Dr. phil. Anna-Eva Nebowsky

Institute for Medical Ethics and History of Medicine
Ruhr University Bochum Malakowturm
Markstraße 258a
44799 Bochum
Germany








Anna-eva.nebowsky@rub.de

My research focuses on the intersection of medical ethics and the sociology of medicine. My work centres on dementia and couple relationships, live-in care provided by migrants, and vulnerability and moral conflicts in healthcare. I also explore ethical issues surrounding new technologies in psychiatry, as well as qualitative and ethnographic research methods.

Before I worked at the Institute for Medical Ethics and History of Medicine at Ruhr University Bochum, I was based in the Departments of Ethics in Medicine and Prevention and Rehabilitation Science at Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, where my work included the German-Israeli collaborative project MoDeCare, which focused on live-in care provided by migrants to people with dementia. As part of a tandem fellowship from the European Centre for Advanced Studies, I also conducted research into the perspectives of people with dementia in collaboration with Paula Jacobs from the University of Edinburgh.<br/>Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

I completed my PhD in Sociology at the Technical University of Berlin in 2024. In my doctoral thesis, ‘Communicative Co-Construction of Couple Relationships in the Context of Dementia’, I examined, on the basis of a multi-year ethnographic study, how couples communicatively maintain and adapt their relationship whilst living with dementia. The thesis has been published as a monograph in the ‘Randgebiete des Sozialen’ series by Beltz Juventa.<br/>Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

I completed my degree in social sciences and the interdisciplinary Master’s programme ‘Culture and the Individual’ at Ruhr University Bochum. My academic career has taken me to, amongst other places, the German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases in Witten, the Institute for Cultural Studies in Essen, Aalborg University and King’s College London.<br/>

Lebenslauf
Arbeitsschwerpunkte
Publikationen

Book

  • Nebowsky, Anna-Eva (2026). Couple Relationships and Dementia. A Videography of Relational Practices. Hitzler, Ronald, Knoblauch, Hubert, Schneider, Werner & Zifonun, Darius (eds.), Peripheral Areas of the Social. Weinheim: Beltz Juventa. Link

Articles in peer-reviewed journals

Book chapters and articles in anthologies

  • Reichertz, Jo & Nebowsky, Anna-Eva (2025). Video data in the analysis of communication with people diagnosed with dementia. In René Wilke and Hubert Knoblauch (eds.), Videography and Video Analysis. Contributions to the collection, analysis and use of video data in qualitative research. Beltz Juventa
  • Nebowsky, Anna-Eva (2024). Ethnography in dementia – a shift in perspective. Being a person through being a couple. In Sonja Teupen, Jonathan Serbser-Koal, Franziska Laporte Uribe, Claudia Dinand & Martina Roes (eds.), Qualitative Research on Dementia. Papers from the Witten Methods Forum 2021. Weinheim: Beltz Juventa. pp. 137–156.
  • Nebowsky, Anna-Eva & Spiekermann, Nils (2021). Communicative Death through Dementia? How Relational Identity Gains Communicative Power. In Oliver Bidlo, Verena Keysers, Michael Roslon & Norbert Schröer (eds.), Facets of Communicative Power. Statements, Illustrations, Suggestions. Weinheim: Beltz. pp. 180–198.
  • Reichertz, Jo, Keysers, Verena & Nebowsky, Anna-Eva (2020). Providing each other with a framework. Coordinating actions at the boundaries of communication. In Jo Reichertz (ed.), Boundaries of Communication – Communication at the Boundaries. Velbrück Wissenschaft. pp. 217–237. Keysers, Verena & Nebowsky, Anna-Eva (2020). On ‘saluto-centrism’ and the pitfalls of interpreting ethnographic situations relating to communication and dementia. In Angelika Poferl et al. (eds.), Ethnography of the Situation. Essen: Oldib-Verlag. pp. 455–470.

