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.

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.

Martin Zillinger is Professor of Social and Cultural Anthropology at the University of Köln 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, as well as a principal investigator at the Global South Studies Center at the University of Cologne.  He is also a PI at the CRC 1187 Media of Cooperation with a research project on Digital Publics and Social Transformation in the Maghreb.  Zillinger’s research and teaching focusses on religion – in particular the anthropology of blessing – and media – in particular the ethnography and theory of situated media practice, ethnographic collections 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. 

Ulrich van Loyen is one of the very few double-PhDs in European academia. He has taught at numerous universities in all German-speaking countries, in modern and ancient Italy and in Romania (e.g. among Gypsies). He is currently teaching Media Studies at the University of Siegen (when he’s not on leave thanks to nice fellowships and his passionate companion Mario Schmidt) and has, among others, written a handful of both enjoyable and insightful books: the last one explores the depths of Post-War-Shamanism. His books and articles have been translated in a few languages (to be honest, they could be more), while his short writings have appeared, among others, in Merkur, Berlin Review, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Süddeutsche Zeitung, and Zeitschrift für Kulturwissenschaften (the latter has unfortunately ceased to exist due to the general lack of interest of both his readers and contributors).

Julian Pieper (1994) 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.