Kevin M. Kruse is Professor of History at Princeton University and Director of Undergraduate Studies. Specializing in 20th-century U.S. political, social, and urban history, his research examines conflicts over race, rights, and religion. Kruse earned his B.A. from UNC Chapel Hill and Ph.D. from Cornell University, joining Princeton after positions at the University of Virginia. His scholarship explores the civil rights movement, religious nationalism, suburbanization, and modern conservatism. Recent books analyze the corporate invention of Christian America and historical myths in American political discourse. Current projects include studies of civil rights lawyer John Doar and 'law and order' politics in New York City. Honored as a Guggenheim Fellow and Smithsonian Innovator, Kruse has received the Francis B. Simkins Award and Best Book in Urban Politics award. He teaches courses on civil rights, suburban history, and modern U.S. politics, and advises graduate students in 20th-century U.S. history. Kruse frequently engages public discourse through media appearances and collaborative projects with documentary filmmakers.
Donald R. Davis, Jr. is Professor and Chair of the Department of Asian Studies at the University of Texas at Austin's College of Liberal Arts. With a PhD from the same institution, he has established himself as a leading scholar in Hindu law and Dharmaśāstra studies. His work bridges religious studies, legal history, and South Asian studies, making significant contributions to our understanding of law and religion in medieval India. Davis earned his PhD from the University of Texas at Austin, where he has built his academic career. His scholarly journey has been deeply rooted in the study of Sanskrit legal traditions and their intersection with religious practice. Professor Davis's primary research concerns the interaction of law and religion in medieval India. He examines both historical evidence for law and legal practice through inscriptions and regional language documents, as well as the Dharmaśāstra tradition as a system of religious law and jurisprudence. His work situates Sanskrit normative texts within historical contexts while exploring their conceptual frameworks. He maintains the Resource Library for Dharmaśāstra Studies and has published extensively on Hindu law, including books such as The Spirit of Hindu Law (2010) and The Dharma of Business (2017). Davis's recent publications demonstrate a continued focus on the intersection of law, religion, and ethics in Hindu tradition. His work explores caste, conservatism, marital ethics, and the historical development of legal thought in India. He frequently draws comparative connections between Hindu legal traditions and other religious legal systems, contributing to broader conversations in legal anthropology and comparative religious law. Professor Davis actively supervises graduate students interested in Dharmaśāstra traditions and their relevance to law, religion, history, politics, and economics in India. He encourages students with broader interests in comparative religious law (Jewish law, Islamic law, Roman law, etc.) and works with those studying various aspects of Hinduism and classical religions in India, particularly in normative and "mainstream" areas such as Vedānta, Pūrva-Mīmāṃsā, Epics, and Purāṇas.
Gerald D. DeMaio serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science within the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences at the City University of New York (Baruch College). With continuous teaching since the 1970s, he maintains an active role instructing core courses including American Government, Religion and Politics in the United States, and American Conservatism. His educational background includes a Ph.D. and M.A. in Politics from New York University and a B.A. in Government from Manhattan College. His scholarly work centers on the intersection of religion and American politics, particularly examining culture wars, religious prejudice, media framing of religious groups, and church-state relations. DeMaio's research portfolio reveals a consistent focus on religious dimensions of American political behavior since the 1980s, with particular emphasis on anti-Christian fundamentalist sentiment as a political phenomenon. His publications demonstrate methodological diversity spanning quantitative analysis of survey data, historical examination of founding era principles, and critical discourse analysis of media coverage. Selected Honors: Nomination for Best Paper Award, APSA Religion and Politics Section (1999) NEH Summer Stipend (1987) Multiple NEH-funded seminars and institutes (1980-1987) New York State Regents Teaching Fellowship (1970-1972) Karl Holtznecht Memorial Scholarship (1975) His funded research includes two PSC-CUNY grants: 'Church-State Interactions: A Policy History Perspective' (2009-2010) and 'Cultural Depictions of Christian Fundamentalists in the Pre-Religious Right Period' (2007-2008). DeMaio actively contributes to academic service through committee work including the Faculty Senate, Library Liaison, and Departmental Review Committees, while maintaining extensive peer review activities for journals including the Journal of Politics and Political Behavior.
