Olivia Frigo-Charles
Olivia Frigo-Charles
ZHAW
School of Social Work
Institute of Diversity and Social Integration
Pfingstweidstrasse 96
8037 Zürich
Work at ZHAW
Position
Research associate, Institute of Diversity and Social Integration, ZHAW Social Work
Focus
Community (development), deindustrialisation, ethnographic working methods, (youth) participation, post-industrialism, social space, intersectionality, gender relations in the private and public spheres, work-life-family-balance
Experience
- Research Associate
Institute of Diversity and Social Integration, ZHAW Social Work
09 / 2021 - today - Scholarship holder UZH Candoc Grant (dissertation project: "Left behind? Formations of crisis and community in deindustrialised South Wales")
Department of Social Anthropology and Cultural Studies, University of Zurich
01 / 2022 - 07 / 2025 - Teaching assistant & conception and realisiation of a student colloquium
Department of Social Anthropology and Cultural Studies, University of Zurich
02 / 2021 - 06 / 2021 - Internship Events and Communication
Karl der Grosse, City of Zurich
09 / 2019 - 08 / 2020
Education and Continuing education
Education
- Master of Arts in Social Sciences / Major Cultural Studies; Minor Gender Studies
University of Zurich
09 / 2019 - 12 / 2021 - Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences / Major Empirical Cultural Studies; Minor Educational Studies
University of Zurich
09 / 2016 - 06 / 2019
Network
Membership of networks
- Empirical Cultural Studies Switzerland (formerly Swiss Folklore Society), Zurichfeet section
- Swiss Association for Gender Studies (SAGS)
ORCID digital identifier
Social media
LinkedIn profile of Olivia Frigo-Charles
Projects
- Domestic workers and Covid-19 / Team member / completed
- Pandemic-resilient Space for Sustainable Cities - Urban Places for the Pandemic Resilience of Young People. / Team member / completed
- Accompanying evaluation of the Disability Rights Action Plan / Team member / completed
- Low-threshold participation of children and young people: recommendations for cantonal policy / Team member / completed
- Institutional prevention of sexual violence in socio-educational institutions / Team member / completed
Publications
Articles in scientific journal, peer-reviewed
- Brandenberg, E., Frigo-Charles, O., Kaschlik, A., & Nägeli, T. (2025). Zwischen Anpassung und Innovation : jugendliche Räume während der Pandemie und die Herausforderungen für die Offene Kinder- und Jugendarbeit. Sozial Extra, 49(1), 22–26. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12054-025-00745-9
- Frigo-Charles, O. (2023). Narrative der Vereinbarkeit : Väter im Spannungsfeld zwischen Familien- und Erwerbsarbeit. Schweizerisches Archiv für Volkskunde, 119(1), 67–82. https://doi.org/10.5169/seals-1042242
Written conference contributions, peer-reviewed
Brandenberg, E., Frigo-Charles, O., Kaschlik, A., & Nägeli, T. (2024). Urban space(s) for young people : a focus for resilient and sustainable cities [Conference paper]. In R. Lastman (Ed.), Livable Cities – London : a critique of issues affecting life in cities (pp. 372–379). AMPS. https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-32724
Other publications
- Brandenberg, E., Frigo-Charles, O., Nägeli, T., Koller, M., & Kaschlik, A. (2025). Zwischen Aneignung und Autorität. SozialAktuell, 2025(8), 24–25. https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-34616
- Frigo-Charles, O. (2025). Forged from the earth : how subterranean resources shaped the lives and culture of South Wales. GeoAgenda, 2025(1), 10–12. https://scnat.ch/de/uuid/i/33b692c9-2b24-5030-bea3-80c776e7b2f3-GeoAgenda_No._12025
- Frigo-Charles, O. (2024). «As Long as We Beat the English» : Rugby als Form des Widerstandes in Wales. das bulletin. https://www.ekws.ch/de/bulletin/post/as-long-as-we-beat-the-english
- Frigo-Charles, O. (2024, June 20). Navigating crises in deindustrialised South Wales. Decisions, Assessment, Risk and Evidence in Social Work (DARE), Zurich, Switzerland, 20- 21 June 2024. https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-30983
- Kaschlik, A., Hollenbacher, P., Brandenberg, E., Nägeli, T., Frigo-Charles, O., & Mey, E. (2024, March). Young people and space - pandemic-resilient spaces for sustainable cities, urban places for the pandemic resilience of young people : a transformative research project. Annual Conference Programme of NRP 80: Covid-19 in Society, Weggis, Schweiz, 7-8 March 2024. https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-30799
- Müller-Suleymanova, D., Frigo-Charles, O., Pizzera, M., Muri Koller, G., Kehl, K., & Nef, S. (2023). Wie kann die Kinder- und Jugendpolitik der Kantone die niederschwellige Partizipation von Kindern und Jugendlichen unterstützen? ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften. https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-28772
