Dr. Julien Francois Gerber

Biography

Julien-François Gerber is an Associate Professor at the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) at Erasmus University Rotterdam. His research interests lie at the intersection of political economy and sustainability, with a particular focus on the anthropological, psychological, and spiritual dimensions of development. He examines the fundamental institutions regulating ownership and debt systems and their roles in shaping economies and mentalities, conducting fieldwork in agrarian contexts across Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Cameroon, and Ecuador. Gerber is engaged in economic theory, particularly Marxist, institutional, and ecological economics, as well as the politics of knowledge through social movements. His current research revolves around themes of degrowth, rural issues, debt, and ecopsychology, emphasizing the transformative potentials of these areas. He has contributed to the field with significant writings on the processes of transformation, focusing on alienation and spiritual ecology. Gerber holds an MSc from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich and a PhD in political ecology from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, where he was supervised by prominent scholars in the field. He has worked across several universities, including the Royal University of Bhutan and Harvard University, and is currently training in Gestalt psychotherapy. He also engages with PhD students and editorial responsibilities for Development and Change.

Research Interests

Courses