lena.kroeker[at]uni-bayreuth.de
Lena Kroeker holds an M.A. in Historical Anthropology from Goethe-University, Frankfurt/M., Germany, and earned a PhD in Social Anthropology at the Bayreuth International Graduate School of African Studies (BIGSAS) in 2012. She completed her PhD thesis on the household-decision making of women who tested HIVpositive in antenatal care which was entitled ‘In between Life and Death: HIV-Positive Women in Lesotho and their obstetric Choices’. Currently, Lena Kroeker is a post-doc-fellow at the Bayreuth Academy of Advanced African Studies (BAAAS) and teaches in Social Anthropology at the university of Bayreuth, Germany. Besides her academic career she is also experienced in the field of development cooperation. Kroeker has been working as a consultant with Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ, now Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GIZ), Centrum für Internationale Migration und Entwicklung (CIM) and within the Karabong-HIVCENTER clinical partnership of Frankfurt/M University hospital.
Research Interests
HIV/AIDS; Pregnancy; Uncertainty; Future; Authoritative Knowledge, Architecture
Research Area(s)
Southern and Eastern Africa
Publications
Monographs and Edited Volumes
(in print) “In between Life and Death – Decision-making of HIV+ mothers in Lesotho”, Dissertation in Social Anthropology, Beiträge zur Afrikaforschung, Münster [u.a.]: LIT-Verlag.
2011. (with Daniel, A., Fink, K. und J. Schütze): “Women’s Life Worlds ‘In-Between’”. BIGSAS works!-Working Papers of doctoral Students, Institute of African Studies/Bayreuth International Graduate School of African Studies, Bayreuth, Bayreuth.
Journal Articles (peer-reviewed)
2014. “Meidung als Alltagshandlung in langfristigen Abhängigkeitsbeziehungen – Schwangere Frauen mit HIV/AIDS und ihre Kommunikation in asymmetrischen Machtverhältnissen”, In: Zeitschrift für Ethnologie 139 (2014), S. 179–198.
2012. “From Global Policies to Local Practices: Behavioural Advice for the Prevention of Mother-to-Child-Transmission of HIV”. In: Sociologus. Journal for Empirical Social Anthropology 1 (62), 47-71.
2011. (with Alyx Beckwith): “Safe Infant Feeding in Lesotho in the Era of HIV/AIDS”. In: Annals of Anthropological Practice, Special Issue: HIV/AIDS and Food Insecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa: Challenges and Solutions, 35 (1): 50-66.
2011. “Lesotho’s Performance in the Global Gender Gap Index 2010: Conflicts over Resources and Roles of the Female Breadwinner”. In: Daniel, A., Fink, K., Kroeker, L., Schütze, J. (Eds): Women’s life worlds In between: BIGSAS works!-Working Papers of doctoral Students, Institute of African Studies/Bayreuth International Graduate School of African Studies, Bayreuth: 80-100.
Chapters in Edited Books
(accepted) “Low Fertility and Secret Family Planning in Lesotho”. In: Bochow, A., Kraeger, P. (Eds.): Fertility in Subpopulation, Oxford: Berghahn.
2013. “Warum sind eigentlich die HIV/AIDS-Raten im südlichen Afrika so hoch? – Ein Vergleich der Weltregionen”. In: Müller-Mahn, D.; Obermaier, G. (Eds.): Afrika. Bayreuther Kontaktstudium Geographie, Band 7. Bayreuth: Verlag Naturwissenschaftliche Gesellschaft Bayreuth e.V.: 129-145.
2008. ““Ich war wie eine Schlafwandlerin“ – Sonderbehandlung von HIV/AIDS-Betroffenen in ihrer Familie”. In: Diawara, M.; Röschenthaler, U. (Eds.): Im Blick der Anderen – Auf ethnologischer Forschung in Mali, Brandes & Apsel, Frankfurt/M., p. 70-89.
Other
2015. (with Carola Lentz): “Report on the International workshop “The Making of Middle Classes: Social Mobility and Boundary Work in Global Perspective””, 15. Januar 2015, HSozKult. Online Source.
2014. “Kenya’s emerging middle class(es)”, Conference Paper, European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), Bonn. Online Source.
(accepted) Recension of E. Voss’ “Mediales Heilen in Deutschland”, Sociologus. Journal for Empirical Social Anthropology.
2013. “Middle classes in Kenya and their visions: A report from Nairobi about the future of middle classes”, Newsletter of African Studies at the University of Bayreuth Vol. XIII 2013: 23-24.
2013. (with Clarissa Vierke): “1959-2013 Naomi Luchera Shitemi”, Newsletter of African Studies at the University of Bayreuth Vol. XIII 2013, S. 89.
2008. “Milky Way III: sub-study on socio-cultural factors influencing decisions on mother and child care (MK-III)”. In: Prof. R. Brodt, Dr. T. Lennemann, Prof. Dr. S. Staszewski (Eds.): HIVCENTER Report R 02– The global fight is local, HIVCENTER am Klinikum der Johann Wolfgang Goethe Universität, Frankfurt/Main: 25.
2008. “Culture, Communication and HIV treatment in Lesotho”. In: Prof. R. Brodt, Dr. T. Lennemann, Prof. Dr. S. Staszewski (Eds.): HIVCENTER Report R 02– The global fight is local, HIVCENTER am Klinikum der Johann Wolfgang Goethe Universität, Frankfurt/Main: 34-36.
