Alban von Stockhausen was born on 21. June 1978 near Stuttgart in Southern Germany. Together with his wife, the anthropologist Marion Wettstein and their daughter Anaïs (born 2011), they are currently based in Lalitpur, Nepal and Vienna, Austria.
Education
- 2007-2011
Doctoral thesis s.c.l. in Cultural Anthropology. Title: Imag(in)ing the Nagas: The Pictorial Ethnography of Hans-Eberhard Kauffmann and Christoph von Fürer-Haimendorf. Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Michael Oppitz, Berlin and Prof. Dr. Anngret Nippa, Leipzig. Completed in November 2011, currently being prepared for publication. More information… - 2007
Licentiatus Philosophiae (Master of Arts), University of Zürich. - 1999-2007
Studies of Cultural Anthropology, Comparative Science of Religions and Eastern Asian History of Art at the University of Zürich. - 1989-1997
Secondary education at Georg-Büchner-Gymnasium, Winnenden (Germany) and Sutton Park School, Dublin (Ireland). Leaving Certificate of the Dep. of Education, Ireland.
Selected work experience / research projects
- since Oct. 2011
Scientific Staff / Sub-Project Leader of the research project “Ritual, Space, Mimesis among the Rai of Eastern Nepal” lead by Prof. Dr. Martin Gaenszle. Financed by the Austrian Science Foundation (FWF), based at the Department of South Asian, Tibetan and Buddhist Studies of the University of Vienna. Affiliated with the Center for Nepal and Asian Studies (CNAS) of Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu. More information… - Oct. 2010 – Sept. 2011
Privately financed research Project on the Dumi Rai of Eastern Nepal, focussed on the relations between ritual and landscape. - May 2010
Concert and Exhibition Event Le voce dei Naga in Onsernone, in Mosogno, Switzerland (23.5.): in cooperation with the Naturstimmenfestival Toggenburg and the Museo Onsernonese, Loco. More informations and press release… - 2006-2010
Scientific Staff / Sub-Project Leader of the research project “Material Culture, Oral Tradition and Identity among the Naga of Northeast India” lead by Prof. Michael Oppitz. Financed by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF). More information… - 2009-2010
Project Consultant of the Fürer-Haimendorf Archive Digitisation Project at SOAS, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. Website - Jan-Mar 2009
Multimedia Installation (Film & Photographs) “Fashion in Nagaland”, as part of the exhibition “Naga, a Forgotten Mountain Region Rediscovered”, Museum der Kulturen, Basel, Switzerland. - Dec 2008
Multimedia Installation (Film) “Christmas in Nagaland”, as part of the exhibition “Naga, a Forgotten Mountain Region Rediscovered”, Museum der Kulturen, Basel, Switzerland. - 2002-2009
Co-curator of an exhibition-project on the Naga of Northeast India at the Ethnographic Museum of the University of Zürich (VMZ), Switzerland, in cooperation with the Museum of Ethnology Vienna, Austria. (Zürich 7. Jun 2008 – 9. Sept 2009) More Informations and photographs… - 2007-2008
Supervising tutor and co-curator of the exhibition “Jenseitswege: eine Spurensuche im Diesseits”, in collaborations with the Institute for Comparative Science of Religions and the Theological Institute of the University of Zürich - 2001-2009
Part-time administrative, technical and scientific assistant at the Ethnographic Museum of the University of Zürich (VMZ), Switzerland, responsible for database and multimedia matters aswell as assitant positions in many of the exhibition, research and publication projects of the museum. Among others, contributions to the following exhibitions:
- 2007-2008
“Trommeln der Schamanen”, Curator: Prof. Dr. Michael Oppitz (research, audioguide, etc.) - 2005-2006
“The 14 Dalai Lama: Tibetan Reincarnations of Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara”, german title: “Die 14 Dalai Lamas: Tibets Reinkarnationen des Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara”, Curator: PD Dr. Martin Brauen (film editing of Heinrich Harrers “7 years in Tibet” raw materials for display within the exhibition, audioguide, internet, side events, etc.) - 2005-2006
“Other worlds”, german title: “Jenseitswelten: von Geistern, Schiffen und Liebhabern”, curator: Marion Wettstein et al. (multimedia and research assistant, guided tours, etc.) - 2004-2005
“Majesty and Magnificence at the Court of Menilek – Alfred Ilg’s Ethiopia around 1900″, german title: “Prunk und Pracht am Hofe Menileks – Alfred Ilgs Äthiopien um 1900″, curator: Elisabeth Biasio (image database programming and multimedia terminal programming) - 2003-2004
“Bamboo in old Japan”, german title: “aufrecht biegsam leer: Bambus im alten Japan”, curator: PD Dr. Martin Brauen (multimedia, audioguide, side events, etc.) - 2001-2002
“Robert Powell: Himalayan Drawings”, german title: “Robert Powell: Zeichnungen aus dem Himalaya”, curator: Prof. Dr. Michael Oppitz (guided tours, administration and logistics)
- 2007
Digitisation of the photographic materials of Hans-Eberhard Kauffmann, stored at the “Intitut für Ethnologie und Afrikanistik der Ludwig Maximilians Universität” Munich. - Since 2006
Documentation of Dumi ritual language. - 2004-2005
Co-Curator of the exhibition: Gefässe für das Heilige, Indische Gegenstände reden von Religion. (Ethnographic Museum of Zürich University, see above) - Since 2003
Repeated field-research in Northeast India. Anthropological research and documentation on the Naga. - Since 2001
Repeated field-research in Nepal. Anthropological research and documentation the religion and rituals of the Dumi Kirat Rai.
