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Stephan Conermann serves as Professor of Islamic Studies and Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at the University of Bonn, where he has held continuous academic appointments since 2003. His institutional leadership includes directorship of the Annemarie Schimmel Kolleg (2010-2022), Bonn Center for Transcultural Narratology, and significant administrative roles culminating in his current deanship since 2023. Academic Background: Doctorate in Oriental Philology/Islamic Studies (Kiel University, 1996, magna cum laude) Magisterstudium in Asian History, Oriental and Slavic Philology (Kiel University, 1992) Conermann's research examines pre-modern Islamic societies through narrative strategies in historiography, with specialized focus on Mamluk Sultanate governance (1250-1517), Delhi Sultanate/Mughal transitions, and Transottomanica mobility dynamics. His work uniquely connects asymmetrical dependencies (particularly slavery systems), power structures, and global entanglements across South Asia, Middle East, and Eastern Europe. His extensive publication portfolio shows consistent thematic evolution toward comparative frameworks analyzing slavery beyond Eurocentric models, narrative construction of power across cultures, and mobility as historical catalyst. Recent scholarship increasingly integrates transcultural methodology with digital humanities approaches. Academic Leadership: Supervised 290+ theses (59 PhD, 96 Magister, 47 Master, 88 Bachelor) Acquired ~9 million euros in third-party funding (DFG, BMBF, DAAD) Editor of 15+ publication series including Mamluk Studies and Dependency and Slavery Studies Conermann directs the Bonn Center for Transcultural Narratology and co-leads the EXC 2036 'Beyond Slavery and Freedom' cluster, fostering interdisciplinary research on pre-modern dependency systems through international collaborations across Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

• Islamic Studies
• Middle Eastern History
• Mamluk Sultanate
• +9 more

Prof. Dr. Christoph U. Werner is the Chair of Iranian Studies at Otto-Friedrich-University Bamberg since 2019, following his 12-year professorship at Marburg University (2007-2019) and previous academic roles. He specializes in Iranian Studies with focus areas in social history , legal institutions , Shiite religious structures , and Persophone literary history . As a Research Dean of Humanities and Cultural Studies (2023-2025) Managing Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies (2021-2025) President of Societas Iranologica Europaea (2019-2023) , he leads major academic initiatives. His research spans Qajar-era legal contracts Waqf (endowment) systems Persian-Ottoman-Georgian historical interconnections Manuscript studies of Persian documents , often combining archival analysis with interdisciplinary approaches. Recent publications focus on 20th-century Persian cultural politics, early modern Persian-Ottoman interactions, and legal epigraphy. He collaborates extensively with institutions like the University of Oxford's Invisible East and DFG Priority Programme Transottomanica . His editorial work includes Orientalistische Literaturzeitung (2022-) Persimone blog (2022-) Bamberg University Press publications and multiple Iranian academic journals.

• Iranian Studies
• Islamic Studies
• Social History
• +3 more

Dr. Philip Bockholt is a Junior Professor (Tenure Track) for the History of the Turco-Persian World and Emmy Noether Junior Research Group Leader at the Institute of Arabic and Islamic Studies , University of Münster. His research focuses on the history of the Eastern Islamic World (1400–1800), transregional translation processes, knowledge transfer in the Eastern Mediterranean, manuscript studies, and confessional groups in Islam. He is the principal investigator of the DFG-funded TRANSLAPT Emmy Noether Group (2022–2028) and leads the subproject Arabic-Ottoman Translations of Qurʾānic Exegesis (Tafsīr) within the Cluster of Excellence EXC 2060. 2024: Habilitation in Islamic Studies 2018: PhD, Berlin Graduate School Muslim Cultures and Societies 2005–2013: BA/MA in Islamic Studies, History, and Theology (Bochum, Münster, Berlin, Jerusalem, Cairo, Istanbul, Tehran) His research explores intra-Islamic knowledge transfer via Arabic-Persian-Ottoman translations, with a focus on historiography, mirror-of-princes literature, and manuscript variants. He has extensively analyzed the Ḥabīb al-Siyar by Khvāndamīr and its cross-regional dissemination. His recent articles examine textual modifications in Safavid-to-Ottoman translations, multilingualism in Ottoman-Persian contexts, and manuscript annotations as evidence of readership engagement. He co-edited Elsine-i S̱elās̱e: Cultural Analysis of Ottoman Translation (2025) and Multilingualism, Translation, Transfer: Persian in the Ottoman Empire (2024). 2020 Classical Islamic World Book Prize 2019 Annemarie-Schimmel-Stiftung Forschungspreis 2019 S.I.E. European Award Honorable Mention 2015 I.B. Tauris Prize DFG Emmy Noether Funding Bockholt supervises four doctoral candidates on topics including Ottoman Quranic exegesis, biographical dictionaries, and Sufi networks. He has held visiting positions at institutions in Tokyo, Paris, Jerusalem, Madrid, and St. Petersburg. His teaching includes seminars on Islamic manuscript culture, Ottoman translation processes, and confessional groups in the early modern Islamic world. He is a scientific secretary in the Saxon Academy of Sciences’ Afrika – Asien – Europa commission and organizes international conferences on manuscript transmission and Persian-Ottoman exchange.