Brita Wårvik is a Professor in the Department of Languages at Åbo Akademi University, affiliated with the Faculty of Humanities, Psychology and Theology. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy (Phil. Dr.) from the same institution, awarded in 2013, and has been actively contributing to linguistic research for decades. Doctor of Philosophy (Phil. Dr.), Åbo Akademi University, 2013 Her research centers on discourse analysis, pragmatics, and historical English linguistics, with a particular focus on Early Modern and Medieval English texts. She investigates discourse interaction, textual structures, and pragmatic conservatism in religious prose, often employing corpus-based and textual analysis methods. Her work bridges micro and macro perspectives in discourse, exploring how semantic units contribute to broader text worlds. Analysis of her recent publications reveals a consistent trajectory in historical discourse studies, with increasing emphasis on corpus linguistics, manuscript variation, and the evolution of discourse markers. Her editorial work, such as the 2024 volume Structures in Discourse , highlights her leadership in synthesizing interdisciplinary perspectives on language use. Scientific Awards: Teacher of the Year (2001) ÅAU Student Union's Rose (2007) Brita Wårvik actively supervises and mentors academic visitors and collaborators, as seen in her hosting of scholars like Carmen Lee and Lieselotte Anderwald. She is the coordinator of the ongoing Project ICLE (International Corpus of Learner English) , securing research continuity and international collaboration. Her involvement in organizing workshops, such as the ICLE+30 FI-subcorpus Workshop in 2024, underscores her role in fostering academic exchange. In terms of research infrastructure, she is deeply embedded in the ICLE network, contributing to the development of learner language corpora. Her activities reflect strong international collaborations, particularly in the fields of historical linguistics and discourse studies, with a visible presence in both research and academic community-building.
University of California, Los AngelesUnited States
Ju Hui Judy Han is an Associate Professor in Gender Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, with additional affiliations at the Center for Korean Studies, Center for the Study of Women, and Asia Pacific Center. Her office is located in 1117 Rolfe Hall at UCLA. As a cultural geographer, Professor Han is committed to building critical and transnational conversations concerning gender, sexuality, and activism, regularly contributing to community-based projects and public events both on campus and beyond. Professor Han received her Ph.D. in Geography from UC Berkeley and her B.A. in English and Women's Studies from UC Berkeley. Her educational background bridges humanities and social sciences, providing a strong foundation for her interdisciplinary research. Her research interests span (Im)mobilities, Religion and difference, conservatism, LGBTQ/queer politics and activism, Comics and graphic novels, Korean studies, and Cultural geography. Professor Han approaches these topics through a critical lens that emphasizes transnational perspectives, particularly focusing on South Korea and the Korean diaspora. Her work often examines how power operates through spatial arrangements and how marginalized communities navigate and resist dominant structures. She has developed innovative approaches to studying activism through comics and graphic nonfiction, creating accessible yet theoretically rich analyses of complex social phenomena. Professor Han's publications reveal consistent engagement with queer politics in South Korea, religious movements, and transnational activism. Her work shows a progression from analyzing specific case studies to developing broader theoretical frameworks about resistance, solidarity, and spatial politics. The recurring themes across her publications include the intersection of religion and queer politics, the spatial dimensions of activism, and the transnational connections between social movements. UCLA Center for the Study of Women/Barbra Streisand Center, inaugural Barbra Streisand Fellowship on Truth in the Public Sphere Podcast Support Grant, University of California Humanities Research Institute (UCHRI), 2021-22 Society of Hellman Fellows Award, UCLA, 2021-22 UCLA Faculty Career Development Award, 2018-2019 Co-Applicant, 'Protesting Publics in South Korea,' SSHRC Insight Grant (PI: Jennifer Jihye Chun), 2015-2020 Co-Investigator, 'Urban Aspirations in Seoul: Religion and Megacities in Comparative Studies,' Max Planck Institute, 2011-2017 Professor Han actively contributes to public discourse through media appearances and community engagement. She has received significant research funding supporting her work on South Korean protest movements and urban religious dynamics. Her teaching portfolio is diverse, including the Gender Studies undergraduate core class on power (102), senior capstone seminars (187), elective courses on transnational feminist politics (131) and comics and graphic nonfiction (185), as well as graduate seminars on feminist geographies, queer temporalities, and research design.
