Dr. Mariel Reiss

My office hours take place irregularly on Mondays, 10-12am, on Big Blue Button.
Please sign up for a timeslot here.
The meeting will take place in this BBB room.

04/2022-03/2026 | Postdoctoral Researcher, Research Center Transformations of Political Violence 

11/2024-03/2025 | Acting Chair of Peace and Conflict Studies at the Center for Conflict Studies, Philipps-University Marburg 

Since 04/2023 | Co-Speaker of the DVPW Thematic Group Queer-Feminist Political Science and LGBTIQ+ Studies 

09/2022 | Guest Researcher, United Nations University - Institute on Comparative Regional Integration Studies, Bruges, Belgium

07/2021-10/2022 | Project leader, LGBTIQ*-Rights in Multilevel Governance Systems, Center for Conflict Studies and the Center for Gender Studies and Feminist Futures, Philipps University Marburg

12/2020-12/2021 | Postdoctoral Researcher, Center for Conflict Studies, Philipps University Marburg

10/2015-12/2020 | Doctoral Student / Lecturer, Department of Political Science, Institute of Political Science, Philipps University Marburg

10/2013-09/2015 | Lecturer, Department of Political Science, International Relations, Philipps University Marburg

04/2007-07/2013 | Magistra Artium (BA & MA), Political Science and Cultural Anthropology, Gutenberg University Mainz and  Uppsala University, Sweden

Research stays abroad
03/2025-04/2025 | Namibia
02/2024-04/2024 | South Africa
11/2023-12/2023 | Kenya
11/2021-03/2022 | South Africa and Botswana
11/2018-03/2019 | Ethiopia, Botswana, South Africa, Tanzania (DAAD short-term scholarship for doctoral candidates)
08/2016-09/2016 | Kenya and Tanzania (MARA travel grant)
08/2011-11/2011 | Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda (Promos Scholarship)

Re-centering African Subjects and Subjectivities. Proposition for a New Research Agenda on Regionalism in Africa
DFG funded Scientific Network
01/2024-12/2026

The scientific network "Re-centering African Subjects and Subjectivities”, funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), led by Mariel Reiss, officially starts its work in January 2024. The network brings together 16 internationally renowned scholars from different disciplines, united in shaping a new research agenda on African regionalism over the next three years. Within the network, a coordinating team, comprising Lynda Iroulo, Maria Ketzmerick, Miriam Mukalazi, Densua Mumford, Mariel Reiss, and Antonia Witt, orchestrates the collaborative endeavors and outreach initiatives. Rooted in a critical examination of both mainstream/Western and African perspectives on regionalism, and drawing inspiration from the collective expertise of its members, the network aims to produce fresh empirical insights, advance new methodological approaches, and foster the development of innovative theories in the study of African regionalism. Central to its mission is a dedicated focus on African subjects and subjectivities, aiming to contribute substantially to the understanding of regional dynamics in the African context.

TABAKA 
Filmproject with Jordan Awori
Since 01/2024

Tabaka (Swahili: layers) film project aims to address the often simplified portrayal of LGBTQ+ identities, especially within non-Western contexts like Kenya, where the narratives are influenced by Western perspectives. The initiative seeks to challenge the dominant narratives that either demonize LGBTQ+ individuals as a Western import or frame them as victims in need of saving. Collaborating with academics and artists personally affected by these contested identities, the project aims to explore the complex layers of being LGBTQ+ in Kenya through the medium of film.
The initial project development is supported by the Creative Space Fund of the Philipps University Marburg.

Pretoria-Marburg Queer Conversations 
Event Series
04-09/2022 and 04-06/2023

In the summers of 2022 and 2023, the Centre for Human Rights (CHR) and the Centre for Sexualities, AIDS, and Gender (CSA&G) at the University of Pretoria together with the Centre for Conflict Studies (CCS) and the Centre for Gender Studies and Feminist Futures (CGS) at the Philipps University Marburg, organized a series of events on Scholarly and Activist Perspectives on LGBTIQ+ Lived Realities in Africa.

