Dominik Müller

Prof. Dominik Müller holds the Chair of Cultural and Social Anthropology at the Institute of Sociology at Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU). He is the SDAC (Southeast Asia Studies Center) Speaker, leading research initiatives on Southeast Asian societies, Islamic legal systems, and state-religion dynamics. His work focuses on pluralism, Sharia governance in Brunei and Malaysia, and the bureaucratization of religious authority.

Research Interests:

• Islamic authority and state interactions
• Sharia law and socio-legal change
• Religious pluralism and normative conflicts
• State formation in Southeast Asian sultanates
• Cultural anthropology of bureaucracy
• Transnational Islamic networks

Recent Publications Highlight: Prof. Müller’s work analyzes Brunei’s Sharia Penal Code, Islamic authority negotiation in Swiss mosques, and the transformation of Islamic judiciaries in Malaysia. His interdisciplinary approach bridges anthropology, sociology, and legal studies, emphasizing fieldwork in Southeast Asia and Europe.

Grants & Projects: Leads the Emmy Noether Research Group 'The Bureaucratization of Islam' and collaborates with the Max Planck Fellow Group on Environmental Rights. Active in organizing SDAC academic events including guest lectures, film screenings, and transnational student exchanges.

Labs/Teams: Core member of the Southeast Asia Studies Center (SDAC) coordinating academic programs and research networks. Directs the 'Bureaucratization of Islam' research cluster producing comparative analyses across Brunei, Singapore, and Switzerland.