معرفی
Mathieu Tillier is a Professor of Medieval Islamic History at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Sorbonne University. He specializes in early Islamic judicial systems, papyrology, and interfaith legal dynamics in the Middle East. Tillier holds a PhD from Université Lumière-Lyon 2 (2004) and has held academic positions at Aix-Marseille Université and Oxford University, supported by a Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellowship. His research explores the evolution of Islamic legal institutions, particularly focusing on the role of qadis and the integration of religious minorities. Notably, he received the Sheikh Zayed Book Award (2023) for his groundbreaking work The Invention of the Qadi, which examines judicial pluralism in 8th-century Egypt. His research extends to Fatimid legal practices, early Quranic codices, and material culture analysis through papyrus and silk documents. Tillier collaborates extensively with institutions like the Institut français du Proche-Orient and co-authored studies on devotional texts and legal anthropology. His work bridges historical analysis with interdisciplinary methods, emphasizing textual and material evidence to reconstruct social dynamics in early Islamic empires.
Education:
- PhD in History, Université Lumière-Lyon 2 (2004)
- Aggregation in Arab Studies (1999)
- Accreditation to Supervise Research (2013)
Research Focus: Tillier’s work centers on the judicial reforms under Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates, papyrus-based legal records, and the coexistence of Islamic, Jewish, and Christian legal frameworks. He has pioneered studies on Fatimid marriage contracts, Quranic codices, and the socio-political role of qadis in medieval Egypt. His methodologies integrate textual analysis, material science, and comparative legal history.
Grants & Collaborations: Supported by European Marie Skłodowska-Curie grants, Tillier has collaborated with Oxford University and the Institut français du Proche-Orient. His recent projects include co-authoring analyses on devotional texts with Naïm Vanthieghem and examining ink composition in early Quranic manuscripts.
Awards: The Sheikh Zayed Book Award (2023) recognizes his monumental contribution to understanding early Islamic judicial systems. His work has been translated into multiple languages, influencing global scholarship on medieval Islamic studies.
