Find Academic Supervisors

Hans Harder serves as Professor of Modern South Asian Languages and Literatures at Heidelberg University's South Asia Institute, where he has held his position since 2007. His academic career spans institutions including the universities of Hamburg, Heidelberg, and Martin Luther University in Halle-Wittenberg, where he completed both his PhD and postdoctoral work. Research Interests: Professor Harder's scholarly focus encompasses modern South Asian literatures (particularly Bengali), religious movements from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries , colonial and postcolonial intellectual history , and popular literature and film across South Asia. His work consistently examines the intersections of language, culture, and power in colonial and postcolonial contexts, with special attention to vernacular expressions of identity and resistance. His recent publications reveal a deepening engagement with language ideologies and vernacular conceptualizations in South Asia, particularly evident in his 2024 co-authored work The Vernacular: Three Essays on an Ambivalent Concept and Its Uses in South Asia . Earlier works demonstrate his longstanding interest in religious movements (particularly Sufism in Bangladesh), literary satires from colonial Calcutta, and cross-cultural perceptions between colonized and colonizing societies. His scholarship bridges literary analysis, religious studies, and cultural history through meticulous textual examination and theoretical sophistication. Professor Harder has established himself as a leading scholar through numerous monographs and edited volumes that have significantly shaped South Asian literary and intellectual studies. His collaborative work with scholars like Nishat Zaidi, Torsten Tschacher, Barbara Mittler, and Charu Gupta demonstrates his commitment to interdisciplinary and international scholarly exchange. Based at Heidelberg University's South Asia Institute, Professor Harder continues to advance research on South Asian cultural production while mentoring students and contributing to the global academic community through his extensive publications and editorial work.

• Modern South Asian Literatures
• Bengali Literature
• Nineteenth Century Religious Movements
• +5 more

Professor Dr. Eckhardt Fuchs serves as Director of the Leibniz Institute for Educational Media | Georg Eckert Institute since 2015. He holds a W3 Professorship in Historical and Comparative Educational Research at Technical University of Braunschweig since 2011, and previously served as deputy director (2009-2015) and research coordinator (2007) at the Georg Eckert Institute. Education : University of Leipzig (PhD 1992) Key Affiliations : Leibniz Institute, Technical University of Braunschweig, International Standing Conference for the History of Education (President 2012-2015) Research Focus spans globalization of education, transnational textbook revision, educational policy analysis, and historiography. His work examines international organizations in education, European educational history, and the evolution of teaching materials. Recent Trends : Transnational textbook analysis Curriculum development Postcolonial memory politics Scientific cooperation history History of educational media Global educational governance Leadership Roles include editorial board memberships (Comparativ, Paedagogica Historica) and organizing scientific conferences. Active in policy advisory through UNESCO collaborations and research projects.

• Global history of modern education
• Historiography
• International education policy
• +3 more

Prof. Dr. Christoph Ehland is a Professor of English Literature and Cultural Studies at the University of Paderborn since 2009. Previously, he served as an Assistant (2002-2009) and habilitated at the University of Würzburg (2007) with the venia legendi for English Philology. His academic journey includes a doctorate from Würzburg (2001) and studies in English, Latin, art history, and economics across Germany and the UK. Research Clusters: Early Modern Literature and Culture Romanticism and its Afterlives Middlebrow and Anglo-Indian Literature Literary Spatial Practices Mobility and Urban Studies His publications span monographs on picaresque archetypes, writer iconography, and Brexit's cultural implications. He co-edited volumes on Resistance and the City , Middlebrow Writing , and Perspectives on Mobility . Prof. Ehland actively engages in academic service , serving as Schatzmeister und Vorstandsmitglied of the International Association of University Professors of English (IAUPE) since 2023. He has delivered keynote lectures at institutions including Dresden, Innsbruck, and the University of London.