Translations of clinical instruments

  • Stacke, Tobias, Bergmann, Johannes, Ströbel, Armin, Müller-Widmer, René, Purwins, Daniel, Manietta, Christina, Rommerskirch, Mike, Nebowsky, Anna-Eva et al. (2020). Preferences for Everyday Living Inventory (PELI): Studienprotokoll zur Pilotierung eines kultursensiblen und einstellungsspezifischen, ins Deutsche übersetzten Instruments in deutschen Pflegeeinrichtungen (PELI-D). BMJ Open, 10(1)

Position papers

In the media

Lectures

  • Comforting and Disturbing Dimensions of Live-in Care: An Empirical Bioethical Perspective. World Congress of Bioethics, Johannesburg, South Africa, 8.–10. Juli 2026.
  • Couplehood in Medical Ethics. World Congress of Bioethics, Johannesburg, South Africa, 8.–10. Juli 2026.
  • An international comparison of live-in care for people with dementia – Germany and Israel (keynote speech). Symposium ‘Live-in care: a model for the future or a thing of the past?’, Institute for Cultural Studies, Essen, 27–28 November 2025
  • Dementia Care and the Polycrisis: Comparative Perspectives from Germany and Scotland. Aging & Social Change: Fifteenth Interdisciplinary Conference „Aging, Intergenerational Solidarity and the Polycrisis“, Linköping University, Norrköping, Schweden, 22.–24. Oktober 2025.
  • Moral Conflicts in Israeli and German Migrant Live-in Care (Plenary Session). Aging & Social Change: Fifteenth Interdisciplinary Conference „Aging, Intergenerational Solidarity and the Polycrisis“, Linköping University, Norrköping, Schweden, 22.–24. Oktober 2025.
  • Negotiating Roles and Informal Care Concepts in Dementia Live-in Arrangements. 35th Alzheimer Europe Conference „Connecting Science and Communities: The Future of Dementia Care“, Bologna Congress Center, Italien, 6.–8. Oktober 2025.
  • The Impact of Medical Technologies on Partner Relationships: Ethical Considerations. EACME Annual Conference 2025 „Responsible Innovation: Ethical Perspectives on Health Care Research and Practice“, Institut für Biomedizinische Ethik und Medizingeschichte, Universität Zürich, 11.–13. September 2025.
  • Ethical considerations regarding the duty of care and care technology. Spring conference of the Academy for Ethics in Medicine: ‘Current Perspectives in Medical and Health Ethics Research’, online, 13 March 2025.
  • Entangled Vulnerabilities in Live-in Care Arrangements in Germany. MoDeCare International Hybrid Project Conference „Ethical Aspects of Migrant Live-in Care in Context: International Perspectives: Ethical and Social-Psychological Perspectives“, Abteilung Ethik in der Medizin, Universität Oldenburg, in Kooperation mit der Bar-Ilan-Universität, Ramat Gan, hybrid, 3.–4. März 2025.
  • Dementia and Everyday Experiences of Care and Caring. European Centre for Advanced Studies Fellow Conference, Universität Osnabrück, hybrid, 4.–5. November 2024
  • Ethical dilemmas in the home care of people with dementia provided by a live-in carer: An analysis from the perspectives of care ethics and family ethics. AEM Annual Conference 2024 ‘Medicine as a Profession’, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, 26–28 September 2024.
  • Ethical and social aspects of the Innovation and Transfer Hub for Care Technologies (keynote speech delivered on behalf of Prof. Dr Mark Schweda). Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, September 2024.
  • Vulnerabilities in Migrant Home Care for Older Persons with Dementia: A Comparative Study of Experts’ Views from Israel and Germany. Aging & Social Change: Fourteenth Interdisciplinary Conference „Diversity Over Time: Changes in Individual, Organizational, and Place Contexts“, Institute for Lifecourse and Society, University of Galway, 18.–20. September 2024.
  • Care Across Borders: A Practice-Oriented Analysis of Vulnerabilities in Migrant Live-in Home Care for Persons with Dementia in Germany and Israel. EACME Annual Conference „Translating Ethics into Healthcare Practice and Research: Potentials and Risks“, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, 12.–14. September 2024.
  • The significance of norms and values in intimate relationships for medical ethics. AEM Spring Conference 2024: ‘Current Perspectives in Medical and Health Ethics Research’, online, 24 April 2024.
  • Dementia Home Care Involving Migrant Live-in Carers: Comparative Analysis of Experts’ Views in Germany and Israel. „Putting Care in Context: Care Ethics, Care Constellations, and Caring Communities“, Abteilung Ethik in der Medizin, Universität Oldenburg, in Kooperation mit der Bar-Ilan-Universität, Ramat Gan, digital, März 2024.
