Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. June
2009
(paper presented through video streaming). Customizing law: How the shari'a is 'swallowed' by customary law in Talas, Kyrgyzstan. Panel: Internationalizing custom and localizing law. Organiser: Melissa Demian. The end/s of anthropology. American Anthropological Association. Philadelphia, USA. December.
(together with Felix Girke) Accomplishing integration. A comparative assessment of Kyrgyz and Ethiopian harmony ideologies. At: Anthropological Workshop. Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology. Halle/Saale, Germany. October.
Law 'in the blood': metaphors of embodiment and practices of customizing law. At: Behind the Rule - Law and Identity. Panel: Local customary practices and legal identity. Graduate School Society and Culture in Motion. Halle/Saale, Germany. July.
(together with Felix Girke) The predicaments of the tourist encounter in Myanmar. Outline of a post-doc research project. At: Working Group Tourism and the Oriental or Exotic Other. Institute for Social Anthropology. Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle/Saale, Germany. June.
Coming of age and authority: elders in contemporary Kyrgyzstan. At: Eurasian perspectives: in search of alternatives. Panel: Local histories and cultural expressions. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies. Kolkata, India. February.
Emotional preventive law care: The force of uiat in Kyrgyz funeral rituals. At: Emotion in conflict. Organiser: Birgitt Röttger-Rössler. Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology. Halle/Saale, Germany. January.
A transition to social ordering: anthropological alternatives of looking at change and continuity in so-called post-socialist societies. Panel: Coping and ordering. The end of transition? Analytical and local understandings of 'transition' in post socialist space.Organiser: Maria Louw and Martin Frederiksen. University of Aarhus. Aarhus, Denmark. January.
2008
Zum Begriff des Lokalen im Kontext der Globalisierung. At: Globalisierung und Reserven. Institute for Social Anthropology. Organiser: Thomas Hauschild. Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle/Saale, Germany. Decemver.
From flows back to actors: Why "the local" is no longer a place for anthropology. Panel: Local encounters with the global: diversity of anthropological fieldwork approaches in globalization studies. "Experiencing diversity": Conference of the European Association of Social Anthropologists (EASA); Ljubljana, Slovenia. August.
Uiat bolot! The role of moral reasoning in Kyrgyz dispute management processes. Panel: Ethnographies of moral reasoning. First Regional Conference of the Central Eurasian Studies Society (CESS).Yssyk Köl, Kyrgyzstan. August.
&nbs
2007
Rhetoric of transformation: the case of the Kyrgyz constitutional reform. At: Wissen um Veränderung: Entwicklung, Geschichte, sozialer Wandel. Sektion Entwicklungssoziologie und Sozialanthropologie der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Soziologie. Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology. Halle/Saale, Germany. October.
Imagining the state: How perceptions of the state influence customary law in the Kyrgyz aksakal courts. Annual meeting of The Law and Society Association. Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany. July, 25.-28.
Imagining the state: How perceptions of the state influence customary law in the Kyrgyz aksakal courts: At: Nation, community and the state. ASN World Convention, Columbia University, New York City, USA. April, 12.-14.
The politics of customary law: Courts of elders (aksakal) in Kyrgyzstan. At: Symposium für DoktorandInnen und PostDocs. Volkswagen Foundation. Hannover, Germany, March, 22-23.
2006
Lineage-Älteste und Ältestengerichte in Kyrgyzstan: Instanzen lokaler Konfliktschlichtung und -prävention. At: Zwischen Europa und Orient: Mittelasien - Kaukasus im Fokus der Wissenschaft. International Symposium, Berlin, Germany. November, 29.- December, 01.
2005
The politics of customary law: Courts of elders (aksakal) in Kyrgyzstan. Proposal defense. Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, Halle/Saale, Germany. March.
2003
The 'transformation process' in Kyrgyz constitutional law: An analysis of law in the books and law in action. At: CARN IV: Central Asia: Perspectives from the field. School of Oriental and African Studies, London, UK. November.
The 'transformation process' in Kyrgyz constitutional law. At: Rechtsforschung als disziplinübergreifende Herausforderung. Max-Planck-Institute for Social Anthropology. Halle/Saale, Germany. June.
Sravnitelnyi analiz transformatsionnykh protsessov v Kyrgyzstane i Nigerii (Zapadnaia Afrika): Aktivnost' grazhdanskogo obshchestva kak vykhod iz perekhodnogo sostoianiia. At: Konstitutsionnoe stroitelstvo prezidentsko-parlamentskikh vzaimootnoshenii na postsovetskom prostranstve. Yssyk Köl, Kyrgyzstan. January.
2000
A summer in Kyrgyzstan: Internship and travelogue. At: Institute of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology. University of Tübingen, Germany. July.