• Early Modern Literature and Culture
• Romanticism
• Middlebrow Literature
• +5 more

Stefanie Siedek-Strunk is a Researcher at the Department of Protestant Theology at the University of Siegen. Her work focuses on church history with specializations in revival movements, popular religion, and gender studies. She holds a doctorate from the University of Siegen (2019) on topics related to Protestant prison ministry in post-war East Germany. Her academic journey includes a second educational path leading to her Abitur in 2006, followed by a master's in history. She has worked across departments, including Medieval and Modern History, and currently participates in interdisciplinary research groups like AG4 (Popularity Resilience) and Working Group 7 (Gender & Intersectionality). Her research explores intersections between religious practices, social movements, and historical contexts. Key areas of investigation include lay theological empowerment in 18th-century Siegerland, religious violence in early modern Germany, and the global dimensions of popularity. She contributes to collaborative projects such as the 'Self-made religion?' study on Christian popular songs and co-edits the Working Paper Series on the reflexivity of popularity. Her publications combine peer-reviewed book chapters with blog articles analyzing sectarian movements and religious conflict agendas. She actively engages with public scholarship through podcast collaborations and workshop reports on topics like prefigurations of pop culture and religious populisms.

• Church History
• Religious Studies
• Popular Religion
• +4 more

Prof. Dr. Hiram Kümper holds the Carl Theodor Professorship at the University of Mannheim's Chair of Late Medieval and Early Modern History within the Philosophische Fakultät. He previously worked at Vechta University of Applied Sciences and Bielefeld University before joining Mannheim in 2013. His research focuses on medieval and early modern legal systems, religious practices, historiography, and the intersection of qualitative and quantitative historical analysis. He actively engages in public history through museums and educational initiatives. Education: Studies in history, philosophy, and German studies at Ruhr University Bochum Doctorate (2007) at University of Mannheim under Karl-Friedrich Krieger Research Interests: Kümper explores normative systems in premodern Europe—law, religion, and piety—with recent emphasis on expert discourses about sexual violence. He also investigates economic and social history, historiography, and the transmission of historical knowledge in schools, universities, and museums. His work bridges archival analysis with digital humanities approaches, as seen in projects like the Rastatter Frieden study. Publications Overview: His 2023 works include studies on medieval urban legal records and biographical analysis. Recent trends show continued emphasis on interdisciplinary approaches to medieval/early modern legal and cultural history, including exhibitions and source editions. Awards & Recognition: Listed in Kürschner's Scholars' Calendar , reflecting his scholarly prominence. His ORCID profile (0000-0002-6912-0874) documents extensive contributions to historical research. Academic Service: Serves as liaison lecturer for the Evangelisches Studienwerk Villigst, advising Protestant students. He coordinates the Project Management TransforMA and participates in international scholarly networks.

• Medieval History
• Early Modern History
• Legal History
• +5 more

Ashley Reed is Associate Professor of English at Virginia Tech, affiliated with the Department of English in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences. Her work bridges literary studies, religious history, and cultural analysis of 19th-century America. Her research centers on 19th-century U.S. literature and American religions , with a particular focus on female religious agency , Spiritualism , and settler colonialism . She explores how spiritual movements enabled boundary-crossing in gender, race, and territory, especially through the lens of women writers and religious practitioners. Reed’s publications reveal a strong trend in interdisciplinary scholarship combining literary analysis , religious studies , and critical colonial theory . Her work frequently examines how spiritual identities were detached from bodies and ancestral lands to serve settler projects, particularly in the context of westward expansion. Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship Reed has authored the monograph Heaven’s Interpreters: Women Writers and Religious Agency in Nineteenth-Century America (Cornell UP, 2020) and published in top journals including J19 , ESQ , and Religion Compass . She has contributed chapters to major academic volumes such as American Literature in Transition, 1820–1860 and The Cambridge Companion to Nineteenth-Century American Literature and Politics . While no formal advising or grant information is available, her scholarly trajectory indicates active engagement in research and publication. She presented recent work on the Mountain Cove Community, analyzing its role in settler colonial spiritualism.

• Nineteenth-Century American Literature
• American Religions
• Spiritualism
• +5 more

Hauke Heidenreich is a Lecturer at the Faculty of Theology of Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg , specializing in the history of theology and philosophy. His work bridges the traditions of Neo-Kantianism, materialism, and occultism, with a particular focus on Kant reception in the 19th and 20th centuries. Doctorate in Philosophy (2020, MLU Halle-Wittenberg , magna cum laude ) Master’s Degree in History (2012, MLU Halle-Wittenberg ) His research explores the intersections of theological and philosophical debates during the fin de siècle , including the role of Kant's postulate theory in shaping academic and spiritual discourses. He has contributed to understanding the institutionalization of Kant studies and the emergence of the Kant Society. Heidenreich's publications span monographs and interdisciplinary articles, reflecting his interest in the cultural transfer of esoteric and scientific ideas. His recent works include analyses of Ernst Haeckel's monism, Hermann Cohen's ethical reinterpretations, and C.G. Jung's psychological theories through Kantian frameworks.

