Birgitt Röttger Rössler

Prof. Birgitt Röttger-Rössler is a Senior Professor at the Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology at Freie Universität Berlin. She specializes in the anthropology of emotion, psychological anthropology, gender research, and Southeast Asian studies (Indonesia and Vietnam). Her academic career includes roles as Director of the Collaborative Research Centre (CRC 1171) 'Affective Societies' (2015–2022), Vice Dean for Research (2013–2015), and Dean (2011–2013) at FU Berlin.

Education:

• PhD (1988) in Social and Cultural Anthropology, University of Cologne
• Habilitation (2001), Georg-August-University Göttingen

Research Interests: Focus on emotion socialization, cultural construction of gender, ritual studies, and transnational migration. Her work combines ethnographic fieldwork with interdisciplinary approaches, emphasizing how emotions shape social cohesion in mobile worlds.

Projects:

• Lead of CRC 1171's 'Affective Societies' exploring emotions in diverse contexts
• Co-edited volumes on affective publics and cultural diversity
• Research on Vietnamese communities in Berlin and emotion dynamics in post-conflict societies

Grants/Awards: Extensive funding from DFG, Lichtenberg District Office, and international collaborations. Notable projects include 'The Formation of Feeling in Vietnamese Berlin' (2015–2023) and 'Emotion, Violence, and Memory in Civil Wars' (DFG-funded).

Labs/Teams: Leads the Psychological Anthropology research area and oversees the CRC 1171's interdisciplinary data infrastructure. Active in mentoring over 15 PhD students focusing on topics like ADHD in Colombia, Vietnamese family dynamics, and transnational affect.