UNI NOVA – Research Magazine of the University of Basel

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  Portrait

  A participant observer.

  Text: Christoph Dieffenbacher / Social anthropologist Rita Kesselring examines both the legacy of apartheid and mining in southern Africa. For her field research, she often travels alone to townships and inhospitable mining towns.

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  Alumni

  From biology to communications.

  Interview: Bettina Volz-Tobler / Tanja Dietrich studied biology at the University of Basel. Today, she is communications director at Basel Zoo and owner of a communications agency specializing in online marketing and consulting for small and mediumsized enterprises and associations.

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  Alumni

  An economist against inequality.

  Pia Schneider has worked at the World Bank since 2004, where she has held a position as lead economist for health issues for the last three years. At the University of Basel she studied economics and she obtained a PhD in health economics from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

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  Alumni

  New alumni association created.

  Text: Jolanda Bucher / Actuarial science has been taught at the University of Basel for 80 years now. This makes the program one of the oldest German-language courses in the field. This year’s anniversary event included the launch of the actuarial science alumni association.

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  Alumni

  Supporting “Offener Hörsaal”.

  Text: Annalena Durrer und Timo Posselt / Money collected through this year’s Annual Giving will be donated to the “Offener Hörsaal” association at the University of Basel.

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  Column

  The Magic Mountain, 4 3 2 1, and Game Changer.

  Text: Jan Pieter Abrahams / My books: Jan Pieter Abrahams, the professor for bioimaging at the Biozentrum, suggests Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain, Paul Auster’s 4 3 2 1 and Game Changer by Matthew Sadler and Natasha Regan

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  Dossier

  “So far, yet so near”: The Middle East.

  Text: Maurus Reinkowski / The current power vacuum in the region between Libya and Afghanistan has left large areas, and whole countries, in a state of permanent crisis. At the same time, the conflicts in the Middle East are encroaching on Europe.

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  Dossier

  Social movements and the media.

  Text: David Hermann / Political scientist and Middle East expert Ali Sonay from the University of Basel researches current events in Egypt, Morocco, Turkey and Tunisia – and the role played in them by the media.

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  Dossier

  Is there such a thing as “fair” borders?

  Text: Irène Dietschi / There are many who would blame the wretched state of certain countries today on borders that were arbitrarily and carelessly drawn up by their former colonial powers. Some scholars, however, remain skeptical about this claim.