Dr. Matthias Schneider (he/him) is a sociologist with research interests in gender studies, critical masculinity studies, and diversity studies. His work focuses particularly on internationalization, tertiary education, displacement, organizations, and law.

He studied sociology at Friedrich Schiller University Jena and Otto Friedrich University Bamberg and spent semesters abroad at the University of Copenhagen. His PhD at Goethe University Frankfurt explored gender constructions in the biographies of refugee men from Eritrea. Supervised by Prof. Dr. Helma Lutz and Prof. Dr. Susanne Spindler, his dissertation was funded by a scholarship from the German National Academic Foundation. During this time, he also worked as a lecturer at the University of Applied Sciences Düsseldorf.

As a postdoctoral researcher, he was part of the DFG research group "Law – Gender – Collectivity" at the University of Potsdam, working under the chair of organizational sociology held by Prof. Dr. Maja Apelt. His research focused on gender equality in consumer organizations. Currently, he is affiliated with the Einstein Professorship "Sociology with a Focus on Gender Studies" held by Prof. Dr. Kathrin Zippel, where he examines issues of internationalization, return migration, and diversity.

Lectures for Academic Audiences

• Book Launch: Contested Law. Feminist Perspectives on a New Common
  FOR – Law, Gender, Collectivity, Humboldt University of Berlin
  Berlin, 9. July 2025
• The 'Talahon' as a Figure of Social Attribution: Racialized Masculinities in Public Discourse
  Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences, AStA (Student Union)
  Online, 12. June 2025
• Contested Flight: How Heteronormative Gender Relations Shape Causes, Experiences and Political Debate
  35th Feminist Study Day, Faculty of Protestant Theology, University of Marburg
  Marburg, 22. January 2025
• Feminist Perspectives on Law, Gender and Collectivity
  Final Conference of the DFG Research Group 'Law – Gender – Collectivity', Humboldt-Universität Berlin
  Berlin, 31. May 2024
• Who is 'the Consumer'? Orientations and Boundaries Between Law, Politics, and Science
  Final Conference of the DFG Research Group 'Law – Gender – Collectivity', Humboldt-Universität Berlin
  Berlin, 31. May 2024
• Consumer Organizations as a Driving Force for Gender Justice? An organizational, legal, and gender-theoretical perspective on the field of consumer organizations
  DGfE Section for Organizational Education Congress, HTW Saar University of Applied Sciences
  Saarbrücken, 29. February 2024
• The Gender Crisis Behind the Polycrises? On the necessity of gender-sensitive consumer policy
  Center for Consumer Research, Workshop on Consumer Policy in the Polycrisis, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf
  Düsseldorf, 6. November 2023
• Consumer Protection Meets Anti-Discrimination? On the (non-)mobilization of anti-discrimination (law) by consumer associations
  Congress of Sociology of Law, University of Innsbruck
  Innsbruck, 22. September 2023
• Unmasking Masculinities: Exploring the Nexus of Male Violence and Masculinities of Solidarity in Human Smuggling
  ISA Congress (International Sociological Association), Melbourne, Australia
  Online, 28. July 2023
• The Organization of Consumer Protection: Political Actors and Legal Framework
  Guest lecture by invitation of Dr. Anna Rößner, European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder)
  Frankfurt (Oder), 16. November 2022
• The Relationship Between Masculinity and Flight: A Biographical Reassessment
  Conference on Refugee and Forced Migration Research, Chemnitz University of Technology
  Chemnitz, 29. September 2022
• Masculinities and Femininities in the Context of Forced Migration: Intersectional Impulses for Research and Practice
  Conference on Refugee and Forced Migration Research, Chemnitz University of Technology
  Chemnitz, 29. September 2022
• Between Desert and Sea: Male Violence and Masculinities of Solidarity in the Context of Flight
  DGS/ÖGS Congress (German/Austrian Sociological Association)
  Online, 25. August 2021
• Renegotiations of Gendered Selves: Transformations of Masculinity in the Lifestories of Eritrean Refugees
  ISA Congress (International Sociological Association)
  Online, 24. February 2021
• Focus on Masculinity Studies: History, Applications, Theories
  Guest lecture by invitation of Dr. Konstantin Klein, University of Bamberg
  Bamberg, 23. December 2020
• Roundtable Refugee and Migration Regimes in Africa
  Conference on Refugee and Forced Migration Studies
  Online, 18. September 2020
• "I Don't Want to Be a Soldier for Life Time" (Re-)Constructions of Masculinities in the Life Stories of Eritrean Refugees
  International Symposium on Men and Masculinities, Özyegin University
  Istanbul, 13. September 2019
• Refugee Eritrean Men Telling Their Stories: Constructing Masculinity and Identity in Life Histories
  African Connections, University of Leipzig
  Leipzig, 29. June 2018
• (Multiply) Marginalized Men? On Identity Construction Among Refugees from Eritrea
  DGfE Congress, University of Duisburg-Essen
  Duisburg-Essen, 21. March 2018
• Let’s Talk about Manhood! Negotiating Habitual Incertainty in Men Coaching, Changing Power Relations and the Drag Effects of Habitus
  Changing Power Relations and the Drag Effects of Habitus, University of Münster
  Münster, 9. September 2016

