Mirco Göpfert

Mirco Göpfert is Professor of Social and Cultural Anthropology at Goethe University Frankfurt am Main (since 2018) and an Associate Fellow at PRIF (Peace Research Institute Frankfurt). He holds a doctorate in Ethnology from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (2014) and previously taught at the University of Konstanz.

• Current role: Professor of Social and Cultural Anthropology
• Institution: Goethe University Frankfurt am Main
• PRIF affiliation: Associate Fellow

Research Interests

• Humor and satire as epistemic practices
• Ethnology of the state and bureaucracy
• Violence, security, and policing
• Power dynamics and resistance
• Relational ontology and phenomenology
• Ethnographic methodology and heuristics

Recent Research Focus (2022–present): The NoJoke project, funded by the European Research Council (ERC), explores humor as an epistemic practice in political contexts. His publications span topics such as police reform in West Africa, state violence, and bureaucratic aesthetics.

Scientific Awards

• Ernst-Otto Czempiel Award
• Hessian Peace Prize

Students include PhD candidates Timo Roßmann and Helena Zohdi. His team at PRIF and Goethe University includes research assistants and associates working on related projects.