Jonatan Kurzwelly

Dr. Jonatan Kurzwelly is a Senior Researcher and Head of the Research Group Radicalization, Terrorism, and Extremism Prevention at the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF), part of the Leibniz Association. He is also affiliated with the Research Department Glocal Junctions and holds academic ties with the University of the Free State, South Africa, and the University of Göttingen, Germany.

• PhD in Social Anthropology, University of St Andrews, UK (2017)
• MA in Anthropological Research, University of Manchester, UK (2013)
• BA in Cultural Anthropology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poland (2012)

His research centers on radicalization and deradicalization processes, social and personal identity, social essentialism, nationalism, and the ethical dimensions of handling human remains from colonial contexts. He explores how identity politics intersect with extremism and postcolonial justice.

His recent publications reflect a strong thematic focus on the restitution of human remains, provenance research, and the persistence of essentialist thinking in both extremist ideologies and academic collections. He employs ethnographic and interdisciplinary methodologies to analyze identity formation in contexts such as Nueva Germania, Paraguay, and post-apartheid South Africa.

Dr. Kurzwelly has received recognition through editorial roles and leadership in international academic bodies, including serving as Chair of the Commission on the Study of Divisiveness, Discrimination and Marginalisation (SDDM) at the International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences (IUAES) since 2021.

He actively mentors researchers and collaborates across institutions. His work includes leading projects on deradicalization and the conceptualization of mortal remains, and he contributes to public discourse through PRIF’s blog and public lectures.

He is involved in several research networks and projects, including collaborations with the Centre for Advanced Study in Oslo and the Museum Fünf Kontinente in Munich, reflecting his engagement with both academic and public institutions on issues of historical justice and identity.