Conference and Event Organization

• Conference "Diversity as a Challenge for Higher Education Policy"
  Lead Coordinator for Guests, Budget, Marketing, Venue, and Program Flow
  27. November 2024
• Tagung „Contested Law. Feminist Perspectives on a New Common“
  Program Coordination for the Entire Conference Duration
  29. May 2024
• DeZIM lunch discussion "What Does Forced Migration Have to Do with Masculinity?"
  Moderation und Koordination des Live-Streams auf Youtube
  7. October 2021
  Zur Veranstaltung
• Roundtable "Caring Masculinities – Opportunities and Limitations for Refugee Research"
  Conference on Refugee and Forced Migration Studies
  18. September 2020
• Panel "Masculinities and Forced Migration"
  Conference of the Refugee Research Network
  5. October 2018

Lectures for Professional Audiences

• Refugee Men – Beyond Stereotypes: Nuanced Insights into Life Realities and Experiences
  Final Event, Male.Young.Refugee, Diakonie Württemberg & LAG Jugendsozialarbeit Baden-Württemberg, Stuttgart
  Stuttgart, 1. July 2025
• Refugee Men – Beyond Stereotypes: Nuanced Insights into Life Realities and Experiences
  Charité – University Medicine Berlin
  Berlin, 18. December 2024
• How Equal Are We? A Look at the Current State of Gender Equality in Germany
  Event for International Women’s Day, Din Institute (non-profit association)
  Berlin, 15. March 2024
• Queer People in Forced Migration: How Can Help and Protection from Discrimination Be Ensured?
  Protestant Academy of Berlin
  Berlin, 15. February 2022
• Men and Gender Equality: Online Lecture at the Equality Forum
  Gender Equality Office, City of Viernheim
  Online, 18. August 2021
• Proud Boys, Incels, Student Fraternities – Fear of Losing Male Dominance?
  Critical Orientation Week Group, University of Leipzig
  Online, 23. October 2020
• Burschis Revisited 2.0 – The Most Masculine of All Men? (original title in German)
  Alternative Culture Coburg Association
  Coburg, 10. June 2019
• Flight, Asylum and Arrival. A Sociological Perspective
  The Right to Pursue Happiness, Ubuntu Passion Art Association
  Frankfurt am Main, 3. November 2018
• What Do Asylum Laws Do to Masculinity? Constructions of Masculinity in Contexts of Tension
  The Man as a Feminist (lecture series), German Academic Scholarship Foundation
  Berlin, 19. October 2018
• The Crisis of Masculinity – Where to with Johannes?
  DGS Congress Science Slam, University of Bamberg
  Bamberg, 28. September 2016
• Masculinity/Masculinities and Migration – A Sociological Perspective
  Seminar: Integrationschancen von männlichen Geflüchteten, Coburg University of Applied Sciences
  Coburg, 12. April 2016
• Rethinking Masculinity – A Sociological Perspective
  Alternative Culture Coburg Association
  Coburg, 16. January 2016

Edited Volumes

Forschungsgruppe „Recht – Geschlecht – Kollektivität“ (Hrsg.). (2025). Recht umkämpft. Feministische Perspektiven auf ein neues Gemeinsames. Budrich. https://doi.org/10.3224/84743101

Scheibelhofer, P. & Schneider, M. (2021). Zeitschrift für Flucht- und Flüchtlingsforschung. Special Issue Männlichkeit und Flucht, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.5771/2509-9485-2021-1

Monographs

Schneider, M. (2023). Männlichkeit und Flucht: Biographische Perspektiven auf die Lebensgeschichten aus Eritrea geflüchteter Männer. Gesellschaft und Geschlecht: Bd. 79. Springer VS. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-41767-3