Bruce S. Hall is an Associate Professor at the University of California, Berkeley specializing in the intellectual and social history of West Africa's Sahel region. His research focuses on Muslim intellectual culture, slavery, race, and economic history in Mali, Niger, and Mauritania, with particular attention to Timbuktu and the Niger Bend through Arabic manuscript analysis. Education: PhD, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2005 MA, Queen's University (Canada), 1995 BA, University of Toronto, 1994 Research Interests: Hall's work centers on the intersection of Muslim intellectual culture and social structures in pre-colonial and colonial West Africa. He examines how Arabic manuscripts document racial ideologies, slavery systems, and commercial networks, particularly through Timbuktu's 19th-century correspondence. His research reveals how Islamic legal frameworks interacted with social hierarchies and colonial disruptions in circum-Saharan societies. Publications Trends: Hall's scholarly output (2010-2020) consistently analyzes Arabic manuscripts to reconstruct West African intellectual history. Dominant themes include slavery emancipation processes, Islamic legal interpretations of commerce, race conceptualizations across Muslim societies, and Timbuktu's role as a scholarly hub. His work demonstrates increasing engagement with film studies and vernacular media while maintaining core focus on manuscript-based historiography. Scientific Awards: Martin A. Klein Prize (2012) for A History of Race in Muslim West Africa, 1600-1960 Conover-Porter Award (2016) for contribution to Arabic Literature of Africa. Volume 5 Advising and Projects: Hall serves as general editor of the West African Arabic Manuscript Database (WAAMD), a major bibliographic initiative cataloging Arabic materials across West Africa. While specific student advisees aren't listed, his leadership in WAAMD demonstrates extensive collaborative project management involving international scholars and library professionals focused on manuscript preservation and accessibility. Labs and Teams: Hall directs the WAAMD project team housed at UC Berkeley Library, coordinating researchers who catalog and analyze Arabic manuscripts from Mauritania, Mali, and Niger. This digital humanities initiative creates critical infrastructure for West African manuscript studies while training specialists in Arabic paleography and historical methodology.
Antoine Compagnon is a Professor of French Literature at Collège de France since 2006 and the Blanche W. Knopf Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Columbia University since 1985. He holds a Doctorate from Paris Diderot University and studied at École Polytechnique and École nationale des Ponts et Chaussées. Research Interests : Compagnon specializes in French literature , comparative literature , and literary theory , with a focus on modernity, postmodernism, and canonical figures like Proust, Montaigne, and Baudelaire. His work explores auto-biographical forms, rhetorical traditions, and the cultural impact of French literature. Publications Trends : His recent books analyze intersections between 17th-century philosophy and modern criticism , emphasizing autobiographical literature and digital humanities . He frequently examines French cultural identity , literary pedagogy , and the paradoxes of modernity . Scientific Awards : Fellow of the Thiers Foundation (1975-1978) Guggenheim Fellow (1988) Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1997) Fellow of Academia Europaea (2006) Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy (2009) Honorary Degrees from King's College London (2010), HEC Paris (2012), and University of Liège (2013) Claude Lévi-Strauss Prize (2011) Additional Contributions : He curated a Proust manuscript exhibition at the Morgan Library (2013) and produced popular radio series like Un été avec Montaigne (2012) and Un été avec Pascal (2020).
Prof. Dr. Pascal Fischer is a Professor for English and American Cultural Studies at the Faculty of Humanities and Cultural Studies, Otto-Friedrich-University Bamberg. He serves as Head of the Examination Board for the B.A. English and American Studies program and has held various academic roles since 2014, including interim professorships at multiple German universities earlier in his career. Education: PhD (summa cum laude) in English Literature (2003), Habilitation in English Philology (2009), both from University of Würzburg. His research spans interdisciplinary intersections of British Romanticism with medical humanities , urban studies , and Jewish-American literature . Key themes include: Political and religious discourse in historical contexts Urban space as a site of resistance and identity negotiation Cognitive approaches to literature and political thought Language as a marker of cultural identity in diasporic communities Prominent publications include monographs on literary conservatism and Jewish identity , co-edited volumes on poetry pedagogy and urban politics, and articles analyzing: Edmund Burke’s legacy in Brexit discourse Biblical texts in early modern political theory Cognitive contrasts between human and AI: literature as a bridge Scientific contributions: PhD with highest honors (2003) Keynote addresses at conferences (e.g., Anglistentag 2011 ) Teaching initiatives focus on integrating lyrical texts into language education and fostering interdisciplinary seminars for pre-service English teachers.
