Initially trained in Social Anthropology at the University of Vienna, Stephan Hochleithner received his PhD in Political Geography at the Department of Geography, University of Zürich. His dissertation project was centered on questions of access, land use, and forced displacement at the intersections between the interconnected realms of material and social (re-)production, with a special focus on nature conservation practices. His empirical work is grounded in the east of the DR Congo, where he conducted ethnographic fieldwork. Additionally, Stephan Hochleithner has also been involved in a variety of other scientific projects, including his contribution in the establishment of the Green Urban Commons working group at the department of Political Science, University of Vienna, which has been engaging with space and “green” grassroots production in urban contexts of the Global North. His research experience also involves studies on socio-economic relations among indigenous groups in southern Africa, a critical approach towards land-use classifications in Tanzania and consulting contributions to the European Union’s SSEDAS project on social and solidary economy. Besides research and additionally to teaching at universities and academic publishing, Stephan Hochleithner is also actively engaging in communicating scientific content via low-threshold channels, which include public talks, press articles in newspapers and magazines, as well as documentary- and reportage-films.
More information at Stephan’s personal webpage.