Burkhard Schnepel

Burkhard Schnepel is a Professor in the Department of Anthropology and Philosophy at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, associated with the Faculty of Philosophy I. His work spans comparative anthropology, political theology, and Indian Ocean studies.

• Education: Not explicitly detailed, but affiliated with Wolfson College (Oxford), Heidelberg University, and Frankfurt University.

Research interests include:

• Divine Kingship: Comparative analysis of Shilluk kingship (Southern Sudan) and East Indian jungle kingship.
• Cultural Heritage: Interactions between tourism, historical representation, and postcolonial narratives.
• Liminality: Studying personhood through dreams, fools, and nocturnal phenomena.
• Indian Ocean: Transmaritime connectivity via Mauritius and port cities.

Articles and projects focus on heritage commodification, ritual authority, and maritime networks, with keywords spanning anthropology, political theology, and oceanic studies. He currently leads the Connectivity in Motion: Port Cities of the Indian Ocean Max Planck Fellowship Project.

• Scientific awards: Max Planck Fellowship Program, DAAD support, German Research Foundation grants, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation funding.

Advising: Mentored students on topics like Shilluk interregnum and Indian Ocean cultural dynamics, securing grants for their research.