About
Prof. Dr. Heike Egner is a Visiting Professor at the Department of Geography, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. Her research focuses on intercultural challenges in the Anthropocene, societal interactions with nature, and legal frameworks for environmental governance. She has held research fellowships at the Rachel Carson Center (Munich), ZiF (Bielefeld), and Durham University (UK). Her recent work examines rivers granted legal personhood, challenging traditional nature/culture divides.
Education:
- PhD in Geography (2001) – Thesis: 'Trend- und Natursport als System' (Moab/Utah case)
- Habilitation in Geography (2007) – Thesis: 'Gesellschaft, Mensch, Umwelt – beobachtet'
Research Interests: Interactions between society/nature and human/environment from socio-geographical perspectives. Current focus on Anthropocene hypothesis implications for science and society, including legal personhood for natural entities like rivers.
Selected Publications:
- Egner & Zeil (2019): 'Anthropocene – a conceptual earthquake'
- Egner (2019): 'Mattering matter in radical constructivism'
- Egner & Jungmeier (2018): 'Non-territorial nature conservation'
Grants & Activities: Organized interdisciplinary conferences on Anthropocene challenges. Collaborates with international research networks on environmental policy and cultural geography.
Labs/Teams: Part of Rachel Carson Center and ZIS research initiatives. Active in international environmental governance think tanks.
