Christopher Klapperich

Christopher Klapperich is a doctoral candidate at the Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society under the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. He is part of the International Doctorate Program „Rethinking Environment“ and focuses on environmental anthropology through fieldwork in the Philippines. His research interrogates reforestation practices, challenging colonial-era narratives about native vs. exotic tree species.

• Supervision: Prof. Dr. Eveline Dürr, Prof. Dr. Matthias Schmidt (University of Augsburg), Prof. Dr. Michael John Gorman
• Fieldwork Locations: Visayas (2022, 2023), Leyte/Negros (2022), Palawan (2019)

Research Interests

Klapperich explores environmental anthropology, existential anthropology, and science and technology studies. His work emphasizes:

• Knowledge systems shaping reforestation choices
• Power dynamics in environmental narratives
• Networks of seed exchange and ecological activism
• Multi-sited ethnography of environmental change

Publications

His recent work includes:

• 2023 blogpost analyzing fieldwork disruptions during disasters
• 2021 article on chainsaw confiscation as environmental activism

Contact

Institute for Ethnology, Oettingenstr. 67, 80538 Munich