Maximilian Lasa

Maximilian Lasa serves as a Lecturer and Researcher at the Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies within the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Copenhagen. He completed his PhD in December 2022 with a dissertation titled "German Muslims on the International Theology Programme in Turkey: Temporalities, Spatialities, and Contingency" and actively contributes to research on Muslim religious leadership in northern Europe.

His educational background includes a PhD from the University of Copenhagen (2022), focusing on the understudied International Theology Programme in Turkey and its impact on German Muslim students' identity formation.

Lasa's research examines how transnational Islamic education shapes religious self-making among European Muslims, particularly through spatial, temporal, and contingent dimensions of students' experiences. His work bridges Islamic theology, migration studies, and higher education policy, emphasizing the challenges faced by emerging Muslim religious leaders in adapting Islam to northern European contexts.

Scientific Awards:

• No awards documented in available sources

He is a core member of the VELUX FOUNDATIONS-funded project "Rearticulating Islam: A New Generation of Muslim Religious Leaders" led by Associate Professor Simon Stjernholm, investigating how Muslim leaders navigate contemporary societal expectations. Lasa has delivered 5 conference presentations and co-organized 2 international events on Islamic learning, including "Muslim Women's Islamic Educational Activities" and "Expanding Horizons of Higher Islamic Education".

Lasa collaborates within a dedicated research team comprising Associate Professor Simon Stjernholm (project lead), Post-doc Kasper Ly Netterstrøm, and PhD fellow Maria Lindebæk Lyngsøe, collectively advancing understanding of European Muslim religious leadership through comparative studies across Germany, Turkey, and the UK.