Thomas Götzelmann

Thomas Götzelmann is a PhD candidate and lecturer at the Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg. He holds a BA (2016) and MA (2019) in Social and Cultural Anthropology from the same institution. His research focuses on statehood, bureaucracy, digitalization processes, and the interplay of emotions/affect in institutional contexts.

Current research investigates social and emotional dynamics in Germany’s migration bureaucracy amid administrative digitalization processes (since 2020). Earlier work explored sentiments of justice among Anglophone lawyers navigating Cameroon’s civil conflict. His fieldwork spans Germany and Cameroon’s Southwest Region.

Teaching responsibilities include courses on political anthropology and digital ethnography. Active in academic networks, he contributes to debates on bureaucratic emotionality and digital governance structures.