Vortrag 12

14. Juli 2026 
18:15 – 19:30 Uhr
KG I, Raum 1098 
Universität Freiburg

Titel:
Meanings of Forests: A Collaborative Comparative Ethnography Between Indonesia and Germany

Referentin: 
Prof. Dr. Michaela Haug (Universität Freiburg)
Prof. Dr. Pujo Semedi (Universitas Gadjah-Mada in Yogykarta)

Abstract:
What is a forest? Rather than assuming a single answer, this talk explores how different ways of living with forests give rise to different meanings and different forms of knowledge about forests. 

Drawing on long-term ethnographic research in Indonesia and Germany, we examine how forests become meaningful through everyday practices, experiences, and relationships. Our collaborative comparison brings different forest worlds into conversation and explores how people know, care for, use, and transform forests in particular social and historical contexts.

We argue that debates about future forests require attention to this diversity of human–forest relations. By bringing Indonesian and German perspectives into dialogue, the talk invites reflection on how different ways of relating to and knowing forests matter for imagining and shaping future forests.