Magdalena Moorthy-Kloss

Dr. Magdalena Moorthy-Kloss is a Research Fellow at the Leibniz Center for Modern Orient in Berlin. Her work focuses on the history of slavery in Yemen, combining anthropology and history to analyze social hierarchies, race, and gender through an intersectional lens.

• 2024: FWF Erwin Schrödinger Fellow
• 2019-2023: Postdoctoral researcher at the Austrian Academy of Sciences
• 2008-2009: M.Sc. in Anthropology and Development (high merit) at the London School of Economics
• 2001-2007: BA + M.Sc. in Cultural and Social Anthropology (distinction) at the University of Vienna

Her research examines how concepts of (un)freedom and racialized hierarchies evolved in Yemen during the British Protectorate (1872–1963). She analyzes the long-term societal impacts of slavery and abolition by integrating anthropological and historical methodologies, emphasizing intersectionality to uncover systemic inequalities.

The published articles highlight her focus on medieval slavery in Yemen, particularly the roles of Ethiopian and African slaves in political and military structures. These works span topics like eunuchs in court systems, concubinage, and racialist discourse, with keywords reflecting interdisciplinary intersections of Islamic law, gender, and postcolonial theory.

• 2024: FWF Erwin Schrödinger Fellowship
• 2022–2023: Post-DocTrack Fellow
• 2008–2009: Postgraduate scholarship from Austria’s Ministry of Education

Magdalena has collaborated with international institutions like the Austrian Academy of Sciences, University of Vienna, and Harvard’s SlaveVoyages Conference. She has contributed to projects on transregional entanglements and served as a research consultant for the International Organization for Migration.