Jeannett Martin – Nikolaus Schareika

Dr. Jeannett Martin

Research Interests

Jeannett Martin has worked extensively on mobility, kinship, childhood, child politics and belonging. Her work is grounded in long-standing ethnographic studies, mainly in rural and urban West Africa and in Germany.

She started her career as an anthropologist with a study on educational mobility between Ghana and Germany with a focus on the process of return migration and research partners mainly from the middle and upper middle classes of urbanized Southern Ghana.

Later she worked on changing norms and practices of child fostering among Fée (Mokolle) peasants in rural Northern Benin. Her particular interest in this project was on foster children’s perspectives, decision making and ways to act in foster arrangements.

With time she came to reflect on and use the concept of “belonging” as a theoretical lens through which she analyzed kinship, ethnic and interethnic relations, practices and politics in Northern Benin – again with a focus on childhood and child politics in the wider context of social, economic and political transformations.

In a collaborative research with anthropologists from Benin she currently works in the project “COVID-19 and Pastoralism in Benin”. Here the team seeks to understand how mobile (agro-)pastoralist households experience, interpret and respond to the current pandemic and related measures adopted by the government.

Mobilities
Anthropology of kinship and family
Childhood, child politics
Belonging
Interethnic relations
(Agro-)Pastoralism and changing rural livelihoods
Fulbe, Gando, Mokolle
Benin (Borgu)
Ghana

Curriculum Vitae

Academic Degrees

2018	Habilitation, Social and Cultural Anthropologie, University of Bayreuth
2004	PhD, Ethnologie, University of Bayreuth (Magna cum laude)
1994	2^nd Teachers Training Certificate for Secondary Schools, Staatliches Seminar für Lehramtsanwärter Dresden
1992	1^st Teachers Training Certificate for Secondary Schools, “Staatliches Seminar für Lehramtsanwärter”, Dresden

Academic Career and Positions

since 2021	Principal Investigator, DFG funded project “Covid-19 and Pastoralism in Northern Benin”, Institut of Social and Cultural Anthropology, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
2019-2020	Substitute Professorship (Society, Politics and Economy in Africa, Prof. Dr. Katja Werthmann), Institut for African Studies, University of Leipzig
2018-19	Substitute Professorship (“Ethnologie Afrikas”, Prof. Dr. Georg Klute), University of Bayreuth
2016-17	Fellow of Research Group „Kinship and Politics. Rethinking a Conceptual Split and its Epistemic Implications in the Social Sciences“, “Zentrum für Interdisziplinäre Forschung” (ZIF), University of Bielefeld
2015-16	Substitute Professorship (Social Anthropology, Prof. Dr. Erdmute Alber), University of Bayreuth
2014-15	Substitute Assistant Professorship, “Lehrstuhl Sozialanthropologie”, University of Bayreuth
2013	Principal Investigator, DFG funded project „Child fostering in the context of ethnic heterogeneity (Borgu/Republic of Benin)“ (funding period 3)
2012	Research Associate, “Lehrstuhl Sozialanthropologie”, University of Bayreuth
2011-12	Principal Investigator, DFG funded project „Child fostering in the context of ethnic heterogeneity (Borgu/Republic of Benin)“ (funding period 2)
2010-11	Coordination Assistant at Bayreuth Graduate School of African Studies (BIGSAS), University of Bayreuth
2009-10	Principal Investigator, DFG funded project „Child fostering in the context of ethnic heterogeneity (Borgu/Republic of Benin)“ (funding period 1)
2007-09	Postdoc, Bayreuth Graduate School of African Studies (BIGSAS), University of Bayreuth
2005-06	Research Associate DFG funded project „Transformations of social parenthood in Northern Benin“ (Project director: Prof. Dr. E. Alber, Junior Professorship Ethnosoziologie), University of Bayreuth
2002-05	Research Associate, Project “Ritual, Alltagsgestaltung und Sinngebung in der modernen Welt” (Project Director: Prof. Dr. Ch. Bochinger, „Institut zur Erforschung der religiösen Gegenwartskultur“), University of Bayreuth
2001-02	Research Associate, DFG funded project “Die unsichtbare Religion in der sichtbaren Religion” (Project Director: Prof. Dr. Ch. Bochinger, „Institut zur Erforschung der religiösen Gegenwartskultur“), University of Bayreuth