  • Aging in Foreign Company: A Care and Family Ethical Analysis of Moral Conflicts in the Home Care of People with Dementia by a Live-in Carer. Conference „Age and Care Graz 2023: Aging in a Caring Society? Theories in Conversation“, Universität Graz, 20.–22. September 2023.
  • Moral Conflicts in Familial Dementia Care Involving Migrant Live-in Carers in Germany and Israel: A Comparative-Ethical Exploration and Analysis. EACME Annual Conference „Facing Disruption: Challenges to Bioethics, Human Rights and Democracy“, Universität Warschau, 14.–16. September 2023.
  • Small and Secret Lifeworld of Live-in Carers in Germany: Practical and Ethical Challenges of Ethnographic Interviews. Workshop „Re-thinking Narrative Methods of Intersectional Research: Gender, Migration, and Age(ing) in the Context of Care Practices“, Universität Graz, 14.–15. Juni 2023.
  • People with dementia, live-in carers and family carers as a triadic constellation: ethical challenges and methodological reflection on multi-perspective field research. Conference: ‘Field Research in Medicine: The Added Value and Challenges of Ethnographic Approaches to Health’, University of Augsburg, 23–24 March 2023.
  • Live-in Carers in Germany: High Demand vs. Unreasonable Expectations – First Insights from Agencies and Main Carers of People with Dementia. Workshop „Moral Conflicts in Familial Dementia Care Involving Live-in Carers: Ethical and Social-Psychological Perspectives“, Abteilung Ethik in der Medizin, Universität Oldenburg, in Kooperation mit der Bar-Ilan-Universität, Ramat Gan, hybrid, 15. Februar 2023.
  • Relational cues in the development of couple relationships in dementia. Workshop ‘Seeing and Noticing – Videoanalysis in Action (XI)’, Philipps University of Marburg, 21–22 October 2021.
  • ‘Cornern’ on the Tana: A concert at a tolerated urban meeting place. Joint conference of the German Sociological Association and the Austrian Sociological Association: ‘Post-Corona Society? Pandemic, Crisis and their Consequences’, online, 23–25 August 2021.
  • Beauty practices in an accelerated society: In search of experiences of resonance? Thomas Morus Academy, Bensberg, July 2021.
  • Ethnographic observations of couples living with dementia. Witten Methods Forum: ‘Qualitative research with people living with dementia – Quo vadis?’, online, March 2021.
  • Relationship and Dementia in Couples. Kulturwissenschaftliches Institut Essen, digital, Mai 2020.
  • Communication and Dementia from Couples’ Perspectives. King’s College Business School, London, März 2020.
  • DFG research project ‘Communication and Dementia’: Everyday communication among people living with a diagnosis of dementia. Conference: ‘Why does communicative action exert power even without violence or domination? A discussion of Jo Reichertz’s concept of “communicative power”’, Institute for Cultural Studies, Essen, December 2019.
  • The DFG project ‘Communication and Dementia: Couple Relationships and Couple Interaction’. Gerontopsychiatry Working Group, City of Herne, December 2019.
  • Relationships between partners in the context of dementia. Workshop: ‘Seeing and Noticing – Video Analysis in Action (X): Breaks, Boundaries and Crises in Social Interaction’, Institute for Nursing Science, Witten, 28–29 November 2019
  • On the saluto-centrism of interpretative sociology and the pitfalls of interpreting ethnographic situations relating to the topic of ‘Communication and Dementia’. Fulda Fieldwork Days, Fulda University of Applied Sciences, July 2019.
  • Social interaction among people with frontotemporal dementia and their family carers. Workshop ‘Seeing and Noticing – Video Analysis in Action (IX): Focuses’, Technical University of Berlin, 2–3 May 2019.
  • The loss and development of communicative power among people with dementia and their relatives. Workshop: ‘Communication at the Limits – Limits of Communication’, Working Group on Communicative Constructivism, Institute for Cultural Studies, Essen, 16–17 November 2018.
  • The Sociology of Heavy Metal. Event: ‘Music on the Fringes’, Institute for Cultural Studies, Essen, October 2018.
  • People with frontotemporal dementia and their carers: A video interaction analysis as part of the AMEO-FTD study. Workshop ‘Seeing and Noticing – Videoanalysis in Action (VII): Action and the Interconnection of Objects, Bodies and Knowledge’, Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, April 2018.