Birgit Englert

Birgit Englert is an Associate Professor of African History and Society at the Department of African Studies, University of Vienna, within the Faculty of Philology and Cultural Studies. With over two decades of academic experience, she has established herself as a leading scholar at the intersection of African Studies and Mobility Studies.

• Position: Associate Professor
• Institution: University of Vienna
• Department: Department of African Studies
• Faculty: Faculty of Philology and Cultural Studies
• Email: birgit.englert@univie.ac.at
• ORCID: 0000-0002-4288-6562

Her research spans several interconnected domains, with primary focus on land rights issues (including land reform, women's land rights, and land grabbing), popular and youth culture, and qualitative research methods. Over the past decade, her work has increasingly engaged with mobility practices, particularly examining solidarity movements connecting Black and African actors with Palestinian struggles and historical international support for the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa. She also investigates contemporary German-language travel writing related to African contexts and leads the Austrian Science Fund project 'Rastafari Reasonings on Africa in Historical Perspective' (P 35987, 2022-2027).

Professor Englert's publication record is extensive, with 119 publications documented through 2025. Her recent work demonstrates a clear trajectory toward bridging African Studies with Mobility Studies, exploring transdisciplinary approaches and positionality in research. The articles reflect her engagement with contemporary political issues, methodological innovation, and historical perspectives on African societies and their global connections.

• Supervised 54 master's/diploma theses
• Co-supervised 2 doctoral theses
• Currently supervising 3 PhD and 8 MA theses

Her administrative contributions include serving as deputy director of the study program (8 years), deputy chair of the department (2 years), deputy director of the 'Mobile Cultures and Societies' research platform (5 years), and managing editor of 'Stichproben. Vienna Journal of African Studies' (2001-2021). She has been instrumental in founding and co-directing research initiatives that have shaped interdisciplinary approaches to African Studies at the University of Vienna.