• History of Theology
• History of Philosophy
• Neo-Kantianism
• +2 more

Prof. Dr. Johannes Grave is a Professor of Modern Art History at Friedrich Schiller University Jena, specializing in European Romanticism and historical image studies. He previously held positions at Bielefeld University and the German Forum for Art History in Paris. Grave earned his doctorate at Jena University (2005) and habilitation at the University of Basel (2012). His research focuses on image theory, temporality of art, practices of comparison, and 19th-century French and Italian art. He has led major research initiatives, including the 'Imaginamics' Cluster of Excellence and the DFG-funded Collaborative Research Center 'Praktiken des Vergleichens.' Grave's academic accolades include the Leibniz Prize (2020) and the Hans Janssen Prize (2013). He serves as Vice President of the German Research Foundation (DFG) and is a member of the Academia Europaea. He co-edits the journal Regards croisés and has authored influential books on Caspar David Friedrich, Giovanni Bellini, and art theory. Grave's work bridges historical analysis with contemporary debates on art, perception, and cultural heritage. His research projects address themes like Romanticism's legacy, comparative practices in art, and the temporal dimensions of image reception. Grave has advised numerous doctoral students, contributing to the next generation of art historians. His interdisciplinary collaborations span philosophy, cultural studies, and digital humanities, reflecting his commitment to advancing art historiography.

• Art History
• Romanticism
• Image Theory
• +4 more

Steffen Ducheyne is a Research Professor at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel , affiliated with the Centre for Logic and Philosophy of Science . His work bridges the History and Philosophy of Science , with a focus on seventeenth- to nineteenth-century scientific methodology . His research explores: Newtonianism and its reception in the Dutch Republic Radical Enlightenment movements across Europe and the Americas Methodological development in Newton’s Queries and Principia Experimental physics history, including gravity measurement Recent publications analyze: Comparative Newtonian methodologies (2021) Eighteenth-century Dutch Newtonians like Boerhaave and van Musschenbroek Lexical evolution of terms like 'Newtonian' and 'pseudoscience' Scientific awards include the 2014 Jan Gillis Prize for contributions to Flemish academic history. His work spans archival research, editorial history, and interdisciplinary analyses of science-theology interactions.

• History and Philosophy of Science
• Seventeenth- to nineteenth-century Scientific Methodology
• Radical Enlightenment
• +5 more

Alessandro Grazi is a Senior Researcher at the University of Münster's Cluster of Excellence 'Religion and Politics,' where he leads the subproject 'Pope Pius XII and baptized Jews in Brazil' (EXC 2060 C3-19). His academic journey includes a PhD in Humanities from the University of Groningen, a Rothschild Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Amsterdam, and research positions at the Leibniz Institute of European History in Mainz. He has also held teaching positions at various institutions including Justus Liebig University Giessen and the University of Amsterdam. Grazi's educational background includes a PhD in Humanities from the University of Groningen (2008-2012), a Research Master in Literary Studies from the University of Amsterdam (2005-2007), and a Master in Preservation of Cultural Heritage from the University of Bologna (1998-2004). His doctoral research focused on 'Patria ed Affetti. Jewish Identity and Risorgimento Nationalism in the Oeuvres of Samuel Luzzatto, Isaac Reggio, and David Levi.' His research centers on Jewish intellectual history of the 19th and 20th centuries, Jewish-Christian relations, and the History of the Jewish Book, with particular focus on Italian Jewish communities. Grazi has made significant contributions to understanding how Jewish intellectuals navigated Italian nationalism during the Risorgimento period and how Jewish communities adapted to modernity. His work often examines the intersection of Jewish identity with broader cultural and political movements, including Freemasonry and Saint-Simonism as vehicles for Enlightenment values among Italian Jews. Grazi's publication record reveals a consistent focus on 19th-century Italian Jewish intellectuals, particularly David Levi, Isacco Samuele Reggio, and Samuel Luzzatto. His work spans traditional historical scholarship, digital humanities approaches to Jewish studies, and analyses of Jewish liturgical practices. The trajectory of his research shows increasing engagement with digital methodologies while maintaining a strong foundation in historical and literary analysis of Jewish texts and communities. Rothschild Postdoctoral Fellowship (2016-2018) Grazi serves as Co-Editor for 'Incontri – European Journal of Italian Studies' and as Review Editor for 'Annali d'Itaianistica – Italian Studies Journal.' His research has been supported through positions within the Cluster of Excellence 'Religion and Politics' at the University of Münster and previous institutional affiliations. He has also presented his work at international venues, including an upcoming lecture at the German Embassy to the Holy See in Rome on February 6, 2025, titled 'Asking the Pope for Help. Jewish victims of the Nazi regime in the sources of the Vatican.' As part of the Digital Humanities Lab at the Leibniz Institute of European History, Grazi has been actively involved in applying digital methods to Jewish studies, including work with Transkribus for text recognition and digital analysis of Jewish prayer books. His current research within the Cluster of Excellence involves interdisciplinary collaboration examining transcultural entanglement and disentanglement in religious contexts.