- Frigo-Charles, O. (2023). A leap of faith : Erfahrungsbericht über einen Forschungsaufenthalt in Wales. das bulletin. https://www.dasbulletin.ch/post/a-leap-of-faith-erfahrungsbericht-%C3%BCber-einen-forschungsaufenthalt-in-wales
- Frigo-Charles, O., Adili, K., & Sager, D. (2023). Interdisziplinäre Gewaltprävention bei vulnerablen Betroffenengruppen. SozialAktuell, 2023(4), 24–25. https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-29578
- Frigo-Charles, O. (2023). «Ich will nicht Kinder haben, ich will Papa sein.» : zur Vereinbarkeit von Familie und Beruf in der Schweizer Privatwirtschaft mit einem Fokus auf männliche Teilzeitarbeit und Vaterschaftsurlaub (1. Auflage). Universität Zürich, Institut für Sozialanthropologie und Empirische Kulturwissenschaft – Populäre Kulturen. https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-27682
- Kaschlik, A., Brandenberg, E., Frigo-Charles, O., Nägeli, T., Mey, E., & Hollenbach, P. (2023, March 22). Pandemic-resilient spaces for sustainable cities - urban places for the pandemic resilience of young people : transformative research project. SNSF Corona Research Conference, Thun, Switzerland, 21-23 March 2023. https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-27770
- Nef, S., Frigo-Charles, O., Pizzera, M., Streckeisen, P., Gisiger, J., Gertel, E., & Suppa, A. (2022). Politische Partizipationsformen und Motivation von Jugendlichen sich zu engagieren. Bundesamt für Sozialversicherungen BSV. https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-26268
- Nef, S., Baier, D., Adili, K., Frigo-Charles, O., Sager, D., & Wardak, S. (2022). Projektbericht Gewaltprävention bei besonders vulnerablen Betroffenengruppen häuslicher Gewalt (GbvG). ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften. https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-27129
Oral conference contributions and abstracts
- Frigo-Charles, O. (2025, October 7). Community in transition : crisis and resilience in a Welsh deindustrialised village. Campus Oerlikon Lecture Series HS 2025: Transformations and Transitions, Universität Zürich, Schweiz, 7. Oktober 2025.
- Frigo-Charles, O. (2025, October 2). Geplante Zufälligkeit? Serendipitöse Begegnungen und die Transformation von Gemeinschaften in deindustrialisierten Kontexten. 45. Kongress der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Empirische Kulturwissenschaft (DGEKW), Kiel, Deutschland, 1.-4. Oktober 2025.
- Frigo-Charles, O. (2025, June 6). Engaged ethnography in deindustrialised communities : navigating epistemological challenges between solidarity and critical engagement. 17th International SIEF Congress ‘Unwriting’, International Society for Ethnology and Folklore, Aberdeen, Scotland, 3-6 June 2025.
- Kaschlik, A., Brandenberg, E., Frigo-Charles, O., Koller, M. A., & Nägeli, T. (2025, April 3). Jugendliche und ihre urbanen Räume : wie partizipativ und demokratiefördernd kann Forschung mit Jugendlichen sein? Vierter Trinationaler Workshop Partizipative Forschung in der Sozialen Arbeit, Muttenz, Schweiz, 2.-4. April 2025.
- Frigo-Charles, O. (2024, November 15). From steel to screen : industrial decline in South Wales and Michael Sheen’s TV-series The Way. Pop History of Deindustrialization: Narratives, Economies, Identities. “The West” in Global Perspective, Cambridge, United Kingdom, 14-16 November 2024.
- Nägeli, T., Brandenberg, E., Frigo-Charles, O., Hollenbach, P., Kaschlik, A., & Mey, E. (2024, June 26). Urban space(s) for young people : a focus for resilient and sustainable cities. Livable Cities – London, AMPS Conference, London, United Kingdom, 26-28 June 2024.
- Hollenbach, P., & Frigo-Charles, O. (2024, June 21). Social work and disaster governance : exploring ignorance, sense-making, and reflective practice (World Café). Decisions, Assessment, Risk and Evidence in Social Work (DARE), Zurich, Switzerland, 20- 21 June 2024.
- Frigo-Charles, O., Hollenbach, P., Kaschlik, A., Brandenberg, E., Nägeli, T., & Mey, E. (2024, June 20). Urban spaces and youth resilience : youth participation in research and decision making processes. Decisions, Assessment, Risk and Evidence in Social Work (DARE), Zurich, Switzerland, 20- 21 June 2024.
- Nägeli, T., Kaschlik, A., Brandenberg, E., Frigo-Charles, O., Hollenbach, P., & Mey, E. (2023, November 1). Resilience – space – youth. Symposium “From Pandemic to Polycrisis – Learning from Covid-19”, Aalborg University, Copenhagen, Denmark, 1 November 2023.
- Sager, D., & Frigo-Charles, O. (2023, June). Stärkung der Partizipation von Jugendlichen. Dritter Trinationaler Workshop Partizipative Forschung in der Sozialen Arbeit «Empowerment in der partizipativen Forschung», FH Salzburg, Österreich, 14.-16. Juni 2023.