Katharina Schmidt

My disciplinary journey through geography has so far taken me from Tübingen via Rio de Janeiro and Innsbruck to Hamburg and now to Flensburg. While locations, contexts, and foci have continued to change, an interest in recognizing, understanding, and working through inequalities and asymmetrical power relations in urban spaces formed as a continuity of my personal geography-making. In my research and teaching, I thus locate myself in a critical, feminist-intersectional and postcolonial urban research that questions supposed normalities and specifically focuses on urban othering processes. Using visual and creative methods in particular (such as photography, cartography, and dance), I investigate the interplay of visuality, intersectionality, and territoriality in different urban contexts. In the sense of decolonizing geographic knowledge production, I am always concerned with working on stereotypical imaginative ways of thinking and structural inequalities and enriching them with pluriverse knowledge that is critical of racism.  

* global urban research * intersectionality * visual methodologies * feminist geographies * post & decolonial knowledge production * geographies of homelessness and homelessness * critical c/artography.

Since 2024

• PostDoc at the Interdisciplinary Institute for Environmental, Social and Human Sciences, European University of Flensburg

Since 2018

• PostDoc at the Institute of Geography, University of Hamburg. Working Group AG KGGU – Arbeitsgruppe “Kritische Geographien Globaler Ungleichheiten” (Critical Geographies of Global Inequalities)

2017

• Doctorate at the Institute of Geography, University of Hamburg. Title of Dissertation: „Ordinary Homeless Cities? Geographien der Obdach- und Wohnungslosigkeit in Rio de Janeiro und Hamburg” (“Ordinary Homeless Cities? Geographies of Homelessness in Rio de Janeiro and Hamburg”)

Since 2011

• research associate at the Institute of Geography at the University of Hamburg. PhD project on „Ordinary Homeless Cities? Geographien der Obdach- und Wohnungslosigkeit in Rio de Janeiro und Hamburg” (“Homeless Cities? Geographies of homelessness in Hamburg and Rio de Janeiro”)

2010-2011

• Lecturer at the Leopold-Franzens-University Innsbruck „Einführung in das wissenschaftliche Arbeiten” (“Introduction to Scientific Work”). Collaborator in the project „Armut in den Städten des Nordens. Geographien der Obdachlosigkeit aus Sicht der Entwicklungsforschung“ (“Poverty in the Cities of the North. Geographies of Homelessness from the Perspective of Development Research”) at the Leopold Franzens University of Innsbruck

2007-2010

• Master’s degree in „Globaler Wandel Regionale Nachhaltigkeit“ (“Global Change – Regional Sustainability”) at the Department of Geography at the Leopold-Franzens University of Innsbruck. Graduated with a Master’s thesis on „Aneignung öffentlicher Räume/Rio de Janeiro“ (“Appropriation of Public Spaces/Rio de Janeiro”).

2005-2006

• Studies at the Universidade Federal de Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) within the DAAD-UNIBRAL exchange program.

2003-2007

• Diploma in Geography at the University of Tübingen. Study Program “Geographie der Entwicklungsländer” (Geography of Developing Countries)

Körper-Territorien kartieren mit obdach- und wohnungslosen Frauen (Mapping Body Territories with Homeless Women)
Katharina Schmidt (PI)
Time Period: 2021-2022
University of Hamburg, Frauenförderfonds (Women's Promotion Fund)
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Ordinary Homeless Cities
Katharina Schmidt (PI)
Time Period: 2011-2017
Own Funds
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2024

• Philanthrocapitalist Engagement and Futures of Democratic Urban Development. Lecture with Veronica Restrepo Lopez at the conference Neue Kulturgeographie in Münster, 25 May 2024.
• Critical artographies as a methodical approach to emotionality and space? Presentation at the Travelling Conference of LoKoNet – Network Local Conflicts and Emotions in Urban Spaces (BMBF/DLR), TU Dortmund, 26.02.2024.
• Homelessness and homelessness in Germany: status, challenges and future topics for interdisciplinary research. Open Space discussion together with Maren Hartmann, Nadine Marquardt, Luisa T. Schneider & Frank Sowa at the conference “Fragile Dwellings. Precarious housing and homelessness in times of multiple crises”, TH Nuremberg, 23.02.2024.

