Dr. phil. Marieke Brandt: Curriculum Vitae
Current Coordinates
b. 15/04/1974, German citizenship
Senior Scientist at the Institute for Social Anthropology, Center for Social Anthropology, Austrian
Academy of Sciences
Apostelgasse 23, A-1030 Vienna, Austria
e-mail: marieke.brandt@oeaw.ac.at; marieke.brandt@gmx.de
Academic career and positions held to date
2011–2013: Principal investigator of the research project “Shifting Loyalties: The Tribes of Khawlān b.
ʿĀmir in the Ḥūthī conflict in Northwest Yemen” at the Institute for Social Anthropology (ISA) of the
Austrian Academy of Sciences (AAS).
2010–2011: Researcher at the Institute for Social Anthropology (ISA) of the Austrian Academy of
Sciences (AAS), implementation of the research project “State of the art regarding research on
current developments in Northwest Yemen”.
2003–2004: Arabic language studies (completed) at the University of Science and Technology, Sana’a,
Yemen.
2000–2003: Doctoral dissertation on at Humboldt–University, Faculty of Cultural Studies, Institute for
Cultural History and Theory, Berlin, Germany. First advisor: Prof. Dr. Christina von Braun. Dissertation
subject: “Discourse Analysis of Conflict Scenarios in Post–Modern Philosophy“ (accepted), see 2008 b
in applicant’s list of publications below.
1994–1999: Study of Cultural Studies and Strategic Communication Science at the University of Fine
Arts, Berlin, Germany. Thesis on “Monadology vs. Nomadology. Repertoires of Self–Localization in
Baroque and Post–Modern Metaphysics”(accepted).
1993–1994: Study of Arabic and Comparative Religious Studies at Freie Universität, Berlin, Germany.
Publications
2012a „Friedens–Shaykh und Kriegs–Shaykh. Der Übergang von Kriegsführerschaft bei den Banu
Munebbih im Ḥūthī–Konflikt im Nordwest–Jemen“, Anthropos, No. 107, 2012, pp. 49-69.
2010a „Vom Auszug der Gläubigen. Der Ḥūthī–Konflikt im Norden des Jemen“, Informationsprojekt
Naher und Mittlerer Osten (INAMO), No. 62, July 2010, pp. 13-17.
2008a „Murājaʿat an-nafaqāt as-sirriya fī al-Jumhūriya al-Yamaniya [The Audit of Secret Expenditure
in the Republic of Yemen],” in Al-Riqaba, No.10, January 2008, pp. 16-27.
2008b Amorph und anarchisch. Diskursanalyse der Konfliktszenarien in der postmodernen
Philosophie; Saarbrücken: VDM-Verlag.
2007a (with Abdulhakim Saif) „Der jemenitische Rechnungshof COCA und seine Rolle beim Schutz
der öffentlichen Mittel und der Korruptionsbekämpfung im Jemen [The Yemeni Supreme Audit
Institution COCA and its role in the Protection of the Public Funds and Combating Corruption in
Yemen],” in Jemen-Report, Vol.38, No. 2, 2007, pp.4-10. Arabic translations published in Law and
Administration, YCSR Yemen Center for Studies and Research, Vol.9, No.2. pp. 11-22, and The
Modern Administrator, National Institute for Administration Sciences, No.5, 2009, pp. 234-244.
2007b “At-taqrīr as-sanawī lī-diwān ar-riqābat wa al-muḥāsabat al-almānī al-ittiḥādī wa dawruhu fī
al-niẓām as-siyasi lī-Almānīya [The Annual Report of the German Federal Audit Office and its Role in
the Political System of Germany],”in Al-Riqaba [The Control], No.7, March 2007, pp.33-41.
2006 “Ḥamūd al-Hitār und die Praxis des kommunikativen Handelns”, Jemen-Report, Vol. 37, No. 2,
pp. 4-8.
Reviews (selection)
2012: “An Ethnography of Fragrance. The Perfumery Arts of ʿAdan/Laḥj by Dinah Jung”, in JemenReport, Vol. 43, No. 1, pp. 108-109.
2005a “Kulturbegegnung mit dem Orient. Eine Untersuchung historischer Reiseberichte am Beispiel
des Jemen by Jens Willhardt“, in Jemen-Report, Vol. 36, No. 2, pp. 53-54.
2005c ”’Dem eigenen Wahnsinn nahe’: Roes’ Macbeth im Jemen [’Close to One’s Own Madness’:
Roes’ Macbeth in Yemen],“ in Jemen-Report, Vol. 36, No. 1, pp. 60-61.
Invited presentations to conferences
Yemen: Challenges for the Future, 11–12 January 2013, British Yemeni Society (BYS) and London
Middle East Institute (LMEI) at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of
London. Paper to be presented: “Between tribe and army: ‘Colonel Shaykhs’ in the Ṣaʿda War”.