• Jewish intellectual history
• Jewish-Christian relations
• History of the Jewish Book
• +5 more

PD Dr. Felix Wiedemann is a Senior Lecturer at the Institute for Ancient Near Eastern Studies (Freie Universität Berlin), specializing in intellectual history, historiography, and migration narratives. His research focuses on the intersection of knowledge production, identity construction, and colonial discourse in ancient studies. He leads the DFG-funded project 'Völker- und Rassenkunde in Stein,' examining racial cartography through ancient Egyptian imagery. Education: 2003-2006: PhD in Modern History at Freie Universität Berlin (dissertation on witchcraft's modern reception) 1995-2002: MA in Modern History, Political Science, and Philosophy at Freie Universität Berlin Research Interests: 19th-20th century knowledge systems and ideological narratives Historiography of the ancient Near East and migration studies Racial theories, orientalism, and colonial ethnography Right-wing extremism and religious movements Key Projects: DFG-funded 'Völker- und Rassenkunde in Stein' (Stone-Based Ethnography) 'Wanderungsnarrative' (Migration Narratives in Near Eastern Studies) Co-edited volumes on migration historiography and identity mapping Teaching: Courses on historiography, migration history, antisemitism, and scholarly writing methods. Labs/Teams: Leads interdisciplinary research groups at the Einstein Center Chronoi and former Topoi Cluster of Excellence.

• Intellectual and Cultural History
• History of Historiography
• Migration History
• +4 more

Prof. Rainer Liedtke is Chair of European History (19th and 20th Centuries) at the University of Regensburg since 2014. He holds a doctorate from Oxford University (1995) and habilitation from Justus Liebig University Giessen (2005). His research focuses on comparative European history, British/Irish studies, urban history, Jewish history, and modern Greek history. Education: Studied history and German at Ruhr University Bochum, University of Warwick, and Oxford (1986-1995). Doctorate in Modern History (Oxford, 1995). Current roles include: Director of Hungaricum - Hungarian Institute at Regensburg Member of Regensburg University Center for Teacher Education (RUL) Principal Investigator for the Graduate School of East and Southeast European Studies (LMU Munich/Regensburg) Treasurer of the Society for Urban and Urbanization Research Advisory boards for Rothschild Archive Trust and Leo-Baeck Institute Teaching includes courses on European history in the long 19th century, comparative urban studies, and border studies. His publications emphasize transnational networks, institutional history, and minority communities in modern Europe.

• Comparative European History
• British and Irish History
• Urban History and Urbanization
• +3 more