Publications

Selected Articles
2019	Multiplicities of Kinship and Family in Africa. In: Ross, Frisco, Treichel Stephanie und Lutz, Ronald (Eds.): Sozialarbeit des Südens, Bd. 7: Family Structures in Change – Challenges of Transitional Phenomena. Paulo Freire Verlag: Oldenburg, pp. 17-35 (with E. Alber).
2016	Young Future Africa – Images, Imagination and its Making: An Introduction. In: Martin, J., Ungruhe, C. und Häberlein, T.: Images, Imagination and the Making of Future among Children and Youth in Africa, AnthropoChildren, Nr. 6 (with Ch. Ungruhe und T. Häberlein). URL: https://popups.uliege.be/2034-8517/index.php?id=2508
2015	“Ein Kind gehört dir nicht allein” Soziale Elternschaft in Nordbenin. In: Michaela Fink, Reimer Gronemeyer (Eds.): Afrikanische Kindheiten: Soziale Elternschaft und Waisenhilfe in der Subsahara. Transcript: Bielefeld, pp. 43-57.
2014	Familie in Afrika. Kapitel 6 in: Paul B. Hill, Johannes Kopp (Eds.): Handbuch Familiensoziologie. Springer Verlag, Wiesbaden, pp. 147-178 (with E. Alber).
2013a	Experiencing father’s kin and mother’s kin: kinship norms and practices from the perspective of foster children in Northern Benin. In: Erdmute Alber, Jeannett Martin und Catrien Notermans (Eds.): Child fostering in West Africa. New Perspectives on Theories and Practices. Brill: Leiden, Boston, Tokyo, pp. 111-134.
2013b	Introduction. In: Erdmute Alber, Jeannett Martin und Catrien Notermans (Eds.): Child fostering in West Africa. New perspectives on theories and practices. Brill: Leiden, Boston, Tokyo, pp. 1-19 (with E. Alber und C. Notermans).
2012a	Ziele, Handeln und Agency von Kindern im Kontext der Pflegschaftspraxis in Nordbenin. In: Sociologus – Zeitschrift für empirische Ethnosoziologie, 62 (2), pp. 171-197.
2012b	Verwandtschaft in Afrika: Transformationsprozesse im 20. Jahrhundert. In: Thomas Bierschenk und Eva Spies (Eds.): 50 Jahre Unabhängigkeit in Afrika. Kontinuitäten, Brüche, Perspektiven. Rüdiger Köppe Verlag: Köln, pp. 141-170 (with Alber und T. Häberlein).
2012c	Children’s work, child fostering and the spread of formal schooling in Northern Benin. In: Gerd Spittler und Michael Bourdillon (Eds.): Working and Learning among Africa’s Children. Lit Verlag: Hamburg, Münster, Berlin, pp. 195-226.
2012d	Anthropological research on childhood and adolescence in German-speaking Europe. In: AnthropoChildren 1. URL: http://popups.ulg.ac.be/AnthropoChildren/docannexe.php?id=933
2010	Changing Webs of Kinship: Spotlights on West Africa. In: Africa Spektrum 45 (2010) 3, pp. 43-67 (with E. Alber und T. Häberlein)
2007a	Einleitung zum Themenschwerpunkt „Familienwandel in Afrika“. In: Afrika Spectrum, 42 (2), pp. 151-166 (with E. Alber).
2007b	Yakubas neues Leben – Zum Wandel der Kindspflegschaftspraxis bei den ländlichen Fée (Mokollé) in Nordbenin. In: Afrika Spectrum, 42 (2), pp. 219-249.
2007c	Childhood in Benin. In: Epstein, E. (Gen. Ed.): The Greenwood Encyclopaedia of Children’s Issues Worldwide, Volume Sub-Saharan Africa, Greenwood Press, pp. 15-32.
2007d	What’s New With the ‘Been-To’? Educational Migrants, Return from Europe and Migrant’s Culture in Urban Southern Ghana. In: Hans Peter Hahn, Georg Klute (Eds.): Cultures of Migration. Lit Verlag: Berlin, Hamburg, Münster, pp. 203-238.
2000	Zwischen ‘Entwurzelung’ und ‘transnationaler Identität’ – Perspektiven ghanaischer Akademiker, In: Ulrich Bauer, Henrik Egbert und Frauke Jäger (Eds.): Interkulturelle Beziehungen und Kulturwandel in Afrika. Verlag Peter Lang: Frankfurt/M. u.a., pp. 133-151.
Books
2018	Zugehörigkeit: Vorschlag zu einer theoretischen Konzeption und empirische Fallstudien zu Kindheit in Nordbenin. Unpublished Habilitation Thesis; Kulturwissenschaftliche Fakultät, Facheinheit Ethnologie, Universität Bayreuth.
2007	Mensch – Alltag – Gottesdienst. Bedürfnisse und Bedeutungszuschreibungen evangelisch Getaufter in Bayern. LIT Verlag: Berlin, Hamburg, Münster.
2005	‚Been-To’, ‚Burger’, ‚Transmigranten?‘ Zur Bildungsmigration von Ghanaern und ihrer Rückkehr aus der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. LIT Verlag: Berlin, Hamburg, Münster.
Edited books
2016	Images, Imagination and the Making of Future among Children and Youth in Africa, Themenheft AnthropoChildren, Nr. 6 (with Ch. Ungruhe and T. Häberlein). URL: https://popups.uliege.be/2034-8517/index.php?id=2508
2013	Child Fostering in West Africa. New Perspectives on Theories and Practices. Brill: Leiden, Boston, Tokyo (with E. Alber and C. Notermans)
2007	Familienwandel in Afrika. Afrika Spectrum 42 (2) (with E. Alber)

