Thomas Hüsken

PD Dr. Thomas Hüsken is a Researcher at the Department of Social Anthropology, University of Bayreuth. His work focuses on political anthropology, borderland dynamics, and tribal politics in North Africa and the Middle East. He leads the DFG-funded project 'Cyrenaica Contested: Politics, Identity and Justice in Times of Turmoil' (2021-2024) and previously directed 'Political Orders in the Making' (2017-2021). He has held visiting professorships at the Universities of Zurich and Vienna, and served as a senior researcher in Lucerne.

His research examines tribal governance in Libya/Egypt borderlands, smuggling networks, and post-revolutionary political systems. Notable works include studies on 'Emerging Forms of Power in Africa' and 'The Tribe of Experts,' critiquing intercultural management in German development projects. He advises organizations like the Goethe Institute and co-founded the African Borderlands Research Network (ABORNE).

His academic career includes a Magister Artium from Freie Universität Berlin (1998), habilitation in 2018, and extensive fieldwork in conflict zones. He has reviewed for journals like Journal of Borderlands Studies and serves on scientific boards, including the Institute de recherche sur le Maghreb contemporain (CNRS).