Magdalena Buchczyk

Magdalena Buchczyk is an Assistant Professor of Social Anthropology at the Institute for European Ethnology at Humboldt University of Berlin with a joint affiliation at the Center for Cultural Techniques (ZfK). Her research focuses on material and visual culture, museum anthropology, and critical heritage studies, particularly exploring intersections between social and environmental justice in Mediterranean coastal wetlands. She has conducted extensive fieldwork in Italy, Romania, Poland, and the UK.

Education: PhD in Anthropology (Goldsmiths, University of London), MA in Cultural Heritage Studies (UCL), and BA in Anthropology (University of London).

Research Interests: Heritage and waterscapes, interdisciplinary trace studies, decolonial curatorial practices, and museum ethics. Current projects include exploring intangible heritage through basket-making practices in Mediterranean wetlands and co-editing volumes on collection ethics and counter-cartographies of trace.

Collaborations: Works with institutions like the Museum of European Cultures, Weltmuseum Wien, and Deutsche Hygiene-Museum. Co-curated exhibitions such as If you take care of birds... and Learning City: A Self-Portrait.

Awards: British Academy Visiting Fellow, Alexander von Humboldt Postdoctoral Fellowship, and leadership roles in the TRACTS COST Action on climate and social justice.

Teaching: Coordinates master’s projects on inter-imperial entanglements in Berlin and Vienna. Temporarily suspended in 2025/26 due to a research fellowship at Iméra Institute, Marseille.

Advocacy: Active in disability justice and collective access initiatives. Co-founder of the Amo Collective Berlin, developing decolonial urban practices.