Alexandra Cuffel
استاد · Jewish-Christian-Muslim relations in the Middle Ages
Ruhr University Bochumمعرفی
Prof. Dr. Alexandra Cuffel is a leading scholar in medieval and early modern interreligious encounters, currently serving as Professor of Jewish Religion in Past and Present Times at Ruhr University Bochum's Center for Religious Studies and Director of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg 'Dynamics in the History of Religions'. Her research spans Jewish, Christian, and Muslim relations in the medieval Mediterranean and beyond, with particular expertise in religious polemics, gender studies, and environmental crises in premodern societies.
- Ph.D. in Medieval History, New York University (2002)
- M.Phil. in Medieval History, University of Cambridge (1990)
- B.A. in Medieval Studies, Indiana University (1988)
Her recent work examines cross-religious festivals, medical theories, and environmental attitudes in premodern Afro-Eurasia, culminating in the 2024 monograph Shared Saints and Festivals among Jews, Christians, and Muslims in the Medieval Mediterranean and the forthcoming Religious Encounter and Environmental Crises. She also co-authors studies on Jewish warrior traditions and the Ten Lost Tribes with Prof. Adam Knobler.
Dr. Cuffel's publications demonstrate deep engagement with sensory religious practices, bodily fluids in polemics, and apocalyptic narratives. She has held prestigious fellowships from ACLS, Harvard Divinity School, and Hebrew University, and currently leads the 'JewsEast' and 'The Ten Lost Tribes' projects at Ruhr University.
- ACLS Fellowship (2007)
- Harvard Divinity School Fellowship (2006)
- Dorot Foundation Fellowship (1996)
Her research continues to reshape understanding of religious entanglement through material culture, ritual practices, and environmental challenges in premodern contexts.
