Simon Schneider
Short Biography
Simon Schneider is a research associate at the institute for Social and Cultural Anthropology at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, working under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Asta Vonderau.
He completed his BA in Anthropology and History (2022) and his MA in Social and Cultural Anthropology (2024) at Martin Luther University. In 2018, he also earned a BA in Industrial Engineering at HTWK Leipzig.
As part of the International Max Planck Research School "Global Multiplicity: A Social Anthropology for the Now", he is preparing his doctoral research on the reconstruction of earthquake-affected areas in Turkey following the 2023 earthquake.
Research Focus
Disaster and Crisis Studies, Reconstruction, Anthropological Value Theory, Anthropology of Experts and Expertise, Structure-Agency Debate
Regional Focus
Türkiye
Projekt
In preparation: In February 2023, a double earthquake devastated southeastern Türkiye, severely affecting urban infrastructure and social life. In Hatay, the region hardest hit by the disaster, the need for reconstruction remains urgent. Recovery efforts have coalesced around three main pathways: (1) state-led mass housing projects located on the outskirts of cities, (2) urban transformation plans with international involvement, like the master plan for Antakya, and (3) informal, kin-based reconstruction efforts of individual houses.
Recovery efforts after a disaster raise fundamental questions: What should be restored, for whom, and under what constraints? This research focuses on the master plan for Antakya as a key site where competing values come into play – values in both senses of the word: economic value and the things that people hold important.
By examining the master plan's development, implementation, and reception, this study investigates how economic, social, and communal priorities intersect – and sometimes conflict – in moments of crisis. How do these competing visions for recovery reshape the material and social fabric of the city? And how do Hatay's residents perceive and respond to these large-scale, expert-driven plans?
Ultimately, this project contributes to the anthropology of value and crisis, offering insights into how reconstruction is not just a technical or economic process but also one deeply shaped by ideas of what matters – and for whom – in rebuilding life after disaster.
Teaching
Seminar "Freiheit oder Determination? Die Structure-Agency-Debatte in der Ethnologie", Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (Winter Semester 2024/25)
Publications and Presentations
Review of Eckert, Julia M. (ed.) 2020. The Bureaucratic Production of Difference: Ethos and Ethics in Migration Administration. Bielefeld: Transcript.