• Islamic History
• Translation Studies
• Manuscript Studies
• +7 more

Christian Mauder is Professor of Islamic Studies at Freie Universität Berlin’s Institute of Islamic Studies, Department of History and Cultural Studies. His research focuses on premodern Islamic religious, intellectual, and social history, particularly the Mamluk Sultanate (1250–1517), Islamic court cultures, historical semantics, Arabophone Christianity, Christian-Muslim relations, and Quranic discourses. He has published extensively on Mamluk military education, legal riddles, Persian and Circassian ethnic identities, and Ottoman-Mamluk transitions, emphasizing transregional interconnectedness. PhD in Arabic and Islamic Studies, University of Göttingen (2017) Postdoctoral research at Yale, Princeton, NYU Abu Dhabi, and University of Bonn Associate Professor at University of Bergen (2018–2023) Mauder’s scholarly work bridges Islamic history and cultural studies, exploring how concepts like mujaddid (renewer) shaped religious authority. His publications include monographs on Mamluk court culture and edited volumes on Quran reception, legal knowledge transmission, and Islamic eschatology. Recent articles analyze Persian identity construction, Hanafi riddles, and Mamluk-Ottoman entanglements. His awards include the 2018 Malcolm H. Kerr Dissertation Award and Christian Gottlob Heyne Award. He supervises doctoral students and participates in international seminars, including the Balzan Seminar on Muslim state formation. His office hours (Tue 4:15–6:00 PM) are open for academic consultation at Fabeckstr. 23/25, Berlin.

• Premodern Islamic history
• Mamluk Sultanate studies
• Islamic court cultures
• +9 more

Dr. Stefan B. Kirmse is a Senior Research Fellow and research coordinator at the Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient (ZMO) in Berlin, leading the ERC Consolidator Grant project "In Pursuit of Legality and Justice: Minority Struggles in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union" (2023–2028). His career spans institutions like Hokkaido University, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and the Forum Transregionale Studien Berlin. Education: Habilitation in Modern History (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 2017–2018) PhD in Development Studies (SOAS, University of London, 2003–2009) M.Phil. in Russian and East European Studies (St. Antony’s College, Oxford, 2001–2003) B.A. in European Studies (Trinity College, University of Dublin, 1997–2001) Research Interests focus on legal history in imperial and post-imperial contexts, particularly minority struggles for justice in the Russian Empire and Soviet Union. His projects examine blood libel trials, bride kidnapping practices, and legal pluralism in Central Asia and the Caucasus. He analyzes how legal systems interacted with cultural diversity and colonial governance. Scientific Awards: 3-year Research Student Fellowship (SOAS, 2003) Julian Kamensky Prize for Spoken Russian (Trinity College Dublin, 2001) 5-year Non-Foundation Scholarship (Trinity College Dublin, 1999) Advising: Supervises PhD candidates on topics like Azerbaijani women’s secular identity, Soviet resettlement policies in the Caucasus, and political activism in Cold War Afghanistan. He also mentors students on globalization in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

