Home. – Sarah Fichtner

/ Photo: Alexander Müller

Hello, my name is Sarah Fichtner. I live in Berlin and, as a social anthropologist, I carry out text- and film-based research, evaluations and scientific monitoring and support of projects in Germany and abroad. Since 2020 I work as project manager at FiBS Research Institute for the Economics of Education and Social Affairs. For an overview of my projects at FiBS click here.

Would you like to explore new terrain with your project or address new target groups and are looking for a scientific advisor? Would you like to examine and improve the effectiveness of previous impulses? Would you like to know what gets through to those who are meant to benefit from your projects and would you like to hear the perspectives of those who implement them? If this is the case, please get in touch with me to discuss future project collaboration.

How I can support you

I offer research, evaluation and consulting at eye level, based on qualitative – and if desired participatory – methods of social research. It is important to me to establish a relationship with those involved in the project in such a way that change is initiated from within and potential is unlocked. I do not stop at the question of whether something works. I examine how something works and identify how this effectiveness can be proven and made tangible.

SERVICES

/ Research
/ Evaluation
/ Consultation
/ Project development and coordination

METHODS

/ Empirical
/ Qualitative
/ Participatory
/ Innovative

OUTPUT

/ Text – report, article, book
/ Film – clip, feature-length film
/ Lecture, presentation
/ Facilitation of workshops
/ Organisation of conferences

Thematic and regional focus

My areas of expertise are in education (with a focus on innovative pedagogical training and social skills), childhoods in the context of flight and migration, and research and consultancy for organisations and public services (bureaucracies).

The regional focus of my projects so far has been in West Africa, especially in Benin; in Central Africa, especially in the Democratic Republic of Congo; and in Germany. I work in German, English and French.

/ Photo: Sarah Fichtner

How film can enrich our cooperation

Since 2014, I have been using film as a medium in my research and consulting projects. I work with various professional filmmakers such as Susanne Dzeik, Paratéba Yaméogo and Guido Borgers. The participatory elements of my film projects, i.e. the involvement of protagonists in the conceptual, content-related and stylistic realisation vary depending on the objectives and the assignment.

Film offers different representational possibilities and modes of impact than text: It directly draws us into the events, makes interconnections tangible and gives “data” a face, a voice and a feeling. The protagonists speak for themselves; they address the public and show themselves as persons. As a participatory method, film can be empowering!

The objective of my film work is to produce a different form of reporting and questioning for research and consulting – in addition to what text can offer. At the same time, film can generate innovative, easily accessible forms of knowledge transfer for practitioners.

Previous clients and employers

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