Dani Haudenschild

University of Kassel (UKS, Germany)

1 - Partnerships in Development Cooperation – Accountability of Development Organizations to Beneficiaries or Those Affected by Projects

Prof. Aram Ziai, Ph.D.

Paving the Earth: Autobahn Infrastructure Development in Hessen, Germany

In the fall of 2020, the environmental conflict over the planned construction of the A49 highway in northern Hesse came to a head when activists set up a forest occupation and a protest camp to support the long-standing local citizens’ initiatives opposing the project. Opponents have expressed concerns about the planned mega-infrastructure project, which runs through forests, nature reserves, and a protected drinking water area serving 500,000 people.

At the same time, rural communities along the transportation corridor are currently suffering from heavy traffic and environmental pollution, which negatively impacts their well-being. The planned A49 highway is linked to a complex network of government, corporate, and other actors who promise to solve local environmental and traffic problems, improve mobility in rural areas, and create economic benefits for local industry.

In this context, I aim to empirically analyze the social and environmental impacts of the A49 highway, focusing on a spectrum of political (re)actions “from below” and “from above.” For my research, I draw on political ecology and a post-development perspective to examine aspects of infrastructure development and the multifaceted environmental conflict. The ethnographic research approach aims to contribute to a better understanding of political processes and practices. I argue that the case of the A49 is emblematic of broader resistance to mega-infrastructure projects in the Global North and exhibits similar yet distinct characteristics of a development project.

• Since 2020: Ph.D. candidate at the Institute for Development and Postcolonial Studies, University of Kassel, Germany
• 2018: Master of Science in International Development Studies, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands. Thesis: “Modernity/Coloniality in the Legitimization of the Agribusiness Industry: The Case of the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor in Tanzania” (Cum Laude)
• 2016: Bachelor of Science in Environmental Economics and Policy, University of California, Berkeley, USA
• 2014: Associate Degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences, Santa Barbara City College, USA (with honors)

• 2021: Full scholarship for doctoral studies from the Hans Böckler Foundation
• 2020: DAAD-STIBET Fellowship for research assistantship, University of Kassel
• 2019: IDleaks Prize for the best master’s thesis on the representation of the Global South