Dr Stefanie Samida has been appointed professor of Cultural Studies of Material Culture at the Institute of Material Culture. She had previously administered the professorship.
Samida studied archaeology with a focus on pre- and early history and medieval history at the Universities of Kiel and Tübingen, graduating in 2001. After completing her doctorate at the University of Tübingen in 2005, she worked as a research assistant and research fellow at the Gerda Henkel Foundation until 2011. This was followed by various research stays at the University of Heidelberg, the International Research Centre for Cultural Studies (IFK) in Vienna and the Centre for Contemporary History in Potsdam. In 2022, she accepted a position in Oldenburg, initially to administer the professorship for ‘Cultural History of European Textiles’. Between April 2025 and February 2026, she also held the Chair of Museum Studies at the University of Würzburg and has now returned to Oldenburg.
Samida's research focuses on material culture, everyday and popular culture, cultural heritage, and museums. She examines everyday cultural phenomena and considers everyday objects such as belts, record players, smartphones, and museum objects. She also explores the practices of dressing up in scenes and subcultures, as well as the connections between materiality and digitality.