معرفی
Guido Sprenger is a full professor at the Institute of Anthropology, Heidelberg University since 2010, previously holding positions at Academia Sinica (Taipei) and the University of Münster. He specializes in Southeast Asian anthropology, focusing on rituals, animism, sociality, and human-environment relationships. His research includes over two and a half years of fieldwork with highlanders in Laos, particularly the Rmeet and Jru’ communities.
Education: Studied Social Anthropology at the University of Münster (1988–1996), with an ERASMUS exchange in Leiden (Netherlands). Earned his M.A. (1996) and Ph.D. (2004) in anthropology, both from Münster. His doctoral thesis, Die Männer, die den Geldbaum fällten, received the 2004 Frobenius Institute Research Award.
Research Interests: Southeast Asia, ritual practices, gift exchange, animism, cultural identity, gender, and environmental anthropology. He explores how local theories of sociality and cosmology intersect with broader academic and societal frameworks.
Grants & Projects: Led multiple funded initiatives, including the German Research Council’s SFB 1671 'Heimat(en)', the 'Plural Ecologies in Conflict' network, and the DORISEA project on religious dynamics. He has also supervised numerous PhD students, focusing on topics like ritual dynamics, ecological ethics, and transnational identity.
Awards: Recipient of the 2004 Frobenius Institute Research Award for his doctoral work. His publications include influential monographs, edited volumes on animism and Southeast Asian ecologies, and peer-reviewed articles in top journals like SOJOURN and Paideuma.
Media & Outreach: Active in public discourse, with interviews on topics like gift exchange, ritual practices, and cultural relativism. Featured in radio programs and podcasts, including SWR Kultur and Weitblick Poducation.