• Legal History
• Russian Imperial History
• Post-Soviet Society
• +5 more

Prof. Dr. Astrid Meier is a Professor of Islamic Studies at the Oriental Institute of Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg since April 2018. She previously held a Visiting Professorship at Halle-Wittenberg (2011–2013) and served as Deputy Director of the Orient Institute Beirut (2013–2018). Her work spans social and cultural history of the early modern Middle East, Ottoman legal practices, and waqf dynamics. 2006–2011: Research Assistant at the University of Zurich 2011–2013: Acting Professor at MLU Halle-Wittenberg 2013–2018: Deputy Director at Orient Institute Beirut 2018–Present: Professor at MLU Halle-Wittenberg Her research focuses on Islamic law , early modern Ottoman history , and Arabic literature , with a particular emphasis on waqf as a socio-political tool and ego-documents in Ottoman Syria. She explores food systems and hunger crises in African contexts, especially the Sahel, and contributes to historiography debates through manuscripts and court records. Key projects include Bedouin Syria (collaboration with Johann Büssow), Ottoman waterscapes in Lebanon (with Stephen McPhillips, Souad Slim), and Taha al-Kurdi studies (with Ralf Elger). Her publications in Encyclopaedia of Islam and Levant journals highlight Ottoman legal and environmental dynamics. Meier actively participates in academic governance as a member of the Board of Directors at the Center for Interdisciplinary Regional Studies (ZIRS) and the Doctoral Committee at MLU Halle-Wittenberg. She contributes to Bibliotheca Arabica and Bibliotheca Islamica series as an editorial advisor.

• Social and Cultural History
• Ottoman Empire
• Islamic Law
• +9 more

Dr. Ute Pietruschka (b. 1959) is a senior research fellow at the Academy of Sciences Göttingen and associate researcher in the Seminar für Arabistik/Islamwissenschaft, University of Göttingen. From 2001-2021 she taught as Lehrbeauftragte at the Oriental Institute, University of Halle, after earlier appointments at Queensland and Marburg. Her projects include the Corpus of Arabic and Syriac Gnomologia and the Union Catalogue of Oriental Manuscripts in Germany. Education & Career 1982 Diplom, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg (Arabic & Christian-oriental languages) 1986 Dr. phil. Halle, thesis on Ethiopian transmission of Greek philosophical sayings 1985-1992 wiss. Mitarbeiterin / Oberassistentin, University of Halle 1992-1994 Lecturer, University of Queensland 1994-2001 Assistentin, University of Marburg 2001-2021 Lecturer, Oriental Institute, University of Halle 2012-2022 Senior researcher, Academy of Sciences Göttingen Research Interests Pietruschka investigates the circulation of Greek wisdom literature into Arabic, Syriac, Coptic and Ethiopic cultures. Using philological and Digital-Humanities methods she edits gnomologia, traces manuscript transmission, and studies the educational role of monasteries and schools in the Islamicate world. Additional interests include the representation of nomads in Syriac writing and the reuse of biblical material in Islamic adab. Publication Profile Recent articles cluster around three thrusts: (1) Edition and analysis of Greek-Arabic gnomologia and doxographies, showing how compilations like Ps.-Plutarch’s Placita served as textbooks; (2) Study of Christian Arabic and Syriac wisdom collections, especially the monastic Apophthegmata Patrum and their pedagogical Sitz im Leben; (3) Codicological surveys of Coptic and Karšūnī manuscripts, highlighting monasteries as intellectual hubs after the Islamic conquest. Projects & Grants Head, Corpus der arabischen und syrischen Gnomologien (since 2011, continuation planned 2023-) Co-leader (with Jürgen Tubach) DFG-SFB project “Das Bild des Nomaden in der syrischen Literatur” (2004-2008) Senior researcher, Union Catalogue of Oriental Manuscripts in Germany, Göttingen Academy (2012-2022) Teaching & Digital Humanities Together with Dr. Marco Büchler (Leipzig) she regularly offers courses on Digital Humanities applied to Semitic manuscript cultures, combining codicology, XML/TEI and network analysis.

