Alexander Riedmüller
IN SHORT:
Alexander Riedmüller is currently researching his Ph.D. thesis at the chair for European Ethnology at the Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg (Germany).
His PhD research is centered on the mutual entwining of virtual and analog “life-worlds” and the impact of virtual „ethnoscapes“ like www.kythera-family.net on concepts of culture, ethnicity, community and identity in post-traditional societies.
Becomming a real „Philokytherian“ during his first field-research stay on Kythera in 2008 and in Australia 2009, he is currently planning another empirical field-research on Kythera during the first half of October 2013.
CURRICULUM VITAE
PERSONAL DETAILS
Date/place of birth: November 11th 1975, Ulm-Söflingen, Germany
Nationality: German
Marital status: Single
EDUCATION:
• since 04.07:
Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg (Germany)
Doctoral studies
Subject: European Ethnology
• 10.2004-12.2006:
Otto-Friedrich Universität Bamberg (Germany)
Main study period
Subjects: European Ethnology, Art History and Prehisoric Archeology
• 10.2001-09.2004:
Otto-Friedrich Universität Bamberg (Germany)
Basic study period
Subjects: European Ethnology, Art History and Prehisoric Archeology
• 10.1997-04.1998:
Universität Augsburg (Germany)
Basic study period
Subjects: Suabian and Bavarian History, Politics, European Ethnology
• 10.1996-04.1997:
Eberhard-Karls-Universität Universität, Tübingen (Germany)
Basic study period
Subjects: Theology, History, Latin, Ancient Greek, Teaching and didactics
• 10.1995-07.1996:
Sprachenkolleg der evangelischen Landeskirche Württemberg, Stuttgart (Germany)
College of ancient & biblical languages
Subjects: Latin and Ancient Greek
• 09.1993-06.1995:
Valckenburg-Schule, Ulm (Germany)
A-Levels
Scientific Research (selection):
M.A.
Theme of Alexander Riedmüller’s M.A. thesis was the
“Between City Marketing and Cultural Online Archive. Self-Representation of Municipalities in the Administrative District of Upper Franconia (Northern Bavaria) in the Internet”.
In addition to considerations on City Marketing and the economic use of cultural resources essential points of this piece of research have been to reveal how – under the circumstances of globalisation and the emergence of more and more multiethnic societies – “spaces of identity” are created, influenced and broadcasted in and by the World Wide Web.
Ph.D.
Based on his master's thesis it was obvious that questions of influence of the “new media” – especially so called “virtual ethnoscapes” - on everyday life and identity concepts of people and the “production” of “culture” also would become a central issue of Alexander Riedmüller’s dissertation. Being already aware of www.ellerntal.net and the “Culturesafe” cultural archive website system (including www.kythera-family.net) it was a short way to choose the emergence of a Global Kytherian Community as object of research for his Ph.D. After discussing this purpose with Prof. Dr. Bärbel Kerkhoff-Hader of the chair for European Ethnology in Bamberg and James Prineas, the “founder” and Administrator of the kythera-family.net Alexander Riedmüller started doing his PhD with their appreciation and support in 2008 under the working title:
“Between digital diaspora and global communitiy: The kythera-family.net. Migration_ Media_Identity”.
Main purposes/questions of the Ph.D.-thesis are:
• Who “makes” - in a more and more globalized, multicultural and multimedial influenced world - "culture" for whom, how and why?
• Beyond its “virtual image” on www.kythera-family.net – does some sort of a “global” Kytherian Community really exist, and – if yes – on which personal and functional links, relations, networks and institutions this community is based on?
• Is there a “mutual” entwining of virtual and non-virtual life-worlds?
• Does there exist a specific, and perhaps even common “Kytherian” identity or feeling among the Kytherian “diasporas”?
• What does it mean to be “Kytherian” in everyday life in the – compared to Europe – much more multi-ethnic Australian society?
• Which specific relations and interactions do exist between the Kytherian Community in Australia and the inhabitants of the Island of Kythera?
• What is the role of official institutions of the Kytherian Community in Australia for processes of formation and transmission of “transnational” and perhaps even “multiethnic” or “multicultural” identities?
• How do “identity concepts” change between generations?
And last but not least:
• What are the impacts of ethno-centered online-networks like www.kythera-family.net on emerging social and cultural networks within post-tratidional, multicultural and globalized societies?
Empiric Field Research:
Greece:
4 ½ week field research stay on Kythera and in Athens in October 2008
Australia:
Field-research-stay in the area in Sydney, Goulburn and Canberra from October 8th till October 21st 2009.
Additional researches:
Additional researches in Italy (Venice), Turkey (Istanbul) and Germany
Actual research:
Currently Alexander Riedmüller is planning another field-research stay on Kythera within the first two Weeks of Oktober 2013.