South Arabian Studies Today: In Memoriam Walter Dostal, 8 October 2012, Austrian Association for
the Middle East and Institute for Social Anthropology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. Paper
presented: “Positions and People: Observations on ‘tribal leadership’ among the tribes of Khawlān b.
ʿĀmir confederation”.
Dialog statt Disparität: Perspektiven der Jemen–Forschung in Zeiten des Umbruchs, 25 September
2012, Otto–Friedrich University in Bamberg, Institute of Oriental Studies. Presented paper:
“Bloodfeud in Sa’da, Yemen, during and after the Ḥūthī wars”.
18th DAVO–Congress, 6 October 2011, German Middle East Studies Association (DAVO), Berlin.
Presented paper: “Shifting the power structures: Political developments in Ṣaʿda a[er the end of the
6th Ḥūthī–war”.
Development Directions and Future Challenges, Supreme Organization for Control and Auditing,
Sana’a, 3-6 March 2007. Presented paper (with Abdulhakim Sayf): “Systemic corruption as an
obstacle to development” [in Arabic].
Strengthening Yemeni Judicial and Control Institutions, 10–12 April 2006, Public Prosecution and
National Institute for Administration Science (NIAS), Sana’a. Presented Paper: “Corruption and
terrorism: Border cases of the Law No.34/1999 on the definition of terrorism” [in Arabic].
Empowerment of the Role of the Supreme Audit Institution as an Independent Organization for the
Protection of the Public Funds, Supreme Organization for Control and Auditing, Sana’a, 28-30 March
2006. Presented Paper: “The revision of the Guidelines of the Supreme Organization for Control and
Auditing in the light of strengthening the Organization’s role in combating corruption” [in Arabic].
Strengthening the Systems of Internal Control for the Protection of the Public Funds and Corruption
Prevention; Yemeni-German Cooperation to Combat Corruption and Supreme Organization for
Control and Auditing, Sana’a, 15-18 April 2005. Presented Paper: “The Civil Service Modernization
Project (CSMP) with special regard to the implementation of the CSMP-internal control component”.
Professional Affiliations and Service
Societies
European Association of Social Anthropologists (EASA)
Österreichische Orient-Gesellschaft Hammer Purgstall (ÖOG)
German-Yemeni Society (DJG)
German Middle East Studies Association (DAVO)
Advisor
Member of the advisory board of the German Yemeni Society, responsible for the
Publications on Yemen department.
Editor
Jemen–Studien (Wiesbaden: Reichert): Copy–editor of the book series Jemen–
Studien published by the Fränkische Geographische Gesellschaft.
Jemen–Report (Freiburg): Copy–editor of the Jemen–Report published by the
German Yemeni Society.
Reviewer
Jemen-Studien (Wiesbaden: Reichert): Selections of, and recommendations for
manuscripts eligible for publication within the series Jemen–Studien (in cooperation
with Prof. Dr. Horst Kopp, University of Erlangen–Nuremberg).
Jemen-Report (Freiburg)
Direction
Direction of the working group Contemporary South West Arabia at the Institute for
Social Anthropology (ISA), Austrian Academy of Sciences.
Panels
Member of the Research Ethics Panel, Institute for Social Anthropology (ISA),
Austrian Academy of Sciences.
Member
Member of the “Working Group for Interdisciplinary Research on Yemen at the
Center for Interdisciplinary Regional Studies – Middle East, Africa, Asia (ZIRS)”, Halle
University.
Main research focus
Tribal Society of southwest Arabia
Tribal structure and political role of Khawlan b. Amir Confederation in northwest Yemen
„Huthi“-Conflict in Yemen
Academic awards, grants, and scholarships
2011–2013
European Union Marie Curie Intra–European Fellowship (IEF).
2004
Highest distinction for Arabic Language Exam at the University of Science and
Technology, Sana’a, Yemen.
2003–2004
DAAD Near and Middle Eastern Language Fellowship, Bonn, Germany.
2004
Dissertation with distinction at Humboldt–University, Berlin, Germany.
2000–2002
Friedrich–Ebert–Foundation (FES) Dissertation Scholarship for the Exceptionally
Gifted, Bonn, Germany.
Professional career
2005–2008: Government advisor in Sana’a, Yemen, for the Frankfurt-based GIZ (Society for
International Cooperation) in administration reform, good governance and combating corruption.
2003-2004: Translator and interpreter in the languages Arabic, German and English; clients: GIZ
(Frankfurt), Presidential Office (Yemen), Central Organization for Control and Auditing (Yemen),
National Institute for Administration Sciences (Yemen).