• Graeco-Arabic transmission
• Christian Arabic literature
• Oriental manuscript studies
• +5 more

Nicholas Melvani is a Research Fellow at the Department of Eastern European History at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, working within the Leibniz ScienceCampus "Byzantium between Orient and Occident" since November 2019. His research focuses on Byzantine history, art, and architecture, particularly the history and topography of Constantinople. Dr. Melvani earned his BA in History and Archaeology (majoring in Archaeology and Art History) from the University of Athens (1993-1997), followed by an MA in Byzantine Art and Archaeology (1997-2001), and completed his PhD with a dissertation on "Late Byzantine Sculpture (1204-1453): Iconographic Remarks, Stylistic Issues, and Social Context" in 2008. His primary research interests include Byzantine sculpture, the history and monuments of Constantinople, and Byzantine epigraphy. His current project, "Constantinople and Central Europe in the 16th Century," examines the monumental topography of Byzantine Constantinople as recorded by 16th-century German visitors and scholars during the early Ottoman period, combining textual analysis with visual evidence to reconstruct the city's transformation. Dr. Melvani has published extensively on Byzantine topics, including the monograph "Late Byzantine Sculpture" (2013) and numerous scholarly articles focusing on Byzantine art, architecture, and history. His publications demonstrate expertise in the Palaiologan period and the cultural interactions between Byzantine and post-Byzantine worlds. Previously, he served as a Research Associate at the Institute for Historical Research in Athens, Fellow at Koç University in Istanbul, and Visiting Lecturer at Boğaziçi University. His work bridges Byzantine studies with Eastern European history through the examination of cultural transmission routes between Constantinople and Central Europe.

• Byzantine History
• Byzantine Art
• Byzantine Architecture
• +4 more

Prof. Dr. Claudia Sode is a Professor in the Department of Byzantine Studies at the University of Cologne's Institute for Classical Studies. Her research focuses on Byzantine seals, digital humanities, and medieval religious practices. She leads projects like 'Unlocking the Hidden Value of Seals' and 'Creating a Sustainable Digital Infrastructure for Byzantine Studies.' Her work bridges cultural exchanges between Byzantium and East Asia, as seen in studies of gold coins in Chang'an and Sino-Byzantine connections. Sode has published extensively on imperial administration, liturgical texts, and frontier societies, with key contributions to understanding late antique urban identity and Seljuk-Byzantine relations. Current research includes analyzing seals as identity markers and integrating digital tools for manuscript studies. Past projects like 'Das Alt-Jerusalemer Orationale' explore liturgical manuscripts, while her work on Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus examines imperial ceremonial practices. Sode's interdisciplinary approach combines material culture analysis with textual and historical methods, addressing topics from baptismal rituals to cross-cultural leadership in medieval border regions.

• Byzantine Studies
• Medieval History
• Digital Humanities
• +5 more

Turkana Allahverdiyeva is a PhD Researcher and Research Associate at the Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies (BCDSS), University of Bonn. She specializes in non-elite household slavery in the Crimean Khanate (1700–1720), focusing on court records, agency, and asymmetrical dependency. Her work bridges Ottoman history, gender studies, and legal frameworks. She holds a Master’s in Diplomacy from Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy and completed coursework at Ibn Haldun University. Allahverdiyeva has received scholarships from BCDSS, Erasmus+, and Azerbaijan’s state program. Research interests include Ottoman slavery practices, gendered agency among slaves, and the intersection of Islamic law and captivity. She has presented at venues like MESA, UCLouvain, and the Deutscher Orientalistentag. Key publications include book reviews in Sehepunkte and Türkiyat Araştırmaları Dergisi . Allahverdiyeva is affiliated with GTOT, MESA, DAVO, and OTSA. Her doctoral research examines non-elite household slaves’ legal strategies for freedom, drawing on qadi court records. She explores how slaves navigated Islamic legal systems, converted religions, and formed familial ties to assert agency. Recent work analyzes female slaves’ roles as umm al-walad and labor contracts among non-Muslims in the Khanate. Awards: 2022 Archival Research Grant, 2021 BCDSS Scholarship Key Grants: Erasmus+ Staff Exchange (2015–2016), Azerbaijan State Scholarship Professional Roles: Equal Opportunity Representative at BCDSS