2023

• Artographies: methodical-artistic approaches to space. Book presentation/vernissage together with Katrin Singer and Martina Neuburger at DKG ’23 in Frankfurt, 22.09.2023.
• Memes and banal photographs as subversive complicity for geography. Paper presented at the technical session: “Photographs in Geography: challenges of using photographs in geographical research” at DKG ’23 in Frankfurt, Sept. 21, 2023.
• Corporeo-Cartographies: Urban Embodied Geographies of Homeless and Homeless Women. Paper presented at the technical session, “Geographies of Homelessness and Homelessness in Germany?” at DKG ’23 in Frankfurt, Sept. 22, 2023.
• Geographies of homelessness and homelessness in Germany? Technical session chair together with Nadine Marquardt at DKG ’23 in Frankfurt, Sept. 22, 2023.
• Feminist geographies: visual≈creative≈postcolonial. Lecture together with Katrin Singer at the Geoscientific Colloquium of the TU Dresden, 14.06.2023.
• Postcolonial geographies in the German-speaking context – a mapping attempt.
  Workshop of the working group AG KGGU at the conference Neue Kulturgeographie 2023 in Halle, 28.01.2023.
• Urban Normality and Urban Othering. Presentation in the session: “Postcolonial City: Urban Transformations of the Present in the Context of Colonial Conditions” at the conference Neue Kulturgeographie 2023 in Halle, 27.01.2023.
• Visual geographies of homelessness. Lecture at the invitation of the Bonn Geographical Society at the Institute of Geography, University of Bonn, 18.01.2023.

2022

• A busca por outras/formas da c/artografia desde uma perspectiva feminista/poscolonial. Panel presentation at the Seminário Continuado de Estudos Marginais on ‘C/artografias feministas da ação’, together with Manuela Silveira and Cátia Antônia da Silva PPGEO FFP-UERJ, SãoGonçalo, 30. 11.2022.
• Geografias visuais da População em situação de rua. Paper presented at the international seminar ‘Geografia e Prática Fotográfica’ together with Verónica Hollman, PPGEO UERJ, Rio de Janeiro, 22.11.2022.
• Postcolonial City. Online workshop for the Friedrich Ebert Foundation as part of the continuing education program “City of Tomorrow,” Nov. 15, 2022.
• Mapping the Global Intimate: c/artographies for an entangled world. Organizing a digital panel together with Katrin Singer, Caro Schurr & Devran Öcal at the Feminist Geography Conference , 15-17.6.2022 Boulder, USA.
• Creative Studio “Artographies”. Workshop together with Katrin Singer & Martina Neuburger in the context of the book publication “Artographies”, 20-21. 5.2022, University of Hamburg.
• About the art of de/constructing maps. Workshop together with Katrin Singer at the conference Critical Cartography, 28-30 April 2022 in Halle.

• Panel contribution and workshop “Mapping the Body” at mlab symposium on Other Cartographies, 7-8 April 2022 in Bern.

2021

• Other/wise C/artographies. Online lecture together with Katrin Singer at the Leipzig Geographic Colloquium on “Critical Mapping”, 07.12.2021.

• Research across difference?! Methodological and reflexive insights into relationally navigating power relations in the context of research on geographies of homelessness and homelessness in Germany and Brazil. Keynote presentation at the Critical Displacement Research Online Workshop Series, Nov. 19, 2021.

• Cartographies of positionality. Lecture together with Katrin Singer and Corinna Humuza at the online conference “Das postkoloniale Museum” 13-16.06.2021, Stiftung Historische Museen Hamburg.
• On the contaminated Geographies of Europe/Germany. Presentation together with Katrin Singer, Emma Monama & Martina Neuburger at the conference “Rethinking ‘Postcolonial’ Europe: Moving Identities, Changing Subjectivities” 10-12. 02. 2021, Justus Liebig University, Giessen.

2020

• Schmidt, K. (2020): Visual methodologies and the power of photography: online guest lecture and discussion with Julie Chamberlain in the seminar “Introduction to Geographic Research Methods”, 6.11.2020, Brandon University, Canada.

• “Women* in Homeless & Homelessness. Workshop together with Corinna Lenhart from the Selbstvertretung wohnungsloser Menschen e.V. at the Red Saturday of the JUSOS Schleswig Holstein, Rendsburg, 26.09.2020.