Further publications

2020	Book Review: Schlee, Günther; Horstmann, Alexander (Eds.) (2018): Difference and sameness as modes of integration. Anthropological perspectives on ethnicity and religion. New York: Routledge (Integration and Conflict Studies, Volume 16), 262 Seiten, in: Sociologus, 70, 1, pp. 92-95
2019a	„Vielfalt und Wandel familiärer Normen und Praktiken“. Dossier zum „Projekt Lern- und Ressourcenplattform Afrika“ (PLURA), Bayreuth Academy of Advanced Studies, Universität Bayreuth. URL: https://www.plura.uni-bayreuth.de/pool/dossiers//DossierFamiliePraktiken.pdf
2019b	„Begriffe: Verwandtschaft, Familie, Haushalt in Afrika“. Dossier zum „Projekt Lern- und Ressourcenplattform Afrika“ (PLURA), Bayreuth Academy of Advanced Studies, Universität Bayreuth. URL: https://www.plura.uni-bayreuth.de/pool/dossiers/DossierFamilieBegriffe.pdf
2019c	„Familie in Afrika: Einführung“. Dossier zum „Projekt Lern- und Ressourcenplattform Afrika“ (PLURA), Bayreuth Academy of Advanced Studies, Universität Bayreuth. URL: https://www.plura.uni-bayreuth.de/pool/dossiers/DossierFamilieEinfuehrung.pdf
2019d	Kindheit und Zugehörigkeit: Neue Perspektiven für die sozialwissenschaftliche Afrikaforschung. In: Spektrum, Universität Bayreuth, 15 (2), pp. 58-61.
2019e	Childhood and belonging: New Perspectives for African Studies. In: Spektrum, Universität Bayreuth, 15 (2), pp. 58-61.
2018	„Adoption and fosterage“, International Encyclopedia of Anthropology, Wiley, (with E. Alber).
2017	Auf der Suche nach dem ‘richtigen’ Vater: Aktuelle Debatten um ‚Kuckuckskinder‘ in Deutschland. In: ZIF-Mitteilungen, 2, 2017, pp. 11-20
2014	Von “Rabenmüttern” und Pflegekindern. Familie, Recht und Moral in Westafrika. In: Spektrum, Universität Bayreuth, 10 (1), pp. 76-78 (with E. Alber).
2013	Conference Report: Rethinking Care: Anthropological Perspectives on Life Courses, Kin-Work and their Trans-Local Entanglements. 06.12.2012- 08.12.2012, in: H-Soz-u-Kult 16.04. 2013.
2012	Conference Report: “Thirty Years of German–Beninese Cooperation in Social Science Research on Benin: Topics, Conclusions, Future Prospects” – Thurnau/Bayreuth, 8–10 March 2012. In: Africa Spectrum, 47 (2-3), pp. 187-193 (with L. Wayaffe).
2011	Die ‚Perlen‘ Westafrikas. In: Albert, Elfie et al.: La Bonne – Vom Dienstmädchen zur globalen Dienstleisterin. Ausstellungskatalog „Frauen in der Einen Welt“, Museum Frauenkultur Regional – International, Burgfarrnbach/Fürth, pp. 124-140.
2007	Sozialer Wandel in Afrika. Zur Situation von Frauen, Kindern und Jugendlichen. In: Forum 1-2 (2007), pp. 42-48 (with A. Bochow).
2006	Aspekte der Rückkehr ghanaischer Bildungsmigranten. In: Mission Possible. Informationen und Berichte zur Rückkehrvorbereitung nach Afrika, Asien und Lateinamerika. Auszeit 46, Nr. 1/2, Jg. 41, pp. 116-132.
2005	“Familie und Verwandtschaft”. Bericht über die Frühjahrstagung der Sektion Entwicklungssoziologie und Sozialanthropologie der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Soziologie in Thurnau bei Bayreuth, 07.-09. Juli 2005.” Sociologus – Zeitschrift für empirische Ethnosoziologie, 55 (1): pp. 134-142 (with T. Häberlein).

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