• Non-elite Household Slavery
• Strong Asymmetrical Dependency (SAD)
• Daily life of Slaves and Captives
• +3 more

Maria Isabel Fierro Bello is a Research Professor at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) within the Institute of Languages and Cultures of the Mediterranean and the Near East . Her work focuses on the political, religious, and intellectual history of al-Andalus and the Islamic West, Islamic law, orthodoxy formation, and violence in medieval Arabic sources. Ph.D. in Semitic Philology - Universidad Complutense Madrid Her research spans themes like heterodoxy in the Islamic West , legal traditions, and cross-cultural interactions. Current projects include Mediating Islam in the Digital Age and Knowledge, Heresy, and Political Culture of the Islamic West (KOHEPOCU) , the latter funded by an ERC Advanced Grant. Notable awards include the Anneliese Maier Award (2014) from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and the R. Stephen Humphreys Distinguished Scholar title (2014) at UC Santa Barbara. She has taught at Stanford, Chicago, Freie Universität Berlin, and Universidad Autónoma Madrid, and was a visiting scholar at Harvard Law School and the Institute for Advanced Study Princeton.

• Islamic History
• Political Culture
• Islamic Law
• +4 more

Prof. Dr. Timo Tohidipur is a Professor at the Legal Department of the Department of Social Work & Health at Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences. His work focuses on Migration Law , European Union Law , and Human Rights , particularly in border regions and transnational contexts. Education : Dr. jur. (2007, Summa cum laude ), Goethe-Universität Frankfurt/M. Second State Examination (2000) First State Examination (1997) Research interests include European border regimes, migration policy, constitutional transfer, and the intersection of law with social work. His publications highlight legal challenges in migration, refugee rights, and the role of EU institutions like FRONTEX. Scientific awards : 1822-Universitätspreis für exzellente Lehre (2012, 2nd prize, 10,000 Euro) Recent projects involve transnational collaborations with institutions in Jordan, Malaysia, and Morocco, focusing on diversity, women's rights, and localization in social work. He has delivered lectures globally, addressing topics such as refugee protection, climate change, and critical analyses of EU migration policies.

• Migration Law
• European Union Law
• Comparative Constitutional Law
• +3 more

Prof. Dr. Jenny Rahel Oesterle-El Nabbout is Chair of Medieval History at the University of Regensburg and Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy, Arts, History, and Social Sciences since 2023. She has held academic positions at the Universities of Passau, Heidelberg, Bochum, and TU Braunschweig, and specializes in transcultural medieval history with a focus on Europe, the Mediterranean, North Africa, and the Middle East. Education: Habilitation in Medieval History, University of Heidelberg (2020) PhD in Medieval History, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster (2007, summa cum laude) MA in Medieval History, Islamic Studies, and Protestant Theology, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster (2002) Studies also at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen Her research centers on religious contacts, cultural transfer, migration, asylum, and the representation of power in the medieval Euro-Arab Mediterranean. She investigates symbolic communication, court ceremonies, Arabic cartography, and the history of early Islam. Her work bridges German and Arab perspectives in medieval studies, advocating for transcultural and interdisciplinary approaches. The recent trend in her publications reflects a growing emphasis on public history, digital humanities, and academic cooperation between Germany and the Arab world. Her articles span topics such as medieval cosmography, resistance discourses, and museum exhibitions like the Louvre Abu Dhabi, demonstrating a broad engagement with both scholarly and public audiences. Scientific Awards and Honors: Fellow, Global Young Faculty (Mercator Foundation, 2010/2011) Member and Steering Committee, Arab-German Young Academy (AGYA, 2014–2019) Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes (1997–2002) Graduate College Scholarship, Münster (2003–2006) She has secured significant research funding, including a DAAD project on digital teaching in history with Iraqi universities (2021–2023). She advises the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes as a Vertrauensdozentin and serves on the scientific advisory board of the St. Katharinenspitalarchiv Regensburg and the executive board of the Forum Mittelalter at the University of Regensburg. She has also led a junior research group on protection during religious and political expansion at Heidelberg University. Prof. Oesterle-El Nabbout is deeply involved in academic networks and collaborative editorial projects, including co-editing volumes on transcultural monarchies, cultural brokers, and the humanities in the 21st century from Arab and German perspectives.