LGBTIQ+ Rights in Multilevel Governance Systems 
HMWK funded Research Project
07/2021-10/2022

The project is carried out by Mariel Reiss at the Center for Conflict Studies and the Center for Gender Studies and Feminist Futures and funded by the Hessian Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science and the Arts (HMWK). The project examines the negotiation of human rights, specifically those of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer (LGBTIQ+) persons in various states in Southern Africa and at the transnational level. Decision-making processes on legal practices as well as social norms both at the national levels in South Africa and Botswana and the regional level, within the Southern African Development Community (SADC), by state and non-state actors, are the focus of the research project.

Erasmus+ Partnerships
2019-2024 | Erasmus+ cooperation between Philipps University Marburg and the University of Pretoria, South Africa
2018-2023 | Erasmus+ cooperation between Philipps University Marburg and Catholic University of Eastern Africa in Nairobi, Kenya
03/2017 | DAAD Fact Finding Mission on the cooperation between Philipps University Marburg, Catholic University of Eastern Africa and the University of Pretoria

·         Regional and international organizations
·         Multi-level governance systems
·         Human rights
·         LGBTIQ+ rights and norms discourses

·         Theories of international relations
·         Diffusion theories and approaches

·         Regional focus: Eastern and Southern Africa; East African Community (EAC), Southern African Development Community (SADC), African Union (AU)

Regions. In: B. Jahn & S. Schindler (Eds.), Elgar Encyclopedia of International Relations (pp. 344–345). Edward Elgar Publishing, 2025.

Together with Monica Tabengwa: Tug-of-War: LGBTIQ+ rights in the African human rights architecture. African Human Rights Law Journal, 24, 2024.

Together with Susanne Buckley-Zistel, Kaya de Wolff, Astrid Erll, Sybille Frank, Nicolai Hannig, Sabine Mannitz, Jona Schwerer, Sara-Luise Spitzer, Monica Wingender: Memory before Violence. Frankfurt: TraCe Working Paper (5), 2024.

U.S. Presidential Elections and their Impact on LGBTIQ+ Communities and Activism across the African Continent. In: M. Kreitler & G. Olson (Hrsg.), Diversity Issues in the USA. Transnational Perspectives on the 2024 Presidential Elections. Bielefeld: Transcript, 2024.

Advocating for human rights of LGBTIQ+ persons in multilevel governance systems. Journal of Civil Society, 20(3), 2024.

Regionalism in Global Politics. In International Relations. Theories in Action, edited by Hubert Zimmermann, Milena Elsinger, and Alex Burkhardt, 209–30. London: Sage Publications Ltd., 2024.

Together with Anika Oettler: Weltweit auf dem Prüfstand: die Rechte von LSBTIQ*-Personen. Wie die deutsche Politik gefordert ist. TraCe Policy Brief No. 3, 10.12.2023.

Together with Tobias Lenz: Globalising the study of diffusion: multiple sources and the East African Community. Journal of European Public Policy. 2023.

Putting Lessons Learnt to the Test During Challenging Times: The East African Community And The Covid-19 Pandemic. UNU Institute on Comparative Regional Integration Studies. 2022.

Regionalismus und De-Globalisierung. In: Schirm/ Busch/ Lütz/ Walter/ Zimmermann: De-Globalisierung. Forschungsstand und Perspektiven. Nomos. 2022.

Constructing the East African Community. Diffusion from African and European Regional Organizations. London: Routledge. 2022.

Regionale Integration. In: Zimmermann, Hubert & Milena Elsinger: Grundlagen der Internationalen Beziehungen: Eine Einführung. Kohlhammer. 2019.

Book Review. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the European Union (EU): Regionalism and External Influence, South African Journal of International Affairs. 2018. 

„Make it a People’s Integration!“ The Role of Organized Civil Society Actors in the Regionalization Process of the East African Community. Marburg: Tectum Verlag. 2014.

