Leonardo Schiocchet

Leonardo Schiocchet is an Associate Professor at the University of Vienna's Institute for Cultural and Social Anthropology, part of the Faculty of Social Sciences. He also holds a position at Charles University's Institute of Ethnology and Central European and Balkan Studies. With a PhD in Anthropology (2011) and a Habilitation in Social and Cultural Anthropology (2022), his research focuses on forced migration, Palestinian diaspora, and social belonging processes, particularly in the Arab Middle East and Lebanon. His work examines rituals, affect, and homemaking practices among refugees, emphasizing intersectional analyses of religion, nationhood, and displacement. Schiocchet has contributed to over 20 books, edited volumes, and journal special issues, including works on refugee regimes, humanitarian tutelage, and the Middle East-Europe encounters.

Research Interests:

• Anthropology of forced migration and displacement
• Palestinian diaspora and refugee studies
• Social belonging and ritualization
• Humanitarianism and state policies
• Middle East-Europe encounters

Key Contributions:

• Edited special journal issues on home-making, refugees in Europe, and Muslim diasporas
• Author of Living in Refuge: Ritualization and Religiosity in Palestinian Refugee Camps (2022)
• Pioneered ethnographic studies on Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, Brazil, and Europe

Grants and Networks: Co-founder of Vienna-based interdisciplinary refugee studies networks; contributor to Austrian Academy of Sciences research projects on refugee integration and well-being.

Labs/Teams: Active in the Institute for Social and Cultural Anthropology's migration research cluster and the ROR-n platform for forced migration studies.