German Institute for Global and Area Studies | Leibniz-Institut für Globale und Regionale Studien

German Institute for Global and Area Studies | Leibniz-Institut für Globale und Regionale Studien

DEEN

Prof. Dr. Sabine Kurtenbach

President (ad interim)

Prof. Dr. Sabine Kurtenbach

  • Short CV

    • Since 04/2024: President of the GIGA (ad interim)
    • 08/2023-03/2024: Co-Leader of the GIGA Institute for Latin American Studies (ad interim)
    • Since 06/2018: Honorary professorship at the Philipps-University Marburg
    • 06/2018 - 01/2020: Acting Director of the GIGA Institute of Latin American Studies
    • 09/2006 - 10/2008: Senior Researcher DSF-Project "Societal and political Fractures after War: Youth Violence in Cambodia and Guatemala", INEF, University Duisburg-Essen.
    • Since 1993: Senior Researcher of the GIGA Institute of Latin American Studies, research interests: peace and conflict, security policies, youth Regional focus Central America, Andean Region.
    • Since 1992: Independent Consultant (among others for the Foreign Ministry, Minis-try of Development Cooperation, GTZ, Bertelsmann Transformation Index).
    • 1991: PhD in Political Science, University of Hamburg.
    • 1990 - 1992: Researcher at the Research Center on Wars, Armament and Development, University of Hamburg.
    • 1987 - 1990: Researcher at the Institute of Political Science University of Hamburg (Prof. Dr. K.J. Gantzel), Coordination of the Research Group on Cau-ses of War.
    • 1987: Researcher at the Institute for Iberoamerican Studies, Hamburg (July - September)
    • Education: Studies in Political Science, Spanish, Contemporary History in Madrid, Erlangen, Sevilla and Hamburg

    Current Research

    • Postwar Societies

    • Violence and Social change

    • Youth

    Countries and Regions

    • Central America

    • Colombia

    Prof. Dr. Sabine Kurtenbach

    President (ad interim)

    T. +49 (40) 42825-570[email protected]

    Highlights

    The Entanglements of Peace: Reflections on the long road of transforming the armed conflict in Colombia

    Edited Volume | FESCOL Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Colombia | 08/2021

    The Entanglements of Peace: Reflections on the long road of transforming the armed conflict in Colombia

    The publication of this study, which seeks to analyse and understand the variety of conceptions of peace in Colombia, comes at a key but complex moment. The context of the pandemic has not only had an impact on the health of the Colombian population, but also on the quality of life of households.

    Prof. Dr. Sabine Kurtenbach

    President (ad interim)

    Kristina Birke Daniels

    Friedrich Ebert Foundation Colombia

    Building Pathways to Peace: State–Society Relations and Security Sector Reform

    Elements in International Relations | Cambridge University Press | 11/2023

    Building Pathways to Peace: State–Society Relations and Security Sector Reform

    Local actors should be involved in peacebuilding processes and security sector reforms (SSR). The book presents a feminist and intersectoral conceptualisation of SSR as well as quantitative and qualitative findings from 42 post-conflict societies as well as from Afghanistan and Colombia. Open Access until 11 December 2023!

    Dr. Nadine Ansorg

    Associate

    Prof. Dr. Sabine Kurtenbach

    President (ad interim)

    How to deal with Non-state Armed Actors

    Infographic | 09/2023

    How to deal with Non-state Armed Actors

    Dealing with NSAAs is complicated and complex shifting between repression and dialogue. NSAAs are highly flexibkle and able to adapt to changing local and global contexts. Policies must be comprehensive and include local communities as well as structural drivers of violence.

    Prof. Dr. Sabine Kurtenbach

    President (ad interim)

    Yannick Deepen

    Former GIGA Team member

    Publications

    Infographic | 09/2025

    Demographic (Dis)Continuities in Peace Concepts Within and Across Six Countries

    Explore how answers differ within and across countries. Heatmaps display the distribution of top ranked concepts by region, sex, age, and socioeconomic status. The tool supports side by side comparison, helping identify consistent divides and bridges across groups.