PD Dr. Carolin Kosuch is a Privatdozent representing the Chair of Modern and Contemporary History at Georg-August University of Göttingen since Winter Semester 2023/24, following the passing of Prof. Dr. Rebekka Habermas. She holds a habilitation from the Philosophy Faculty of Göttingen (July 2023) and serves as Associate Director of the International Society for Historians of Atheism, Secularism, and Humanism (ISHASH), while co-editing the journal Secular Studies. Her academic journey includes research positions at the Simon-Dubnow-Institute in Leipzig, the German Historical Institute in Rome, and TU Braunschweig. Her research traverses European cultural history of the 19th-20th centuries with specialized focus on modern Jewish history, religious nonconformism, and secularism. Kosuch's scholarly output reveals a consistent trajectory examining how secular worldviews manifested in urban spaces, death practices, and intellectual networks across Europe. Her monograph Die Abschaffung des Todes: Säkularistische Ewigkeiten vom 18. bis ins 21. Jahrhundert (2024) represents a culmination of her longstanding interest in secular approaches to mortality, while her earlier work Missratene Söhne. Anarchismus und Sprachkritik im Fin de Siècle (2015) established her expertise in radical intellectual history. Analysis of her 15 most recent publications shows remarkable thematic coherence across diverse publication venues, with consistent exploration of secular alternatives to religious frameworks in urban planning, death rituals, gender performance, and intellectual networks. Her scholarship frequently employs transnational and comparative methodologies, examining connections between German, Italian, and broader European contexts. Recent work demonstrates increasing engagement with material culture approaches to secularism while maintaining strong textual analysis foundations. Doctoral Scholarship, Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes (2010-2013) Fellow, KFG 'Religion and Urbanity: Reciprocal Formations', University of Erfurt (2023) Upcoming Fellowship, Institute for the History of German Jews, Hamburg (2025) Kosuch has supervised over 30 bachelor's, master's, and doctoral theses on topics spanning Jewish history, secularism, urban history, and gender studies. Her teaching portfolio includes innovative courses on socialist kitchens, food history, nonreligion, and city utopias. She participates in significant collaborative projects including the Göttingen Colonial Exhibition and maintains active membership in the Working Group for Recent Italian History and German Historical Association. Her upcoming research continues to explore intersections of urban spaces, secular practices, and Jewish intellectual history, with particular attention to death rituals and material culture approaches to nonreligion.

• European Cultural History
• Modern Jewish History
• History of Religion
• +5 more

Dr. Mark Hudson is a prominent researcher at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Jena, Germany, where he leads work in the Language and the Anthropocene Research Group. He is also affiliated as Chercheur associé with the Institut d'Asie Orientale at ENS de Lyon in France. His research bridges archaeology, environmental humanities, and linguistic studies with a particular focus on East Asian prehistory. Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena Institut d'Asie Orientale, ENS de Lyon (Chercheur associé) Hudson's research interests focus on the intersection of archaeology, environmental change, and human cultural development, particularly in Japan and East Asia. His work examines the Jōmon period, the Anthropocene, language dispersal patterns, and the relationship between agricultural development and linguistic evolution. He investigates how human societies have adapted to environmental changes over millennia and challenges notions of Japanese exceptionalism in pre-industrial environmental impact. His approach combines archaeological evidence with linguistic and genetic data to provide interdisciplinary insights into human history. Analysis of Hudson's recent publications reveals a strong focus on interdisciplinary approaches connecting archaeology, linguistics, and genetics. His work frequently examines the relationship between agricultural development and language dispersal in East Asia, with particular attention to the Transeurasian language family. Hudson's research consistently challenges simplistic narratives about human-environment interactions, demonstrating through archaeological evidence that pre-industrial Japan experienced significant anthropogenic impacts comparable to global patterns. His work on the 3000-year-old shark attack victim represents innovative bioarchaeological methods combining skeletal analysis with 3D modeling. Hudson has published extensively in top-tier journals including Nature, iScience, and Journal of World Prehistory. His research has been widely cited, with his Nature paper on Transeurasian languages receiving over 6,200 views. He has contributed to major reference works including the Cambridge World History of Violence and Routledge Handbook of the Bioarchaeology of Climate and Environmental Change. As a researcher at the Max Planck Institute, Hudson collaborates with numerous international scholars across disciplines. His work involves significant data collection efforts, such as the ARCHIPELAGO Archaeological Isotope Database for the Japanese Islands, which compiles 1476 entries of human bone and hair carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes from Japanese archaeological sites spanning from the Upper Palaeolithic to the mid-nineteenth century. His research often involves fieldwork in Japan and China, examining sites from the Jōmon period through later historical periods. Hudson's work connects with broader themes of environmental sustainability and resilience, examining how ancient societies navigated environmental challenges. His research group, Language and the Anthropocene, explores the deep historical roots of human impacts on Earth systems, challenging conventional periodizations of the Anthropocene that focus solely on the Industrial Revolution or post-1945 'Great Acceleration'.

• Archaeology
• Environmental Humanities
• Bioarchaeology
• +6 more