Peer-Reviewed Articles

Schneider, M. (2025). Zwischen Kochtopf und Gleichstellung: Geschlechterwissen in Verbraucher:innenorganisationen. Open Gender Journal, 9. https://doi.org/10.17169/ogj.2025.346

Schneider, M. (2025). Die übersehene Verletzbarkeit? Erfahrungen geflüchteter Männer zwischen Leid, Solidarität und Gewalt. Zeitschrift für Soziologie. https://doi.org/10.1515/zfsoz-2025-2003

Schneider, M. (2021). Marginalisiert Flucht Männlichkeit? Lebensgeschichtliche (Re-)Konstruktionen von Männlichkeit im Kontext der Flucht aus Eritrea. Zeitschrift für Flüchtlingsforschung, 5(1), 77–108. https://doi.org/10.5771/2509-9485-2021-1-77

Book Chapters in Peer-Reviewed Publications

Hark, S., Schneider, M. & Wielowiejski, P. (2025). Wie für ein neues Gemeinsames gekämpft wird: Einleitendes zu den Fallstudien. In Forschungsgruppe „Recht – Geschlecht – Kollektivität“ (Hrsg.), Recht umkämpft. Feministische Perspektiven auf ein neues Gemeinsames (S. 15–17). Budrich.https://doi.org/10.3224/84743101.02

Schneider, M. & Löckmann, T. (2025). Kämpfen Menstruierende und Verbraucher*innen gemeinsam? Eine Analyse des umkämpften Allgemeinen und neuen Gemeinsamen von Menstruationsbewegung und Verbraucherzentralen. In Forschungsgruppe „Recht – Geschlecht – Kollektivität“ (Hrsg.), Recht umkämpft. Feministische Perspektiven auf ein neues Gemeinsames (S. 113–134). Budrich. https://doi.org/10.3224/84743101.07 

Schneider, M. (2025). Vom Scheitern an Rechtstexten und Weiterdenken in sozialen Prozessen: Eine qualitativ-soziologische Adaption des ReWritings am Beispiel des diversitätssensiblen Verbraucher*innenschutzes. In Forschungsgruppe „Recht – Geschlecht – Kollektivität“ (Hrsg.), Recht umkämpft. Feministische Perspektiven auf ein neues Gemeinsames. (S. 265–280). Budrich. https://doi.org/10.3224/84743101.16

Scheibelhofer, P. & Schneider, M. (2021). Männlichkeit und Flucht zusammendenken: Eine Einleitung. Zeitschrift für Flucht- und Flüchtlingsforschung, 5(1), 3–12. https://doi.org/10.5771/2509-9485-2021-1-3

Schneider, M. & Stuber, L. (2019). Was machen Asylgesetze mit Männlichkeit? Hegemoniale Männlichkeitskonstruktionen im Spannungsverhältnis. In S. Berghahn & U. Schultz (Hrsg.), Rechtshandbuch für Frauen und Gleichstellungsbeauftragte (Loseblatt, Stand Februar 2019). Dashöfer.

Blogs, Reports, Transcribed Roundtable Discussions

Forschungsgruppe „Recht – Geschlecht – Kollektivität“ (2025). Kollektiv forschen revisited. Transdisziplinäres Arbeiten zu Recht – Geschlecht – Kollektivität. Ein Rundgespräch. In Forschungsgruppe „Recht – Geschlecht – Kollektivität“ (Hrsg.), Recht umkämpft. Feministische Perspektiven auf ein neues Gemeinsames (S. 308–332). Budrich. https://doi.org/10.3224/84743101.19

Schneider, M. (2023). Eine neue Perspektive auf Flucht und Männlichkeit. Blog Interdisziplinäre Geschlechterforschung. https://www.gender-blog.de/beitrag/flucht-maennlichkeit, https://doi.org/10.17185-/gender/20231010

Schneider, M. & Löckmann, T. (2022). Geschlechtergerechtigkeit im Verbraucher*innenschutz? Genderblog der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. https://genderblog.hu-berlin.de/geschlechtergerechtigkeit-im-verbraucher_innenschutz/

Stöver, H., Mittel, K., Schneider, M., Grundmann, J., Kuhn, S. & Zurhold, H. (2018). Geflüchtete Menschen und Drogen-/Abhängigkeitsproblematik: Expertise im Auftrag des Bundesministeriums für Gesundheit. Institut für Suchtforschung. Verfügbar unter Researchgate