Benjamin Baumann

Dr. Benjamin Baumann is an Assistant Professor at Heidelberg University's Institute of Anthropology since April 2020, where he coordinates the MA program in Sociocultural Anthropology. Previously, he served as lecturer and research associate at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin's Department of Southeast Asian Studies for a decade.

His research integrates

• Anthropology
• Religious Studies
• Cultural Studies
• Media Studies

with focus on

• Rural Thailand-Cambodia border regions
• Human-Nonhuman relationships
• Termite mound cults
• Queer ritual specialists
• Social ontology in the Global South

.

Recent publications analyze

• Chthonic coexistence in Thailand
• Decolonial translation practices
• Development narratives in Southeast Asia
• Spirit possession professionalization
• Gender and enchantment in religious contexts

. His work appears in Thailand Review, South East Asia Research, and edited volumes like Stone Masters and Monsters: A Companion.

Scientific recognition includes

• 2018 Humboldt-Prize for Excellence in Teaching
• 2017 Harvard Society of Fellows nomination
• 2010 Rudolf Virchow Prize nomination