Martin Petzke

Martin Petzke is Professor of Historical and General Sociology at Bielefeld University's Faculty of Sociology, leading research on how social-scientific expertise transforms specialized practices. Current projects examine religious statistics in global evangelical missions, political measurement of immigrant integration, and 19th-century German colonial-metropolitan comparative formations.

Research focuses on quantification's role in shaping religious encounters, bureaucratic practices, and foundational national debates. Methodological approaches combine historical analysis with sociological theory to trace knowledge production across institutional contexts.

Educational background includes habilitation from University of Lucerne and PhD from Bielefeld University. Previous positions include professorships at Lucerne and visiting scholarships at Columbia University, CUNY, and Boston University.