    Prof. Dr. Sabine Kurtenbach

    President (ad interim)

    Eduardo Valencia

    Outreach Administrator

    Infographic | 09/2025

    For You, Peace Is…? Open Responses from Six Countries

    Explore how people across Cameroon, Colombia, the Philippines, South Sudan, Tunisia, and Venezuela describe peace in their own words. The interactive cloud shows terms by frequency and reveals full quotations on hover, making local meanings and shared themes visible at a glance.

    Prof. Dr. Sabine Kurtenbach

    President (ad interim)

    Eduardo Valencia

    Outreach Administrator

    Infographic | 09/2025

    Ranked Concepts of Peace Across Six Countries: Fourteen Concepts Ranked by Respondents, Visualized with Distributions and Country Comparisons.

    See how respondents ranked fourteen concepts related to peace, from safety to rights and change. Interactive bar charts and rank distributions highlight national profiles and common ground, inviting comparison across the six countries.

    Prof. Dr. Sabine Kurtenbach

    President (ad interim)

    Eduardo Valencia

    Outreach Administrator

    GIGA Focus Latin America | 2/2025

    Latin America: Germany’s Indispensable Partner

    Trump’s disruptive policies could inadvertently provide the impetus to bring Europe and Latin America closer together. With smart policies, the incoming German government can leverage shared interests for a renewed partnership.

    Prof. Dr. Bert Hoffmann

    Dr. Jonas von Hoffmann

    Prof. Dr. Sabine Kurtenbach

    Prof. Dr. Mariana Llanos

    Janaina Maldonado Guerra da Cunha

    Dr. Tomas Costa de Azevedo Marques

    Prof. Dr. Detlef Nolte

    Désirée Marlen Reder

    Dr. Samuel Siewers

    Dr. Cordula Tibi Weber

    World Development | 03/2025

    Non-State Armed Actors, War Economies and Postwar Violence: Examining the Connections

    Do war economies thwart postwar transformations and peacebuilding? This paper reveals a complex relationship shaped by political regimes and state capacities. It suggests that postwar countries can strengthen democratic institutions and state presence, rather than being inherently doomed by their war economies.

    Prof. Dr. Sabine Kurtenbach

    Prof. Dr. Angelika Rettberg

    Dr. Gabriel Rosero

    Dr. José Salguero

    Research Projects

    Research Project | 01/04/2023 - 31/03/2027

    Context Matters – Country-Specific Politico-Economic Analyses, Conflict and Crisis Potentials, as well as Global and Regional Trends / Phase III

    The achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and the strategic capability of German development cooperation in the context of the BMZ 2030 reform concept are based on in-depth knowledge of country-specific, regional and global developments. The GIGA provides annual information on actors and governance structures as well as on conflict potentials in countries of the Global South. Additionally, important regional and global trends are analysed with a comparative area perspective.
    BMZ, 2023-2027

    Research Project | 01/03/2021 - 31/08/2022

    COVID-19 and the Dynamics of (Post-)War Violence: Lessons from Colombia and Syria

    What are the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the dynamics of violence during and after civil wars? The project analyses the pandemic-related reconfiguration of social and political orders in a comparative study of Syria and Colombia at subnational levels. In this way, it will provide new knowledge on violence dynamics in two of the most complex conflicts today and be able to suggest crucial lessons for similar (post-)war contexts in other parts of the world.
    Volkswagen Foundation, 2021-2022

    Research Project | 01/01/2021 - 31/03/2024

    Democratizing Security in Turbulent Times

    How is security provided in turbulent times and how does this affect the relationship between democracy and security? The proposed research training group examines fundamental reconfigurations of the relationship between security and democracy against the backdrop of growing political and societal polarisation, the advent of new digital technologies and the rescaling of security to arenas below and beyond the state.
    Landesforschungsförderung Hamburg, 2021-2023

    Research Project | 01/01/2021 - 31/12/2026

    Leibniz Research Network "Environmental Crises - Crisis Environments"

