Nora Lafi

Nora Lafi is a Senior Lecturer in Islamic Studies at the Free University of Berlin and a researcher at the Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient (ZMO) in Berlin. She specializes in urban history with a focus on Ottoman and post-Ottoman cities in the Arab world, particularly examining urban governance, historical anthropology of cities, and the relationship between cosmopolitanism and conflict. Her academic credentials include qualifications equivalent to Full Professor in France for teaching architectural and urban history.

Dr. Lafi's research interests span urban history, Ottoman studies, Algerian civil war, deliberative systems in Arab and Muslim worlds, and Mediterranean history. Her work explores how cities in the Ottoman Empire and its successor states developed unique forms of governance that combined traditional practices with modern reforms. She has published extensively on topics including urban marginality, historical anthropology of Ottoman cities, and the transformation of urban spaces during periods of political change.

Her recent publications reveal a strong focus on the historical dimensions of contemporary urban challenges in the Middle East and North Africa. Her research demonstrates how Ottoman urban governance structures continue to influence contemporary city management, particularly in areas like municipal organization, intercommunal relations, and urban planning. Her work on Tunis, Aleppo, and Tripoli provides rich case studies of how cities navigate the tensions between tradition and modernity.

Dr. Lafi has directed significant research projects including 'The Historicity of Democracy in the Arab and Muslim Worlds' under the Leibniz Collaborative Excellence Programme and leads the Ghadames Heritage Project. She has also coordinated numerous seminar series at ZMO including 'Ottoman Urban Studies Seminar' and various programs on urban marginality, refugee integration in cities, and urban-rural relations.

She is actively engaged with the academic community through memberships in the European Association for Urban History, Italian Association for Urban History, and Deutsche Arbeitsstelle Vorderer Orient. She serves on the editorial boards of Urban History (Cambridge University Press) and Africa (Biella Editore), and is the Book Review Editor for Planning Perspectives focusing on Middle East and North Africa.