Minoo Mirshahvalad

Minoo Mirshahvalad is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies, Faculty of Humanities, University of Copenhagen, specializing in the sociology and anthropology of Islam with emphasis on Shi'a communities in Italian contexts.

Education:

• PhD in Sociology, University of Turin (awarded May 2020), dissertation: "Mutations in Shi'a doctrines and rituals in Italy"

Her research examines religious conversion dynamics (particularly to Shi'ism), gendered experiences in Islamic practice, digital religiosity through smartphone communities, and comparative Islamic reform movements. She investigates how religious authority adapts within diaspora settings and secular European societies, focusing on ritual innovation and spatial practices among Italian Shia converts.

Recent publications (2024-2025) reveal concentrated analysis of Italian Shi'a conversion pathways, space-making rituals, and digital community formation. Her work demonstrates interdisciplinary engagement across religious studies, migration sociology, and gender theory, with notable contributions to understanding editorial ventures in religious discourse and inculturation processes.

Academic engagement includes a May 2025 lecture on "Women and Feminism in Shia Diaspora," reflecting ongoing commitment to gender dynamics within transnational Muslim communities.