• Questioning own mapping practices: academic feminist communities, postionality and historical legacies. Lecture together with Katrin Singer & Martina Neuburger at the event “Atlas in a day. Community” by the group Guerilla Cartography, 16.5.2020. https://www. guerrillacartography.org/atlas-in-a-day

2019

• Schmidt, K. (2019): The opposite of good is well-intentioned? Research Ethics in the Context of Homelessness, Dec. 5, 2019, guest lecture at the Centre for Ethics and Poverty Research, University of Salzburg.

• Schmidt, K. (2019): Panel discussion: Unwanted, tolerated or integrated? Homelessness in Hanover. Oct. 22, 2019, Herrenhausen Extra of the Volkswagen Foundation, Herrenhausen Palace. https://www.volkswagenstiftung.de/veranstaltungen/veranstaltungskalender/herrenhausen-extra/unerwünscht-toleriert-oder-integriert-obdachlosigkeit-in-hannover

• Schmidt, K. (2019): “Inside the teaching machine” – Resistive potential of education in everyday dealings with power relations: session at DKG 28.09.2019 in Kiel (session co-chaired with Inken Carstensen-Egwuom & Tobias Schmitt).

• Schmidt, K. (2019): Cuerpo Território. A dialogue between Latin American and German feminist geographies. Workshop together with Manuela Silveira (UERJ) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil at the Institute of Geography, Hamburg, 12-13.07.2019.

• City as prey? Performance together Martina Neuburger, Sonja Kanemaki, Renata de Carvalho do Val, Sophia Wiedergrün and Hamburg students in the context of the Hamburger Menetekel: Kongress und Zukunftsmusik. A futurological congress by Ron Zimmering and Graffitimuseum / Repertoire, Schauspielhaus Hamburg, May 24-26, 2019. https://www.hamburgermenetekel.de/aufführung-1/futurologischer-kongress/stadt-als-beute/

• Schmidt, K. (2019): Geografias da população em situação de rua desde uma perspectiva interseccional. Paper presented at the XVII Encontro dos Geógrafos da America Latina (EGAL), Quito, Ecuador, April 9-12- 2019.

• Schmidt, K. (2019): Geografia, população em situação de rua e interseccionalidade. Paper presented at the Human Geography Colloquium of the Department of Geography, Universidade Federals de Espritio Santo (UFES), Vitória, Brazil, March 27, 2019.

2018

• Schmidt, K. (2018): “In Hamburg zuhause” exhibition together with G.R., M.C. & S.S. as part of the group exhibition [HOME] at the Triennale der Photographie in Hamburg & talk accompanying the exhibition “More than just a photographic motif!” at the Festivalzentrum Deichtorhallen.

• Schmidt, K. (2018): (Con)figurations of homelessness from an intersectional perspective. Lecture in the context of the conference “Figurationen der Wohnungsnot” vom 29. until September 30, 2018 at the TH Nuremberg.

• Schmidt, K. (2018): “Organizing Strategies: Measuring Success and Altering Representation.” Panel presentation on the visual representation of homelessness at the conference “Power at the Margins. Mobilizing Across Housing Injustice. A Scholar Activist Gathering.” Minneapolis, MN, USA.

• Schmidt, K. (2018): Abya Yala? Sharing ideas and experiences on critical Latin American studies. Workshop with Tobias Schmitt in the framework of AK Lateinamerika, Innsbruck, Austria.

• Schmidt, K. (2018): “Looking back to look forward: On the postcolonial present of current geographies.” Lecture together with Katrin Singer & Tobias Schmitt in the context of the event series of the Frankfurt Geographical Society: “Wissen. Power. Space. Stories of Geography”.

