Dr Esther Meininghaus
Key expertise
Refugees and peacebuilding, politics of humanitarianism, non-democratic governance in the Middle East.
(Academic) education / CV:
In her research, Esther focuses on negotiations of power in autocracies and local perceptions of resistance among Syrians. Educated in Middle Eastern Studies at the Universities of Bonn (MA, 2007) and Manchester (PhD, 2013), she has taught at both universities on the political anthropology of the Middle East, humanitarianism and development since 2008. While her original interest lay in covert processes of power negotiations in Syria, she has explored the impact of humanitarian aid, displacement and enforced disappearances since the beginning of the present war. At BICC, she currently researches the Syrian peace processes from the perspective of participants and excluded groups. Esther has also worked as an advisor to various governmental and non-governmental bodies, such as GSDRC/DFID, GIZ/BMZ, Welthungerhilfe, and others.
Recent Publications:
- Meininghaus, E., & Schlüsing, C. (2021). Translocality in War: Why Does it Matter? London: London School of Economics Middle East Blog.
- Meininghaus, E., & Mielke, K. (2021, April). Meaningful political participation. Lessons learnt from UN mediation in Afghanistan and Syria (BICC Policy Brief series No. 3/2021). Bonn: BICC.
- Mielke, K., & Meininghaus, E. (2021, March). Engaging refugees and migrants as peace advocates. How Germany can contribute to peace in Syria and Afghanistan (BICC Policy Brief series No. 2/2021). Bonn: BICC.
- Christ, S., Meininghaus, E., Mielke, K., & Röing, T. (Eds.). (2020, May). Refugees and migrants between everyday conflict and peace processes. Conference documentation (BICC Knowledge Notes series No. 1/2020). Bonn: BICC.
- Meininghaus, E., & Schlüsing, C. (2020). War in Syria: The translocal dimension of fighter mobilization. Small Wars & Insurgencies, 31(3), 475-510.
- Mielke, K., Mutschler, M., & Meininghaus, E. (2020). For a dynamic approach to stabilization. International Peacekeeping, 27(5), 810-835.
- Meininghaus, E., & Mielke, K. (2019, December). Beyond Doha and Geneva: Peacemaking engagement of Afghans and Syrians in North Rhine-Westphalia and Germany (BICC Working Paper series No. 11/2019). Bonn: BICC.
- Bethke, F., Meininghaus, E., Mielke, K., Mutschler, M., Schetter, C., & Wirkus, L. (2019). Bewaffnete Konflikte: Stabilisierung darf keine Interessenpolitik sein. In BICC, HSFK, IFSH, & INEF (Eds.), Friedensgutachten 2019 (pp. 45-69). Berlin: LIT.
- Christ, S., Meininghaus, E., & Röing, T. (2019, March). “All Day Waiting” – Causes of conflict in refugee shelters in Germany (BICC Working Paper series No. 3/2019). Bonn: BICC.
- Meininghaus, E., Mielke, K., & Mutschler, M. (Eds.). (2019, February). Stabilisation—For whom and to what ends? (BICC Knowledge Notes series No. 1/2019). Bonn: BICC.
- Meininghaus, E., & Kühn, M. (2018). Syria: Humanitarian access dilemmas (Welthungerhilfe Policy Brief October 2018). Berlin/Bonn: Welthungerhilfe.
- Meininghaus, E., & Mielke, K. (2018, October). Situated sustainability: A research programme for conflict-affected settings and beyond (BICC Policy Brief series No. 10/2018). Bonn: BICC.
- Röing, T., Meininghaus, E., & Christ, S. (2018). Kein Anker für Schutzsuchende – eine Stellungnahme zu den geplanten AnkER-Zentren. FluchtforschungsBlog.
- von Boemcken, M., Meininghaus, E., Mielke, K., Schetter, C., Schlüsing, C., Trancart, C., & Wirkus, L. (2018). Bewaffnete Konflikte: Deutsche Stabilisierungspolitik auf dem Prüfstand. In BICC, HSFK, IFSH, & INEF (Eds.), Friedensgutachten 2018 (pp. 43-63). Berlin: LIT.
- Debiel, T., Hippler, J., Meininghaus, E., Schetter, C., & Schlüsing, C. (2018). Fokus / Kriegerischer Zerfall im Nahen und Mittleren Osten. In BICC, HSFK, IFSH, & INEF (Eds.), Friedensgutachten 2018 (pp. 21-41). Berlin: LIT.
- Meininghaus, E. (2018, February). War in Syria: UN peacekeeping mission and deal with Russia are imperative (BICC Policy Brief series No. 2/2018). Bonn: BICC.
- Meininghaus, E. (2017). Is there hope? Peace negotiations as moments of exception in an era of post-politics. In S. Heinke (Ed.), Annual Report 2017 (pp. 10-17). Bonn: BICC.
- Christ, S., Meininghaus, E., & Röing, T. (2017, June). Konfliktprävention in Unterkünften – Selbstverantwortung geflüchteter Menschen stärken (BICC Policy Brief series No. 3/2017). Bonn: BICC.
- Christ, S., Meininghaus, E., & Röing, T. (2017, May). "All Day Waiting"—Konflikte in Unterkünften für Geflüchtete in NRW (BICC Working Paper series No. 3/2017). Bonn: BICC.
- Gerken, L., Meininghaus, E., Röing, T., & Rudolf, M. (2017). Freiwillige Rückkehr von Asylsuchenden. In Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung (Ed.), Kurzdossiers – Zuwanderung, Flucht und Asyl: Aktuelle Themen.
- Meininghaus, E., & Heinemann-Grüder, A. (2017, February). Safe zones for Syria: Mitigating the humanitarian crisis (BICC Policy Brief series No. 1/2017). Bonn: BICC.
- Gurol, J., Meininghaus, E., Mutschler, M., & Schlüsing, C. (2017). Die Risiken europäischer Waffenexporte. In F. Braunsdorf (Ed.), Fluchtursachen „Made in Europe“: Über europäische Politik und ihren Zusammenhang mit Migration und Flucht (pp. 9-12). Berlin: Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (Globale Politik und Entwicklung).
- Meininghaus, E. (2016). Syria's uneven aid distribution threatens future peace. In Oxford Research Group – Sustainable Security Blog.
- Meininghaus, E. (2016). Ethics at breaking point: The humanitarian system in crisis. In S. Heinke (Ed.), Annual Report/Jahresbericht (pp. 10-19). Bonn: BICC.
- Meininghaus, E. (2016). Emergency aid in intra-state war and implications for post-conflict reconstruction: The Syrian medical system. Contemporary Levant, 1(2), 108-124.
- Meininghaus, E. (2016). Commentary \ The World Humanitarian Summit—Reform the system, but do not merge humanitarian and development aid. Bonn: BICC.
- Meininghaus, E. (2016). Humanitarianism in intra-state conflict: aid inequality and local governance in government- and opposition-controlled areas in the Syrian war. Third World Quarterly, 37(8), 1454-1482.
- Meininghaus, E. (2016). Creating consent in Ba'thist Syria: Women and welfare in a totalitarian state. London: I.B. Tauris.
