Garbi Schmidt

Garbi Schmidt is a Professor of Cultural Encounter Studies at Roskilde University, Denmark, with a focus on migration history, urban diversity, and religious studies. She leads the inter-institutional migration research group at RUC and will become Director of Studies for Cultural Encounter Studies in May 2025. Her research integrates historical and anthropological methods, emphasizing a longue durée perspective to analyze migration phenomena in Denmark and globally. Key works include The First Ghetto (2021) and an upcoming English critique of methodological presentism in migration research, supported by the Carlsberg Foundation.

• PhD in religious history/Islamology (1998), focusing on Muslim immigrant groups in Chicago
• Shifted research to migration studies post-1999 at SFI/VIVE
• Teaches at BA, MA, and PhD levels on migration, globalization, and cultural encounters

Research interests span Danish immigration history, transnational movements, and Islamic expression in Europe. Current projects include the NORDFORSK-funded POLINERA (political inclusion and radicalization in Estonia and Norway).

Publications span over 200 articles and books, addressing topics like Nørrebro’s immigration history, methodological critique, and media analysis of migration narratives. Collaborates with ECMI and the Danish Knowledge Center for Integration.

Media engagements include discussions on Ukrainian integration, Danish migration policies, and historical figures like Bulotti, a Russian immigrant.