Carole Ammann

I am a postdoctoral researcher with an interdisciplinary background in Social Anthropology and African Studies. My specialisation is in the anthropology of gender with a specific focus on femininities, masculinities, and intersectionality. In one of my current research projects, I explore how father*hood is understood, negotiated, and enacted in the 21st century. One specific focus of this project is on how queer non-female identifying persons are doing parenthood in a heteronormative environment in Switzerland and the Netherlands, in which they still face many (legal) insecurities and discriminations. By capturing contradictions and transformations of parenthood, we gain new insights into how age, class, origin, race, sexuality, and family constellations impact on parenthood in daily life.

In another project, I examine the experiences and policy support demands of urban essential workers during the Covid-19 pandemic, the people that kept the city running despite everything. Pre-existing inequalities were exacerbated by the pandemic, as systemically important work is often performed by women and migrant workers. Given the importance but low social valuation of this workforce, it is important to understand their experiences, challenges, and demands as a basis for developing more effective policies to support them. My research has involved extensive fieldwork in Europe and West Africa.