Holger Weiss

Holger Weiss serves as Professor of General History at Åbo Akademi University's Faculty of Arts, Psychology and Theology within the Department of Culture, History and Philosophy. Since January 2025, he has held an affiliated professorship at Gothenburg University, following prior guest professorships at Dalarna University (2015-2019) and Gothenburg University (2022). A member of the Finnish Society of Sciences and Letters, Weiss maintains active research collaborations across multiple institutions.

• Doctor of Philosophy (1997), University of Helsinki
• Licentiate of Philosophy (1994), University of Helsinki
• M.A. (fil.kand.) (1991), University of Helsinki
• Docent of African History (1998), University of Helsinki
• Docent of Global History (2003), Åbo Akademi University

Weiss's research explores global and Atlantic historical entanglements, with specialized focus on Danish Gold Coast possessions and Swedish Saint Barthélemy colony dynamics. His work examines Caribbean/Atlantic cotton flows in early modern Sweden, West African environmental history (particularly Ghana), and Islamic studies in Ghana. Current projects analyze transnational labor movements including the International Trade Union Committee of Negro Workers and International of Seamen and Harbour Workers during the Interwar period, alongside contemporary Muslim social mobilization in Ghana.

Recent publications reveal evolving research trajectories toward digital-era Muslim empowerment and transnational solidarity networks. His 2023-2025 output demonstrates increased focus on Ghanaian Islamic organizations, Atlantic labor history, and Nordic slavery heritage, with methodological emphasis on archival research across nine countries and fieldwork in Ghana.

Weiss leads the active Muslim Empowerment in Ghana (MEG) project and Radikala sjötransportarbetare initiative, while previously directing projects on Ghanaian rhetoric analysis and Swedish class struggle. His supervised works include five academic projects examining West African history and Islamic studies.

Fieldwork spans Ghana, Denmark, England, Finland, Germany, Nigeria, Norway, Russia and Sweden, with recent institutional visits to Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (2024) and Sweden's National Archives (2024).