Manuel is a doctoral researcher on the DFG-funded project consortium “Commodifying the Wild”. His research focuses on the sourcing and processing of olfactory resources and the interplay of local value regimes and production networks in a globalized economy.

Manuel realized his Bachelor’s degree in Social and Cultural Anthropology and Philosophy and a Master’s degree in Social and Cultural Anthropology, both at the University of Cologne. During his studies he developed a focus on economic and ecological interconnections and human nature relations in general. His master thesis delt with valorisation processes of the “Wild”, exemplified on the utilization of local juniper stocks by German gin distilleries.

The GSSC is a very special place to work and conduct research. Due to the multidisciplinary and multiregional orientation of the Institute arises an inspiring atmosphere. This forms the basis for a lively intellectual infrastructure, where a lot of stimulating exchange takes place in the form of events and workshops or just by chatting in the corridor. The GSSC is a place to build a broad-based network that extends far beyond your own research.

Manuel investigates the (illicit) global production networks and supply chains surrounding African sandalwood (Osyris lanceolata). Global demand for sandalwood, fueled by the perfume and cosmetic industry, has increased its value tremendously. As India has depleted its wild stocks of Indian sandalwood (Santalum album) to the brink of extinction, a search for alternatives has begun since the end of the last millennium. African sandalwood, found naturally in Eastern and Southern Africa, offers a cost-effective substitute with similar properties, making it highly sought after.

Despite being declared endangered by CITES in 2004 and receiving various protections in Kenya, including a 2007 presidential ban and a 2013 law imposing life imprisonment for illegal harvesting, the demand for African sandalwood has continued to deplete wild stocks. The illegal trade peaked in the following decade. Much of this sandalwood seems to be used for blending and adulterating the more expensive Indian sandalwood oil, which is frequently counterfeited due to its high value.

Different laws in East African countries lead to complex smuggling routes/supply chains for sandalwood. The research aims to track this (illicit) chains by “following” (Appadurai, Marcus, Harvey) the sandalwood from rural Kenya to the consumer markets in Europa and Asia. While global “supply chain capitalism” makes the flow of commodities fundamentally more complex, more opaque and thus more difficult to trace, it creates “legal grey zones” (Tsing 2009) and spaces for illicit activities, that can be understood as value-creating “dis-“ or “interruptions”. This interweaving of the supply chains of the formal economy and the illegal value chains of the shadow economy opens up new perspectives on the relationship between globalised capitalism and (rare) natural resources in times of ecological crisis.