London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)United Kingdom
Madawi Al-Rasheed is Visiting Professor at the London School of Economics (LSE) Middle East Centre, where she conducts research on political and religious change in Saudi Arabia, particularly following the 2011 Arab uprisings. She previously held the position of Professor of Anthropology of Religion at King’s College London (1994–2013), was a Research Fellow at the Open Society Foundation, and a Prize Research Fellow at Nuffield College, Oxford. She has also taught at Goldsmiths College and the University of Oxford. Her research focuses on Saudi political development, gender policies, religious reform, and civil society. She is widely published, with major works including Muted Modernists (2015), Salman’s Legacy (2018), and A History of Saudi Arabia . Her research has been supported by fellowships from the Open Society Foundation and other institutions. Al-Rasheed is a frequent contributor to international media, including BBC, CNN, CCTV, and Al-Hura, and has published op-eds in The Guardian , Foreign Policy , Al-Monitor , and Foreign Affairs . She has given seminars at Harvard University, the University of Denver, and Casa Arabe in Madrid. Saudi Arabia GCC states Anthropology Gender Islamic Politics Political Reform Her recent publications reflect a consistent focus on authoritarian resilience, religious reinterpretation, and social change in Saudi Arabia, particularly under Mohammed bin Salman. Themes include state-led modernization, repression of dissent, gender reforms, and the manipulation of nationalist discourse. Fellow of the British Academy (2020) She has advised governments and international organizations and continues to be an influential public intellectual on Gulf affairs. Although she does not appear to supervise formal students at LSE, her extensive publications and public engagement reflect significant academic mentorship and influence. She is not part of a formal lab or research team but leads independent and collaborative research initiatives.
Guy S. Alitto is an Associate Professor at the University of Chicago, holding appointments in the Department of History and Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations. His email is galitto@uchicago.edu . He specializes in Modern Chinese intellectual and social history, labor history, and the Chinese Communist movement. His research integrates local histories (e.g., Zouping county in Shandong, the Liang family of Guilin) with broader themes like political-social dynamics and cultural modernization debates. Alitto’s research interests focus on village/county-level histories, family narratives, and social phenomena like banditry (1880–1950). He emphasizes connections between political/social realms and intellectual/cultural expressions, particularly in how local cultures shape national identity. His work also explores contemporary Confucian thought and its relevance to modernity, as seen in his 2015 book Contemporary Confucianism in Thought and Action . His publications span from 1986 to 2015, addressing topics ranging from Liang Shuming’s philosophical legacy to anti-modernization trends. Courses taught include History of Modern China , Readings in Literary Chinese , and Reading Qing Documents . No scientific awards are explicitly mentioned in the text. His advising and grant activities are not detailed, but he is actively engaged in mentoring through his graduate courses and research supervision. No lab affiliations are noted.
Rutgers, The State University of New JerseyUnited States
Paul Hanebrink serves as Professor of History at Rutgers University, where he has been teaching since 2001. Holding a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago (2000), his academic career has focused on the complex intersections of religion, nationalism, and political ideology in modern European history. His research centers on Modern East Central Europe with particular emphasis on Hungarian history. Hanebrink investigates how religious identity, particularly the concept of 'Christian Hungary,' shaped national consciousness and contributed to antisemitic political movements during the interwar period. His work examines the transnational circulation of political ideas, especially the Judeo-Bolshevik myth that linked Jewish identity with communist revolution across national boundaries. Hanebrink's publications reveal a consistent focus on the relationship between religious identity and political ideology in twentieth-century Europe. His work demonstrates how religious concepts were deployed to define national boundaries and justify exclusionary politics. The trajectory of his scholarship shows increasing attention to transnational connections in European intellectual history, tracing how ideas about religion, nationalism, and Jewish identity crossed borders and adapted to local contexts. Hanebrink has authored two major monographs: In Defense of Christian Hungary: Religion, Nationalism, and Antisemitism, 1890-1944 (Cornell University Press, 2006) and A Specter Haunting Europe: The Myth of Judeo-Bolshevism (Harvard University Press, 2018), which has received significant scholarly attention for its comprehensive analysis of this dangerous political myth. At Rutgers, Hanebrink teaches undergraduate and graduate courses including History of the Holocaust, Eastern Europe (1800-1948), Jews of Germany and Austria-Hungary, and specialized seminars on religion and secularization in modern Europe. His teaching reflects his research interests in European history, religious studies, and the history of political ideologies.