• Medieval History
• Transcultural History
• Religious Contacts and Cultural Transfer
• +11 more

Prof. Dr. Michael Droege is a full Professor at the University of Tübingen's Faculty of Law , holding the Chair for Public Law, Religious Constitutional and Church Law (SPB 3c), and Tax Law (SPB 6). He has been actively involved in teaching courses on Tax and Financial Constitutional Law , Religious Constitutional Law , and Municipal Law as of 2025. His research focuses on intersections of taxation , religious freedom , and non-profit legal frameworks . Education: Studied law at the University of Bielefeld (1994–1999), completing the First State Examination. Doctorate (2003) and Habilitation (2009) at Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, focusing on tax law and church-state relations. Research Interests: Droege's work addresses taxation of religious institutions , constitutional foundations of tax law , non-profit organizations , and legal frameworks for interfaith cooperation . He explores tensions between secular finance laws and religious autonomy , particularly in areas like church property and religious taxation . Scientific Awards: Albert-Hensel-Preis (2009) Baker & McKenzie-Preis (2009) W. Rainer Walz Preis (2009) Teaching: In 2025, he teaches courses on General Administrative Law (3rd semester), Municipal Law (5th semester), and Religious Constitutional Law (5th+ semester), with details available via the ALMA portal. Leadership Roles: Droege served as Vice Dean of the Law Faculty (2024) , Director of the Institute for Financial and Tax Law (2019–present) , and Director of the Institute for Law and Religion (2019–present) . He has been a Judge at the Church Constitutional and Administrative Court (EKHN) since 2014.

• Tax Law
• Financial Constitutional Law
• Religious Constitutional Law
• +6 more

Dr. Wedad Ramos Minodar is an Associate Professor V in the Islamic Studies Department at the King Faisal Center for Islamic, Arabic and Asian Studies (KFCIAAS), Mindanao State University (MSU) Main Campus in Marawi City, Philippines. She previously served as Chairman of the Graduate Program and Islamic Studies Department and actively participates as a Shari'ah Bar examiner and reviewer for the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos. Her academic credentials include: Doctor of Philosophy in Philippine Studies major in Society and Culture (2022), MSU Graduate School Master of Arts in Islamic Studies major in Muslim Law (2012), MSU-KFCIAAS Juris Doctor (2008), MSU College of Law Bachelor of Science in International Relations (1996), MSU-KFCIAAS High School (1992), Dansalan Junior College Elementary (1989), Marawi Central Elementary Pilot School Dr. Minodar's research critically examines the intersection of Islamic jurisprudence with Philippine legal frameworks, particularly focusing on Muslim Personal Laws and Bangsamoro governance. Her fieldwork investigates Meranaw cultural practices including divorce patterns, traditional conflict resolution (Rido), and culinary heritage preservation. She combines legal analysis with sociological methods to document indigenous systems within contemporary Muslim Filipino communities. Her publication timeline reveals deepening engagement with Bangsamoro autonomy issues, evolving from master's research on marriage dissolution (2012) to doctoral analysis of legal harmonization (2022). Recent work demonstrates increased policy relevance, addressing implementation challenges of the Bangsamoro Organic Law through empirical studies of Meranaw families and land tenure systems. Professional recognition includes: Third Placer in Special Shari’ah Bar Examinations (1999) Career Service Professional Exam Passer (1998) Valedictorian of Social Sciences and Humanities Graduate Program (2022) While active as a Shari'ah Bar lecturer and dissertation supervisor, specific student names and grant details are not documented in available materials. Her instructional materials for bar review courses demonstrate commitment to legal education infrastructure. Her work operates at the nexus of academic scholarship and judicial practice, bridging KFCIAAS research with the 6th Shari'ah Circuit Court where her spouse serves as Clerk-of-Court, though formal institutional research teams are not specified.

• Islamic Law
• Shari'ah Studies
• Muslim Personal Laws
• +5 more