    The Leibniz Research Network "Environmental Crises - Crisis Environments" (Leibniz CrisEn), led by PRIF, bundles and networks the professional and methodological-technical competencies of 15 Leibniz Institutes in the environmental, life, spatial, social and economic sciences. The researchers of the participating institutions record and investigate crisis-like environmental changes and the interactions between the scientific and social phenomena that underlie the attributions or denials of the changes in our environment as crises.
    Leibniz Association, 2021 - 2026

    Media Contributions

    ZDF Heute | Interview | 13/11/2025

    Nur Kampf gegen Drogenhandel? Was Trumps Vorgehen in Venezuela bedeutet

    US-Präsident Donald Trump zeigt vor Venezuelas Küste militärische Stärke, offiziell im Kampf gegen Drogenkartelle. Expert:innen, darunter Prof. Dr. Sabine Kurtenbach, sehen dahinter auch andere Interessen.

     

    Deutsche Welle | Interview | 12/11/2025

    Warum Trump in der Karibik die Muskeln spielen lässt

    Was will Präsident Trump vor Venezuelas Küsten - Drogenhandel bekämpfen oder einen Regimewechsel?

    Deutsche Welle | Quote | 29/10/2025

    El derecho internacional y una eventual invasión a Venezuela

    La justificación de una incursión militar estadounidense en territorio venezolano y las consecuencias que esta tendría están en discusión. Un análisis desde el terreno legal al político y práctico.

    Lectures

    Research | 05/11/2025

    Desafíos de las Drogas y el Crimen Organizado: Estrategias Integrales y Responsabilidades Compartidas

    As a side-event to the 2025 EU-CELAC summit in Colombia, this event brings together European and Latin American academics and stakeholders to discuss the challenges of drug policy and organised crime, which affect both continents.

    Janaina Maldonado Guerra da Cunha

    Dr. Jonas von Hoffmann

    Prof. Dr. Sabine Kurtenbach

    Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, Costa Rica Office (KAS) | 10/04/2025

    Current Political Challenges and Prospects in Central America

    Organiser: Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, Costa Rica Office (KAS), Konrad Adenauer Foundation Désirée Marlen Reder (Consultant), Prof. Dr. Sabine Kurtenbach (Consultant)

    In a bilateral exchange with the incoming Konrad Adenauer Foundation regional representative based in Costa Rica, we addressed Central America's geopolitical role, drug trafficking dynamics, continental power struggles, the current situation at the Panama Canal, and upcoming elections in the region.

    Désirée Marlen Reder

    Doctoral Researcher

    Prof. Dr. Sabine Kurtenbach

    President (ad interim)

    Cooperation Event | 07/04/2025 - 08/04/2025

    Experts Workshop Port Cities Fighting Transatlantic Drug Trafficking

    Experts Workshop Port Cities Fighting Transatlantic Drug Trafficking, Hamburg International Maritime Museum, Hamburg Organisers: German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA), EU-LAC Foundation Prof. Dr. Sabine Kurtenbach (Organiser), Julia Kramer (Organiser), Dr. Jonas von Hoffmann (Organiser), Janaina Maldonado Guerra da Cunha (Organiser), PD Dr. Dr. Ariel Macaspac Hernandez (Organiser), Eduardo Valencia (Organiser)

    Experts from diverse fields gather to explore the challenges of illicit drug trafficking from Latin America to Europe and beyond. Focusing on ports as key hubs, they examine underlying dynamics and emerging trends, available data and common misconceptions, community impacts and civil society’s role.

    Prof. Dr. Sabine Kurtenbach

    Julia Kramer

    Dr. Jonas von Hoffmann

    Janaina Maldonado Guerra da Cunha

    PD Dr. Dr. Ariel Macaspac Hernandez

    Eduardo Valencia

    Teaching

    Teaching | Philipps-Universität Marburg (UMR) | 2020

    Lateinamerika brennt

    Philipps-Universität Marburg (UMR) Marburg Germany

    Mittelseminar Friedens- und Konfliktforschung FB 03

    Teaching | University of Hamburg (UHH) | 2015

    Violence and Inequality in Latin America

    University of Hamburg (UHH) Hamburg Germany

    Teaching | University of Hamburg (UHH) | 2011

    Youth and Violence

    University of Hamburg (UHH) Hamburg Germany

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