2008. (with Tessa Lennemann): “Interdisciplinary research – bridging gaps and joining approaches”. In: Prof. R. Brodt, Dr. T. Lennemann, Prof. Dr. S. Staszewski (Hrsg.): HIVCENTER Report R 02– The global fight is local, HIVCENTER am Klinikum der Johann Wolfgang Goethe Universität, Frankfurt/Main: 56-57.
2008. (with Lennemann, T., Staszewski, S., Brodt, R. und Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (Hrsg.): “Assessment of availability of HIV Workplace programs in the Health Care Sector in Lesotho”, Eschborn.
2006. (with Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit): “Good Practice: Die Überwindung von FGM im Kontext eines Grundbildungsprojekts in Mali”, Eschborn.
2006. (with Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbei): “Weibliche Genitalverstümmelung in Mali”, Länderfactsheet der Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit, Eschborn.
Conference Presentations (since 2017)
“Kenya’s Emerging Middle Class”, 25/06/2014, 14th General Conference of the European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), “Responsible Development in a Polycentric World: Inequality, Citizenship and the Middle Classes”, Bonn.
“Zukunftsvisionen der Mittelschichten in Nairobi, Kenia”, 06/02/2014, Junges Kolleg der Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, München.
(with E. Alber und T.Häberlein) “Alltag in Afrika”, 16/01/2014,Volkshochschule München.
(with F. Stoll) “Middle Classes in Kenya“, 22/10/2013, German Academic exchange Service (DAAD) Kenya, Nairobi.
“Preventing HIV-transmission from mother to child: emergency or chance?”, 29/06/2013, 5th European Conference on African Studies, Lisbon.
(with F. Stoll) “Middle Classes on the Rise in Kenyav, 29/05/2013, Workshop on “Middle Classes on the Rise”, Bayreuth Academy of Advanced African Studies, Bayreuth University.
“Uncertainty und Gesundheit”, 24/05/2013, Workshop of the Research Area Medical Anthropology, Free University Berlin.
“Pregnant women with HIV narrating past, present and future”, 14/12/2012, Biographies in Times of Crisis: Exploring Religious Narratives of AIDS in Africa and the African Diaspora, Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies, University of Groningen, the Netherlands.
“AIDS in Afrika”, 05/07/2012, Kontaktstudium Geographie: Afrika, Bayreuth University.
“The Impact of urban dwellings on gender and generation in Lesotho”, 31/05/2012, Vereinigung der Afrikawissenschaften Deutschlands (VAD) -Conference, University of Cologne.
“Konfliktvermeidung: Entscheidungsfindungen HIV-infizierter Mütter in Lesotho”, 19/05/2012, Afrika-Kolloquium, Johann Wolfgang v. Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt/M.
“In between Life and Death –HIV-infizierte Schwangere in Lesotho und ihre Entscheidungen”, 15/02/2012, Kolloquium of the Institut für Geschichte, Theorie und Ethik der Medizin, Ulm University.
“Pregnant women with HIV in Lesotho”, 02/12/2011, Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS Research Alliance, 6th Conference, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
“Junge Mütter mit HIV in Lesotho – praktikable Lösungen zwischen familiären und biomedizinischen Anforderungen zur sicheren Babyernährung”, 19/06/2010, AG Medical Anthropology, Freie Universität Berlin.
“This thing of HIV makes child-bearing difficult – “Hidden transcripts” in health communication”, 04/05/2010, Ethnographic Colloquium, Bayreuth University.
“Prevention of Mother-to-Child-Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV in Lesotho”, 05/11/2009, Colloquium of the Bayreuth International Graduate School of African Studies (BIGSAS), Bayreuth University.
“Mediating Conflicting Demands: Prevention of Mother-to-Child-Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV in Lesotho”, 26/09/2009 in Society of Medical Anthropology, Panel: Women Facing Modern Health Challenges: Households, Health, and Healing, Yale University, New Haven, USA.
“Mediating conflicting demands – Preliminary findings”, 05/02/2009 in Mothers2Mothers, Mafeteng Government Hospital, Mafeteng, Lesotho.
“Anthropological Assessment on Prevention of Mother-to-Child-Transmission of HIV/AIDS in Lesotho”. 29/08/2008, European Association of Social Anthropologists (EASA), 10th Biennial Conference 2008, Panel: Anthropological perspectives on the establishment of new medical technologies Ljubljana, Slovenia.
“Anthropological assessment on Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV in Lesotho”, 25/07/2007, International and interdisciplinary Summer School “Point Sud Annual Institute” (PSAI) on “Entangled medical fields: transformation of meaning, knowledge and practice”, Libreville, Gabon.
“Therapieschulung und Compliance-Training in Afrika – Erfahrungsberichte aus Mali und Lesotho”, 28/06/2007, Deutsch-Österreichischer AIDS-Kongress (DÖAK) Frankfurt M.
“Ich war wie eine Schlafwandlerin”–Sonderbehandlung von HIV/AIDS Betroffenen in ihren Familien in Mali“, 01/02/2007, Afrika-Colloquium, J.W.-Goethe Universität Frankfurt/M.