09/2024 | Tug of War: LGBTQ+ Rights in the African Human Rights Architecture, Pan-European Conference on International Relations, Lille

07/2024 | Section Chair „Feminist Perspectives on Reimagining Global Politics“, European Conference on Politics and Gender, Ghent

09/2023 | Whose Human Rights Matter? Multilevel Governance Systems and Access to Justice for LGBTIQ+ Persons; Pan-European Conference on International Relations, Potsdam

07/2023 | Re-Framing Memories of LGBTIQ+ Identities: Unpacking the Unafricanness of LGBTIQ+ Narrative in Kenya; Memory Studies Association Conference, Newcastle

03/2023 | The Role of Regional Organizations during a time of Globalized Crises; and (Neo-)Colonial Entanglements: Advocating for LGBTIQ+ Rights in Southern Africa through Contextualization; International Studies Association Conference, Montreal

07.2022 | Globalizing the Study of Diffusion between Regional Organizations: Multiple Sources and the East African Community; British Institute in Eastern Africa “East African Regionalism in Uncertain Times Conference”, Nairobi.

11/2022 | Tug-of-War: LGBTIQ+ Rights in the African Regional Human Rights Architecture; Centre for Human Rights Conference, Pretoria

07/2022 | Globalizing the Study of Diffusion between Regional Organizations: Multiple Sources and the East African Community; British Institute in Eastern Africa “East African Regionalism in Uncertain Times Conference”, Nairobi.

07/2022 | Fighting for LGBTIQ+ Rights: Transnational Activism in Southern Africa; European Conference on Politics and Gender, Ljubljana.

09/2021 | Roundtable: Politikwissenschaft meets Queer/LGBTI Studies: Wissenschaftliche Implikationen, (Karriere-)Effekte sowie Potenziale einer ‚queeren Wahl‘, DVPW Kongress ‚Politik in Zeiten von Unsicherheit und Autokratisierung‘ (virtual).

09/2021 | LGBTIQ+ Rights in Multilevel Governance Systems in Eastern and Southern Africa. Conference "Good governance, participatory democracy, and social justice: Civil society as an agent of change and innovation in Africa". University of Johannesburg, (virtual).

06/2021 | LGBTIQ+ Rights in Multilevel Governance Contexts in Southern and Eastern Africa; International Studies Association Joint Human Rights Conference (virtual).

05/2021 | Diffusion Among Regional Organizations: The Impact of Interdependent Decision-Making for the Institutional Design of the East African Community; European Union in European Affairs Conference, Brüssel (virtual).

11/2020 | Rethinking Diffusion between (Regional) Organizations; DVPW AK Soziologie der internationalen Beziehungen und HSFK, Frankfurt (virtual).

11/2020 | EAC: Diffusion from Europen and the own past; DVPW AK Europa- und Regionalismusforschung, Freiburg (virtual).

07/2020 | Re-constructing the East African Community, Regionalism Workshop, Mainz (virtual).

06/2019 | EAC: Political Federation or Disintegration (Again) – or Both?; Joint Nordic Development Research Conference, Kopenhagen. 

06/2019 | The Support of the EU to the EAC; European Union in European Affairs Conference, Brüssel. 

08/2018 | The EAC: How do Regional Organizations Influence the Institutional Design of Each Other?; Rethinking Development Conference, Göteborg.
 
05/2018 | How do Regional Organizations Influence each other?; The European Union in International Affairs VI Conference, Brüssel.
 
09/2017 | Make the East African Community People-Centered; 11th Pan-European Conference on International Relations; EISA, Barcelona. 

05/2016 | How and Under Which Conditions do Regional Organizations Affect Each Other?; The European Union in International Affairs V Conference, Brüssel. 

02/2015 | What Role does the EU play for the Development of the EAC?; Weltregionen in Vergleich: Polity, Politics und Policy DVPW Sektionstagung, Hamburg.

05/2014 | The Role of Organized Civil Society Actors in the Regionalization Process in the EAC; The European Union in International Affairs IV Conference, Brüssel.

