Kai Kresse

Kai Kresse, Professor at the Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient (ZMO) and holder of a W3 Special Professorship at the Institute for Social and Cultural Anthropology, Freie Universität Berlin, is a leading scholar in the anthropology of philosophy, focusing on the Swahili Coast and broader African intellectual traditions. His work bridges Islamic studies, postcolonial theory, and ethnographic research on knowledge practices.

• Education: PhD in Anthropology and African Studies (SOAS, 2002), MSc in Social Anthropology (LSE, 1997), MA in Philosophy and African Studies (Hamburg, 1996)

Kresse’s research explores philosophical discourse in Muslim communities, cosmopolitanism in Indian Ocean contexts, and the interdisciplinary nature of sage philosophy. His recent articles analyze knowledge transmission in African societies and the role of poetry in political commentary.

He has received Honourable Mentions for major academic awards and currently supervises PhD students at Freie Universität Berlin on topics ranging from sports in postcolonial India to feminist ecology in aquaculture. Kresse also contributes to editorial boards of journals like Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East and Africa: Journal of the International African Institute.