Gerard Wiegers

Professor Gerard Wiegers serves as Professor of Comparative Religious Studies at the University of Amsterdam within the Faculty of Humanities, Department of History. His academic work focuses on the intersection of religious traditions, particularly examining Islamic religious practices within Christian Spain during the early modern period.

His research interests center on the religious history of Muslims living as minorities in Christian Spain, with special attention to Morisco communities who maintained Islamic practices in secret after forced conversions. Wiegers examines Arabic manuscripts, religious texts, and historical documents to understand religious syncretism, crypto-Islamic practices, and the transmission of religious ideas across cultural boundaries. His work spans comparative religious studies, Islamic studies, and historical analysis of religious texts from medieval and early modern Spain.

Analysis of Wiegers' publications reveals a consistent focus on religious texts produced by Muslim minorities in Christian contexts, particularly examining the Sacromonte Parchment and Lead Books from Granada, Qur'anic manuscripts in Jewish communities, and historical chronicles documenting Islamic history from Christian perspectives. His research demonstrates expertise in textual criticism, manuscript analysis, and understanding religious syncretism in borderland contexts where multiple religious traditions intersected.

Professor Wiegers has collaborated extensively with other scholars in the field, including Pieter Sjoerd van Koningsveld, on critical editions of historical religious texts. His work bridges religious studies, history, and philological analysis to illuminate the complex religious landscape of early modern Iberia and its diaspora communities.