Dr. Gordon Hodson is a Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Brock University, Canada. He specializes in intergroup relations, prejudice, and dehumanization, with a focus on linking human-animal relations to broader systems of oppression. His work bridges academia and advocacy, exploring how ideologies like social dominance underpin both speciesism and ethnic prejudice. Education: Ph.D. (Psychology) from Western University (formerly University of Western Ontario). Research Interests: His studies examine intergroup contact's role in reducing bias, the psychological roots of prejudice, and the cognitive mechanisms underlying dehumanization. Key areas include: Intergroup contact theory Prejudice dynamics Human-animal relations Political radicalization Publications & Awards: Authored/edited over 150 peer-reviewed articles and books, including Why We Love and Exploit Animals . Honors include the SPSSI Gordon Allport Award (2019) and the APA Division 34 award (2016). Lab & Team: Leads the Brock Intergroup Attitudes Scholarship (BIAS) Lab, training students in prejudice research. Collaborates internationally on projects addressing speciesism, climate change, and pandemic risks linked to meat consumption. Grants & Future Work: Active in securing funding for research on intergroup contact generalization effects and policy implications of dehumanization. Current projects include longitudinal studies on prejudice trends and interventions to enhance cognitive liberalization.
Stefan Gelfgren is Associate Professor of Sociology of Religion and Senior Lecturer in Didactics of Religion at Umeå University's Department of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies. He holds a PhD in History of Ideas (Umeå University), MPhil in History of Christianity (Birmingham University), and BA in Construction Engineering. His research examines: Social/technical/religious transformations throughout history Digital media's impact on Christian institutions Digital humanities methodologies Surveillance in everyday life Religious geography and mapping Recent publications (2020-2025) focus on digital religion, surveillance ethics, Swedish revivalism, and geospatial humanities. Key trends include institutional adaptation to digitalization and historical continuities in religious media. Awards include the 2022 Erik Allardt Fellowship at Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies. He leads multiple research initiatives: Wallenberg-funded DINO project on digital privacy/social benefit (Co-investigator) Nordic Places of Worship Map (Project Leader) iAccept: Soft Surveillance (Principal Investigator 2017-2021) As former Director of Humlab (2015-2020), he developed digital humanities infrastructure. He chairs the Swedish Association for Sociology of Religion and serves on Umeå University's Faculty Board.
Ken Miichi is a Professor at the Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies, Waseda University (since 2019). His research focuses on Indonesian politics , political Islam , gender dynamics , and religious pluralism in Southeast Asia. He has received the Ishibashi Memorial Asia-Pacific Research Incentive Award (2002) and led numerous grants from Japan Society for the Promotion of Science , including projects on COVID-19 political impacts and conflict resolution in polarized societies . His work bridges academic research and public commentary , with contributions to books, edited volumes, and policy-oriented articles. Research Highlights : Anti-Feminist Discourse in Indonesia (2024) and Gender Politics in presidential elections (2020) Religious Pluralism in post-authoritarian Indonesia (2020) Indigenization of Islamism through grassroots networks (2023) Cultural Preservation of folk performing arts after disasters (2016) Scientific Awards : Ishibashi Memorial Asia-Pacific Research Incentive Award (2002) Grants include: Political Impact of the COVID-19 Crisis (2022-2027) Trust and Peacebuilding in Conflict-Affected Regions (2020-2025) Feminist Movements and Islam in Indonesia (2020-2024)
Ayhan Kaya is Professor at Istanbul Bilgi University's European Institute and Center for Migration Research, specializing in migration, populism, and identity politics. His research analyzes right-wing populism in Europe, diaspora engagement, and EU-Turkey relations, with publications examining civilizational identity construction and migrant labeling processes. Recent work includes studies on Syrian refugees in Turkey, Islamophobia, and the de-Europeanization of migration policies. He directs projects on highly skilled migration and has assessed vulnerability among refugee populations in Istanbul. His books explore transnational identities and the legacy of social movements like #Occupygezi.
