Jesko Schmoller

Jesko Schmoller is a Research Fellow at the Institute for Asian and African Studies (IAAW) of Humboldt University Berlin, specializing in Transregional Central Asian Studies with a Focus on Islam and Migration. His work bridges social and cultural anthropology, post-Soviet studies, and decolonial critique.

• Education: Ph.D. in Ethnology, Japanese Studies, and Literature from Humboldt University Berlin (2008–2012).
• Research Regions: Ural region of Russia (fieldwork since 2015), Kazakhstan (2013, 2019), Uzbekistan (2006–2007, 2008–2010).

Research Interests center on Muslim pilgrimage, Sufism, decolonial politics, material religion, and the spatial dimensions of Islam. He explores how minority Muslim communities in Russia negotiate identity, heritage, and state-driven narratives of national culture.

Recent Publications include analyses of decolonial critique (2023), pilgrimage as decolonization (2022), and fragrance in Islamic eschatology (2021). His work interrogates tensions between vernacular traditions and state-sanctioned Islam, emphasizing lived religious practices.

• Scientific Awards:
  • Public Outreach Award, Central Eurasian Studies Society (2015)

Schmoller actively participates in international workshops and academic collaborations, focusing on Sacred Geography, Halal Economies, and transregional Muslim connections. His teaching and research contribute to Central Asian and post-Soviet studies, with a particular interest in gender subjectivities and Islamic revival.