Johannes F. M. Schick leitet gegenwärtig das DFG-Projekt: »Kultur, Praxis, Technik: Zu den philosophischen Grundlagen der internationalen Technikanthropologie in der Durkheimschule« an der Universität Siegen. Zwischen 2022 bis 2024 war er wissenschaftlicher Koordinator des Sonderforschungsbereichs 1187 »Medien der Kooperation« ebenfalls in Siegen. Er war zudem Leiter des DFG-Projekts »Handlung, Operation, Geste: Technologie als interdisziplinäre Anthropologie« das an der a.r.t.e.s. Graduate School for the Humanities (Universität zu Köln) angesiedelt war. Seine Forschungsinteressen erstrecken sich von der interdisziplinären (Technik-)Anthropologie (von Bergson, Espinas und der Durkheimschule), der französischen Epistemologie über das Verhältnis von Ethnologie zu Philosophie bis hin zur phännomenologischen Psychatrie.
Martin Zillinger is Professor of Social and Cultural Anthropology at the University of Cologne and currently President of the German Association of Social and Cultural Anthropology. He is the speaker of the Center for Media Research and the Study of Post/Colonial Modernities, principal investigator at the Global South Studies Center (University of Cologne) and of the project Digital Publics and Social Transformation in the Maghreb at the CRC 1187 Media of Cooperation. Zillinger’s research and teaching focusses on anthropology of blessing, media and theory of situated media practice and museum anthropology. His writings have appeared in several edited volumes and, among others, in Current Anthropology, HAU, Durkheimian Studies, Zeitschrift für Ethnologie, and Zeitschrift für Kulturwissenschaften.
Mario Schmidt ist zurzeit senior research specialist am Busara Center for Behavioral Economics in Nairobi und assozierter Wissenschaftler am Max-Planck-Institut für ethnologische Forschung in Halle an der Saale. Seit seiner Doktorarbeit zur Maussschen Gabetheorie als Geldtheorie arbeitet er intensiv zur Durkheimschule. Sein besonderes Interesse gilt dabei der Sozialontologie der Durkheimianer und deren Beschäftigung mit den Kategorien der Substanz und der Quantität.
Ulrich van Loyen has a doctorate in German studies and ethnology. He has taught at various universities in German-speaking countries, as well as in Italy and Romania. He is currently working at the Department of Media Studies at the University of Siegen. His research interests are in social and religious anthropology, the history of ideas and the relationship between ‘old’ and ‘new’ media. His books and articles have been translated into several languages. Shorter writings have appeared in journals such as Merkur, Berlin Review, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and Süddeutsche Zeitung.
Jean-Christophe Marcel is professor of sociology at the University of Burgundy. His work focuses on the history of French sociology especially of Durkheimien sociology. He is furthermore interested in the epistemology of the social sciences and the sociology of the sciences. Currently he is focusing on the epistemology and sociological theory of Maurice Halbwachs and the reception of American sociology in France. His work in urban sociology focuses also on the „exil neighbourhoods“ and „disadvantaged neighbourhoods“. He is the editor in chief of the Durkheimien Studies (Berghahn Books). Furthermore, he is a member of the editorial board of the Année Sociologique and a co-founder of the journal Histoire des Sciences Humaines.
Julian Pieper finished a master’s programme in Philosophy and Comparative Literature Studies in Cologne in summer 2024, where he also graduated in a bachelor’s programme in Philosophy and German Language and Literature. Since 2018, he has worked as a student assistant in several projects: DFG-project »Action – Operation – Gesture: Technology as Interdisciplinary Anthropology« of Dr. Johannes F.M. Schick, working freelance as a translator for Prof. Dr. Thiemo Breyer, further at the Thomas-Institut for Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Andreas Speer and also as part of the Freigeist-Fellowship »Heidegger and Postmodernity: The Story of a Delusion?« for Dr.’ Sidonie Kellerer. His master’s thesis takes into account the conflicting positions of the so called category problem in Kant, Hegel and Durkheim. In winter term 2023/2024 he taught the seminar „Lebendige Materie? Theorien aus Materialismus und Lebensphilosophie vom 18. bis zum 20. Jahrhundert“ at the University of Cologne together with Lars Reuke M.A. He is currently teaching at Cologne University, working as secretary of the Thomas-Institute and preparing his dissertation project on Hegel and Durkheim.
Heike Delitz is professor for Collective and Cultural Studies at the Faculty of Linguistics, Literature and Cultural Studies at the University of Regensburg. Her research interests are: sociological theory (in particular French-language approaches to the institution of society or collectivity), interdisciplinary ‘collectivity studies’, comparative sociology as well as cultural and social anthropology, sociology of architecture and infrastructure.
Jean-François Bert is a sociologist and historian of the social sciences at the University of Lausanne, where he specialises in the production of knowledge and insight. He takes a material approach that questions the role of places, apparatus, devices and know-how in the development of modern science.