Teaching
- March 2010
Religionswissenschaftliches Seminar der Universität Zürich: Lesson “Ethnologische Zugänge: Kopfjagd der Naga”, part of the PH-course “Religion und Kultur” (with Urs Schellenberger). - 2007-2008
Religionswissenschaftliches Seminar der Universität Zürich: Preparatory seminar for the exhibition-project “Jenseitswege: eine Spurensuche im Diesseits”. - 2007
Völkerkundemuseum Zürich: Ethnographische Zeichnung (Seminar with Marion Wettstein). - 2003-2006
Ethnologisches Seminar Zürich: Tutor of the course “Methods in Anthropology” - 2002/2003
Völkerkundemuseum Zürich: Ethnographische Zeichnung (Proseminar with Marion Wettstein). - 2003
Seminar assistant of Prof. Oppitz‘ seminar: Portraits von Lokalkulturen: Die Naga (with Marion Wettstein). - 2002-2003
Tutor of the course: Computer-aided analysis of qualitative data with ATLAS/ti.
Selected public talks / conference papers
- upcoming April 2012
Association of Social Anthropologists of the UK and Commonwealth (ASA) Conference 2012, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi: Framing the Colonial Encounter?: A discussion of Non-British pictorial sources of the Naga created during colonial times. - upcoming 15.3.2012, 18:30
Museum für Völkerkunde Wien / Museum of Ethnology Vienna: Die Naga in der Photographie der 1930er Jahre – Eine Ethnographie in Bildern. - 25.8.2010
Schweizerisch-Indische Gesellschaft Basel: Was von den Kopfjägern übrig blieb: die Naga Nordostindiens im 21. Jahrhundert. - 16.12.2009
World Oral Literature Project Workshop, CRASSH, University of Cambridge (UK): Reciting Landscape: Documenting Ritual Journeys and Landscape among the Dumi Rai of eastern Nepal. watch video podcast - 30.10.2009
SOAS, University of London. The Fürer-Haimendorf Archive Online Launch Event: Using the Fürer-Haimendorf photographs in field research in Nagaland. - 14.1.2009
Conference: Writing the Northeast, New Perspectives. CHS, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi: Naga: lineages of a term. - 9.10.2008
Völkerkundemuseum der Univ. Zürich: Die Naga in der Fotografie der 1930er Jahre. - 10.9.2008
Museum der Kulturen Basel: Visuelle Repräsentation der Naga im Westen. - 5.6. 2008
Staatliches Museum für Völkerkunde, Munich (D): Die Naga Nordostindiens: Identitätskonzepte zwischen Kopfjagd und Baptismus. - 17.1. 2008
Conference “Northeast India and its transnational Neighbourhood”, IIT, Guwahati (India): How to represent the Naga in Europe? (with Marion Wettstein) - 22.10.2007
Oberseminar des Instituts für Ethnologie und Afrikanistik der Ludwig-Maximilians Universität, Munich (D): Die Naga Nordostindiens: Identitätskonzepte zwischen Kopfjagd und Baptismus, work in progress. - 26.11.2006
Charlotte von Gaisberg-Stiftung, Grossheppach (D). Schamanen im Kampf: Ethnographische Beobachtungen in Ostnepal. - 8.6.2006
(with Chatur Bhakta Dumi Rai): Ethnographic Museum of the University of Zürich. The Dumi-Rai: An Ethnographic Journey in Eastern Nepal. - 31.5.2005
Institute for Ethnology of the Univ. of Berne (CH). Qualitative Datenanalyse - 21.9.2004
(with Marion Wettstein). Jotsoma Science College, Nagaland (India). Ethnographic Research in European Universities and the Reception of Culture.