Areas of Research Interest:
New media
Globalisation
Migration
Transnationalism
Mediatisation and Digitalisation of/in Everyday Life
Identity and Ethnicity in Post-Modern Societies (especially virtual “Ethnoscapes”)
Folklore
Event and Festival Cultural Research
History
WORK EXPERIENCE (Selection)
• Since 05.2012:
Full member of the Comission of the Digitalization in everyday life of the German Society for “Volkskunde”
• 04.2009-09.2009:
Otto-Friedrich-Universität, Chair of European Ethnology, Bamberg
Employment as lecturer
Course: New Media and Globalisation
• 05.2008-04.2013:
Otto-Friedrich-Universität, Chair of European Ethnology, Bamberg, Board member of the working group “Arbeitskreis Europäische Ethnologie Bamberg”
• 06.2004-10.2006:
Otto-Friedrich-Universität, Chair of European Ethnology, Bamberg
Employment as student assistant of Prof. Dr. Bärbel Kerkhoff-Hader
Tasks: preparation of seminars, congresses and exhibitions, literature management,
proof-reading of academic texts, inquiries, inventory of the phorographic archive
• 03.05-04.05:
Donau.Büro, Ulm
Employment as student assistant
Tasks: writing press releases, communication
with artists, organisation of concerts, exhibitions and festivals
• 07.04-10.04:
Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg, Department for Public Relations (Alumni),
Employment as student assistant
Tasks: analysis of press coverage, proof-reading and writing of press releases,
inquiries, internet research, preparation of festivals, developing a new PR-concept
• 02.04-06.04:
M&M Media Consult, Bamberg
Employment as student assistant in PR-agency
Tasks: analysis of press coverage, proof-reading of press releases,
inquiries, market research
LANGUAGES
German primary language
English good knowledge
French basic knowledge
Italian basic knowledge
Latin basic knowledge
Ancient Greek basic knowledge
INTERESTS/ACTIVITIES (Selection)
art, music, drama, cinema, writing, history, food & cooking, new media, digitalization, globalization, culture, blogging
• 04.2009-12.2011:
Member of the student theatre-group „Blaue Äpfel“, Bamberg
• 11.2008-04.2011:
Member of the student project „Lost in Film“; Bamberg
• Frequent:
Participation in exhibitions, concerts, workshops, film&theatre projects, planning and
organisation of events, festivals, exhibitions, symposiums and congresses
• Selected Bibliography:
Alexa Dürr/Johannes Müller/Alexander Riedmüller/Wilfried Schulz/
Timo Seregély/Andreas Tillmann: Die endneolithische Siedlung Voitmannsdorf (Lkr. Bamberg). Ergebnisse der Lehr und Forschungsgrabung. (= http://www.jungsteinsite.de/pdf/2004_mueller.pdf), Stand 16.05.2012.
Riedmüller, Alexander/ Dotterweich, Eva: Report. ICME-ICOM Annual Meeting 2012. Dissolving Boundaries: Museological Approaches to National, Social and Cultural Issues. ICME Newsletter 63, March 2012. (=http://icme.icom.museum/fileadmin/user_upload/pdf/2012/Newsletter_March_63_final.pdf, Stand: 06.06.2012), S.14-25.
Riedmüller, Alexander/ Dotterweich, Eva: Dissolving Boundaries: Museological Approaches to National, Social and Cultural Issues. Grenzen überwinden: Museologische Annäherungen an nationale, soziale und kulturelle Themenfelder. Bericht zur jährlichen ICOM ICME Tagung 2011. (=http://www.uni bamberg.de/fileadmin/uni/fakultaeten/ggeo_lehrstuehle/volkskunde/Dateien/aktuelles/Bericht_ICME_2011_EuroEthno_HP.pdf, Stand: 16.05.2012).
Riedmüller, Alexander/ Dotterweich, Eva: Dissolving Boundaries: Museological Approaches to national, Social and Cultural Issues / Grenzen überwinden: Museologische Annäherungen an nationale, soziale und kulturelle Themenfelder. ICOM-ICME Jahreskonferenz 2011 in Kloster Banz / Bad Staffelstein, 2.-5.Oktober 2011. In: Zeitschrift für Volkskunde. Halbjahreszeitschrift der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Volkskunde Jg.108, 2012/II, S. 287-289.
Riedmüller, Alexander: Vom Social Network zur Global Community. Forschen zwischen „virtual reality“ und „real virtuality“. In: Alzheimer, Heidrun (Hg.): In Europa. Kulturelle Netzwerke ‒lokal, regional, global. (= Veröffentlichungen zur Volkskunde und Kulturgeschichte 104. In Europa. Kulturelle Netzwerke). Würzburg 2012, S. 414-421.
Riedmüller, Alexander: Vom disziplinären Quo Vadis zum delokalisierten Helden. Fünf Jahre studentisches Symposium des Arbeitskreises EuroEthno und des Lehrstuhls für Europäische Ethnologie Bamberg. In: Fensterplatz. Studentische Zeitschrift für Kulturforschung, Ausgabe 4 – 2012 Schmutz_Schmutz, (=http://www.zeitschrift-fensterplatz.de/2012/09/vom-disziplinaren-quo-vadis-zum-delokalisierten-helden/, Stand: 01.10.2012).
Riedmüller, Alexander: Illuminierte Wasserfahrten, Sandkirchweih und Fischerstechen. Anmerkungen zur Nutzung des aquatischen Festraumes der Regnitz in Bamberg. In: Kerkhoff-Hader, Bärbel (Hg.): Bewegung im Raum. Fest und Event in Oberfranken. (= Bamberger Beiträge zur Europäischen Ethnologie, Bd. 12). Bamberg 2012, S. 205-224.
CONTACT:
Alexander Riedmüller M.A.
Mittlerer Kaulberg 30
fon: 0049-951-2087535
mobile: 0049-170-3030355
e-mail: [email protected]
WEBLOG:
alexnikanor.wordpress.com
