Edith Franke

Edith Franke is a University Professor and Head of the Religious Studies Collection at the Institute for Social Anthropology and Religious Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences and Philosophy, Philipps University of Marburg. She has held this position since 2006 and also serves as Managing Director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Religious Research (ZIR) since 2010 and Speaker of the BMBF-funded research consortium „Dynamiken religiöser Dinge im Museum“ (REDIM) since 2018.

Her educational background includes a Diplom in Religious Studies from the University of Bremen, a 1999 PhD on female conceptions of God in Christian and feminist contexts ("Die Göttin neben dem Kreuz"), and a 2007 Habilitation on religious pluralism in Indonesia ("Einheit in der Vielfalt") at Leibniz University Hannover.

Professor Franke's research centers on empirical investigations of religious pluralism in Islamic Indonesia, gender dynamics in religious contexts, and contemporary religious culture in Germany. Her fieldwork includes multiple research trips to Indonesia (2003-2007) and studies of German religious communities, emphasizing methodological innovation in religious studies.

Her scientific recognition includes:

• DFG Graduate College Scholarship (1992-1995)
• Fellowship at the Kollegforschungsgruppe 'Multiple secularities beyond the west, beyond modernities' (2018-2019)

Her research is supported by competitive grants including the BMBF-funded REDIM consortium and projects on Indonesian religious pluralism, with additional funding for international collaborations with Indonesian Islamic universities and curation of exhibitions like "Islam in Java".

Academic leadership includes co-editing the Zeitschrift für Religionswissenschaft since 2019, co-founding DVRW working groups (AKTUM and AKRAG), and serving on the Center for Peace and Conflict Research directorate since 2008. She actively develops the Religious Studies Collection and promotes interdisciplinary museum-based research on religious objects.