Krister Steffens M.A.

Cultural studies perspectives on agriculture and rural life
Environmental and Food Anthropology
Anthropology of Knowledge
Culture policy
Collective identity

Since May 2021: Researcher at the Chair of Chair of European Ethnology/Empirical Cultural Analysis, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg

2019 – 2021: Professional activities in the field of political communication and public relations

2018/2019: Tutor at the Seminar for European Ethnology/Culture Anthropology at the Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel

2014 – 2019: Master studies at Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena (Political Science) and Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel (European Ethnology/Culture Anthropology and Political Science); Master thesis in European Ethnology/Culture Anthropology at Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel

2010 – 2014: Bachelor studies at Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Political Science and Folklore Studies/Cultural History) and Högskolan Dalarna in Falun (Sweden); Bachelor thesis in Political Science at Friedrich Schiller University Jena

2022

Reports

Breitsprecher, Lea; Aaron Hock, Damaris Müller, Krister Steffens, André Weiß (2022): Zwischendurch die Promotion?! 15. dgv-Doktorand*innentagung in Oberau (Sachsen), 15.–17. Oktober 2021. In: ZEKW 2022, S. 155–158. DOI: 10.31244/zekw/2022.17.

2021

Reviews

Steffens, Krister: Rezension zu: Sabine Imeri: Wissenschaft in Netzwerken. Volkskundliche Arbeit in Berlin um 1900. Berlin (Panama Verlag) 2019. In: Kieler Blätter zur Volkskunde 53 (2021): 163-165.

2020

Articles

Krister Steffens (2020): Ein „Stück Urtyp unserer Landschaft“? Volkskundliches Wissen als identitätspolitische Ressource in den Zeitschriften „Die Heimat“ und „Schleswig-Holstein“ 1950 bis 1955. In: Kieler Blätter zur Volkskunde 52, S. 101-129.

2018

Articles

Nele Menze / Krister Steffens (2018): Jüdische Volkskunde. Eine Betrachtung der ‚Inter- /Transnationalität‘ der Jüdischen Volkskunde am Beispiel der Mitteilungen zur jüdischen Volkskunde. In: Kieler Blätter zur Volkskunde 50, S. 67-102.

Bibliography

Jörg Hausmann / Krister Steffens (2016) Kulturpolitik im Transformationsprozess. Eine Auswahlbibliografie. In: Institut für Kulturpolitik der Kulturpolitischen Gesellschaft (Hrsg.), Jahrbuch für Kulturpolitik 2015/16. Band 15, Thema: Transformatorische Kulturpolitik, Bielefeld 2001, S. 434- 446.

Current research

Knowledge and practice in Vegan Agriculture

“Vegane Landwirtschaft im Spannungsverhältnis zwischen Wissen und Praxis” (working title)

Fruit and vegetables are vegan. Or are they? Whoever follows the argumentation of actors of ‘vegan agriculture’ will not be able to affirm this statement without restrictions. Due to the widespread use of animal fertilizers in agricultural production, most fruit and vegetable production is also indirectly or directly part of livestock farming and, thus, from a corresponding perspective, not vegan. Other practices that appear questionable in terms of vegan agriculture (e.g. the use of pesticides) are also criticized. Consequently, vegan agriculture opposes concepts of ‘classical’ organic or conventional agriculture with alternative understanding and practices.
My dissertation project approaches, with a focus on the German-speaking countries, the topic of ‘vegan agriculture’/‘vegan farming’ in the sense of cultural anthropological research by applying different qualitative methods. The study explores various questions, such as: How the concept of ‘vegan agriculture’/‘vegan farming’ developed? Which knowledge systems, discourses, actors and practices underlie this field of phenomena? And which cultural and social practices are produced by them? Among others, perspectives on agrarian economy, rural space, ways of eating and living, animal-human relationships, multispecies perspectives and different areas of ethics come into consideration.

(The research mainly takes place in German-speaking countries and is predominantly conducted in German.)

Doctoral candidate in the Graduate School (Class of Environmental Humanities) since winter semester 2021/2022.