Thomas Zitelmann

PD Dr. Thomas Zitelmann is a Senior Lecturer in Social and Cultural Anthropology at the Free University of Berlin's Institute for Social and Cultural Anthropology, part of the Department of Politics and Social Sciences. Since 2001, he has held this position, focusing on political anthropology and conflict studies in regions such as the Horn of Africa, Middle East, Cambodia, and Afghanistan. He earned his habilitation in ethnology from the Free University of Berlin in 2000 and has held substitute professorships across institutions in Munich, Berlin, Halle-Wittenberg, Bayreuth, and Lucerne.

• Education: Studied Ethnology, Political Science, Islamic Studies (Frankfurt 1972–1977) and Political Science/Oriental Philology (Berlin 1977–1980).
• Key Projects: Led a BMBF-funded research project on civil conflict management (since 2009) and served as Deputy Director of the Humanities Center for Modern Orient (2000–2004).

Research emphasizes collective identity formation, refugee movements, and security implications of conflict. His recent work includes a 2023 publication on endometriosis activism, reflecting interdisciplinary engagement with health and social movements.

• Awards: ZiF Fellowship (2016/2017).
• Teaching: Regularly offers lectures and seminars in political anthropology.