02/2024 | "LGBTQ+ norms and rights discourses: a focus on Kenya“, Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria; Pretoria

01/2024 | „East African Community“, Research Seminar Authority and African Regionalisms, United Nations University - Institute on Comparative Regional Integration Studies; Bruges/hybrid.

04/2023 | “Sexualities & Gender: Konzepte Internationaler Machtpolitik” together with Inga Nüthen; International Research and Documentation Centre for War Crimes Trials, Philipps University Marburg

04/2023 | “Regional Governance Arenas and LGBTQ+ Rights in Eastern Africa”, Institute for Political Science, University of Pretoria; Pretoria, South Africa

09/2022 | Book Launch “Constructing the East African Community”, United Nations University Institute on Comparative Regional Integration Studies, Bruges

07/2022 | Book Launch “Constructing the East African Community”, Institute for Regional Integration and Development, Catholic University of Eastern Africa, Nairobi

02/03/2022 | Guest lecture “Diffusion Among Regional Organizations in Africa“, Department of Political and Administrative Studies, University of Botswana

17/11/2021 | Guest lecture “LGBTIQ+ Rights in Multilevel Governance Systems“ at the Centre for Mediation in Africa and Institute for Political Science, University of Pretoria

10/2021 | Conflict and Film Movie Series: Talk on the Movie “Rafiki”, Student Council Peace and Conflict Studies, Philipps-Universität Marburg

07/2021 | Panel discussion “LGBTQ+ Advocacy under Attack: The Case of Ghana“, Václav Havel Program for Human Rights and Diplomacy, Florida International University
  
06/2021 | Panel discussion “Re-Imagining Human Rights Activism in Kenya and Germany”, Amnesty International Kenya and Amnesty International Germany

09/02/2021 | Guest lecture in the seminar “Regionalism in the Global Order? The Role and Impact of the African Union“, Universität Bayreut

SuSe 2025 | Global Contestations of LGBTIQ+ Identities: Discourses, Politics, and Resistance (MA Research Seminar)

WiSe 2024/2025 | Lecture: Introduction to Peace and Conflict Studies
Human Rights in a Globalized World (BA)
Human Rights in Crises (MA)
Worldwide Contestations of LGBTIQ+ Rights (MA) 

WiSe 2022/2023 | Multilevel Governance Systems in Africa: challenges and prospects for LGBTIQ+ rights (Master) at the Institute of Political Science, University of Kassel

SuSe 2022 | Perspectives on LGBTIQ+ Lived Realities in Africa - Accompanying seminar as part of the "Pretoria-Marburg Queer Conversation Series: Scholarly and Activist Perspectives on LGBTIQ+ Lived Realities in Africa" (Master)

WiSe 2021/2022 | Human Rights in Multilevel Governance Systems (Master)
 
WiSe 2020/2021 | Multilevel Governance Answers to Global Challenges: The Covid-19 Pandemic (Master)

SuSe 2020 | Human Rights under Pressure: the Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic (Bachelor)

SuSe 2020 | Regional Integration in Africa and Europe (Master)

SuSe 2019 | Introduction to International Relations (Bachelor)

09/2019 | Comparative Regionalism (Master) at the Institute for Regional Integration and Development, Catholic University of Eastern Africa (Nairobi, Kenya)

SuSe 2018 | Introduction to International Relations (Bachelor)

SuSe 2017 | Introduction to International Relations (Bachelor)

WiSe 2016/2017 | Regional Organizations in Comparative Analysis (Bachelor)

SuSe 2016 | Introduction to International Relations (Bachelor)

WiSe 2015/2016 | Regional Integration in Africa (Bachelor)

SuSe 2015 | Introduction to International Relations (Bachelor)

WiSe 2014/2015 | Regional Integration in Africa (Bachelor)

WiSe 104/2015 | Regional Integration in South America und Asia (Bachelor)

SuSe 2014 | Introduction to International Relations (Bachelor