ARNO WAIZENEGGER
About me:
I am a geographer and humanitarian aid worker with an affiliation for Indonesia. After travels to Indonesia in 2001, I became fascinated by this country and have started to study Bahasa Indonesia and Indonesian literature. Since, I returned to Indonesia on a yearly basis to conduct research projects, some of which I captured in documentary films.
After the Tsunami and the peace agreement in Aceh, I was particularly intrigued by the question whether there do exist any connections between the two events. Hence, between 2005 and 2009, in collaboration with various researchers from Canada, I have studied the implications of this natural disaster on the dynamics of the armed conflict in Aceh and compared this with the Sri Lankan case. Becoming familiar with the aid setting in Aceh during my research trips, I subsequently became interested in the way the international aid industry was handling the complicated and sensitive 'dual disaster' situation. I stopped to publish as I started working for the Red Cross in 2010. I can be contacted at: waizenegger@gmail.com.
My major research interests:
- The political geography of natural disasters
- The architecture, functioning and financing of the international humanitarian aid system
- The relations between aid agencies and the media in humanitarian emergencies
- Climate change adaptation using disaster risk reduction
University Studies:
- Master's from Bochum University (Humanitarian Action/NOHA)
- Diplom from Cologne University (Geography, Cultural Anthrop., Indonesian Studies)
- Visiting Student at the UBC in Vancouver, Canada (Geography, Asian Studies, Law)
Work Experience:
- Delegate, German Red Cross (GRC)
- Administrative Assistant, European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO)
- Freelance Researcher and Videographer, SFU / Syracuse University / York University
- Project Assistant, German Technical Corporation for Cooperation (GTZ)
- Junior Research Analyst, Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada (APFC)
Languages:
- Bahasa Indonesia, English, French, German
Publications:
Waizenegger, A. & Hyndman, J. (forthcoming in 2011): “Salient versus silent disasters in post-conflict Aceh, Indonesia”. In: Kirsch, S. & Flint, C. (eds.): Reconstructing Conflict: Integrating War and Post-War Geographies. Routledge.
Waizenegger, A. (forthcoming in 2010): “Konflikt, Wiederaufbau und Frieden in Aceh und die ambivalenten Auswirkungen der Medienberichterstattung”. In: Jordan, R., Stange, G. (eds.): Aktuelle Herausforderungen der Entwicklungszusammenarbeit in Südostasien – Nothilfe, Wiederaufbau und Entwicklung in Praxis und Theorie. Abhandlungen zur Geographie und Regionalforschung, Band 12. Universität Wien.
Waizenegger, A. & Hyndman, J. (2010): “Two Solitudes: post-tsunami and post-conflict Aceh”. Disasters 34 (3), 787-808. [See also the 18 min. documentary with the same title from 2008].
Waizenegger, A. & Hyndman, J. (2009): “Hidden in the Limelight of the Tsunami: Aceh’s Silent Disasters”. Documentary film, 24 min., Cologne.
Le Billon, P. & Waizenegger, A. (2007): “Peace in the Wake of Disaster? Secessionist Conflicts and the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami”. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers 32 (3), 411–42.
Waizenegger, A. (2007): “Armed Separatism and the 2004 Tsunami in Aceh”. Canada Asia Commentary 43, February 2007.
Waizenegger, A. & Le Billon, P. (2007) “‘Natural’ disasters: critical junctures for peace and conflict?” Working Paper, Liu Institute for Global Issues, Vancouver.
Waizenegger, A. & Scheers, L. (2005): “Wetteifern um die Herrschaft über Indonesiens ‘neue Ressource’ ”. Südostasien 4, 39-43.
Waizenegger, A. & Mariadi (2002): “Das Staudammprojekt Koto Panjang und die Zerstörung von Leben“. Indonesien Informationen 3, 39-41.