2017

• Schmidt, K. (2017): „Homeless City Hamburg“: visuell-geographische Perspektiven obdach- und wohnungsloser Menschen auf die Stadt Im Rahmen der Vortragsreihe: Hamburg und Norddeutschland der Geographischen Gesellschaft Hamburg, 7.12.2017
• Schmidt, K. (2017): “Seeing the homeless city” aus visuell-intersektioneller Perspektive Auf dem DKG Tübingen (30.09.-05.10.2017) im Rahmen der Fachsitzung GegenBilder – GegenGeographien? For the visual creation of other spatial relationships

2016

• Schmidt, K. (2016): “Right to the City on the Move – From Theoretical Discussions to Activist Movements in Latin America”, Workshop at the Passau Lateiamerikagespräche at the University of Passau.
• Schmidt, K. (2016): “Challenging the Visual Regime of Homelessness,” paper presented at the Association of American Geographers (AAG) meeting in San Francisco.
• Schmidt, K. (2016): “Geografias de Populacao em Situacao de Rua – Rio de Janeiro e Hamburgo como estudos de caso” Guest lecture at the Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF) in Niteroi.

2015

• Schmidt, K. (2015): Podium contribution “Olympia und Stadtentwicklung”, in the context of the event : “Wer gegen uns ist, handelt unsportlich” – Über Auswirkungen von Olympia auf Stadtentwicklung und die Legitimation von Großvents durch Kultur. GWA ,St. Pauli, Hamburg.
• Schmidt, K. (2015): “Contesting “Urban Othering” through Photography”, paper presented at the 4th International Visual Methods Conference, University of Brighton.
• Schmidt, K. (2015): “Thinking about cities through perspectives of homeless people”, paper presented at the Association of American Geographers (AAG) meeting in Chicago.

2014

• Schmidt, K. (2014), “Homeless Cities en question? Refleciones a partir de las ciudades de Hamburgo y Rio de Janeiro.” Lecture at the “Jornadas de Geografía Humana: Marginalidad y espacio urbano. Universidade de Valladolid.
• Schmidt, K. (2014): Lecture: “The Right to Housing – The Case of Brazil. Capitalist Urban Design and Places of Resistance in the Context of the World Cup and the Olympics.” Together with Sebastian Hilf at W3, Hamburg.
• Schmidt, K. (2014): Lecture: “Geographies of Homelessness: Um diálogo a partir das cidades de Hamburgo e Rio de Janeiro ” Together with Igor Robaina at the annual meeting of the AK Lateinamerika in Bayreuth.
• Schmidt, K. (2014): Workshop, “Brazil in the Classroom. Decolonial Perspectives on Imagining and Representing Rio de Janeiro.” Course “South America – a continent in upheaval and change”, Academy for Political Education, Tutzing.
• Schmidt, K. (2014): Vortrag: “Aneignung von Räumen durch Visualisierung” zusammen mit Katrin Singer im Rahmen des HGD Symposiums und der Fachtagung Visuelle Geographien (4), Flensburg.
• Schmidt, K. (2014): Panel contribution: “World Cup, Olympics & Co: Notes on the current urban policy vision of/for Rio” at the event “Bread and Games. Major sporting events as catalysts for revaluation visions. Rio, London and Hamburg”, Centro Sociale, Hamburg.

2013

• Schmidt, K. (2013): “Homeless Cities? Flashlights from the city of Hamburg and the city of Rio de Janeiro”. Paper presented at the Association of American Geographers (AAG) meeting in Los Angeles.

2012

• Schmidt, K. (2012): Presentation of the Investigaciones volume ‘Aneignung öffentlicher Räume’ (Appropriation of Public Spaces) and workshop leadership “Recht auf Stadt” (Right to the City) together with Tobias Töpfer at the 28th Annual Meeting of the Austrian Latin American Research in Stobl am Wolfgangsee.

2011

• Schmidt, K. (2011): “A rua é nossa…é de todos nós? Apropriação de espaços públicos no Rio de Janeiro”. Presentation at the Geographical Working Group Latin America 2011 in Kiel, May 2011.

2010

• Schmidt, K. (2010): “The Colonial Gaze. Developmental Images and Racisms.” Joint workshop with Tobias Schmitt as part of the event “Unter_entwicklung”? Dialogues between Theory and Practice” in Innsbruck, November 2010.

• Schmidt, K. (2010): “Rio de Janeiro – Geopolitics of a city: entrepreneurial city and militarization versus urban social movements”. Lecture & film screening at the young geographical society of Innsbruck, June 2010.

2009

• Schmidt, K. (2009): “Justa Causa – If there is a right to housing, then occupying is a duty”. Lecture & film screening at the event “Solidary Spaces and Cooperative Perspectives. Theory and practice in Latin America and on the doorstep” from 28-29.11.2009.