Thorsten Knauth

Prof. Thorsten Knauth is a Professor of Religious Education at the University of Hamburg's Department of Didactics of Social Sciences and Mathematics and Natural Sciences (EW 5). He has held academic roles since 2008 at the University of Duisburg-Essen, including leading the Interreligious Learning Unit (AiL) and directing projects on inclusive religious pedagogy. His career spans research coordination, habilitation (2001), and visiting professorships at institutions like the University of Cologne and Karlsruhe.

Education: Studied Protestant Theology, Education Science, Literature, and Linguistics at Marburg, Freiburg, and Hamburg (1986–1992). Earned a Dr. phil. summa cum laude in 1995 with a thesis on religious education in pluralistic societies.

Research focuses on qualitative studies of religious education, interreligious learning, problem-oriented pedagogy, gender-inclusive approaches, and religious education in contexts of marginalization. Key projects include the EU-funded REDCo project (2006–2009) and the BMBF-funded 'ProViel' project (2018–2021) on inclusive religious education for teacher training.

Publications include over 50 books and articles on religious pedagogy, interfaith dialogue, and inclusive education. Awards include his 1995 doctoral honor and leadership roles in academic societies like the Religious Education Society.

Advising and grants: Supervised numerous projects funded by German Research Foundations (e.g., BMBF, DFG). His work addresses urban religious diversity, poverty-sensitive pedagogy, and interfaith collaboration in schools.

Labs/teams: Leads the Religious Pedagogy research group at Hamburg. Collaborates with institutions like the Academy of World Religions (AWR) and chairs the Religious Pedagogy Society.