Curriculum Vitae
Since 2019 Visiting lecturer (Lehrbeauftragte) in the Interfaculty Programme Study of Religion, Faculty of Philosophy, Theory of Science and Religious Studies, University of Munich.
2018/19 Guest lecturer at the University of Salzburg, Austria.
2010 to 2018 Lecturer (wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin) in the Interfaculty Programme Study of Religion (faculty of Philosophy, Philosophy of Science and Study of Religion), LMU Munich.
Since December 2010 Mentee in the Mentoring-Programme of LMUexcellent for highly qualified young female academics (Mentor Prof. Dr. Annette Keck).
2015 Visiting lecturer (two seminars) (Lehrbeauftragte), University of Zurich, De-partment of Religious Studies.
2013/14 Visiting lecturer (one seminar) (Lehrbeauftragte), University of Münster, De-partment of Religious Studies.2009-2010 Postdoctoral Grant of the Bayerische Gleichstellungsförderung (Bavarian Equal Opportunities Development Fund) for equal opportunities in research and academic teaching with a project on “Aesthetics of religion perspectives on cultural and socio-political aspects of Marian devotion in Europe”, connected to the Interfaculty Programme Study of Religion, LMU Munich.
2008/09 Lecturer (chair Prof. Dr. M. von Brück) in the Interfaculty Programme Study of Religion, LMU Munich.
2003/04, 2005-2008 Academic staff member at the Department of the Study of Religion, Ruprecht-Karls-University Heidelberg.
2007 Doctorate in Study of Religion, Faculty of Cultural Studies, University of Bayreuth with a thesis on “Religious Healing in East Africa. A Case Study of the Marian Faith Healing Ministry”, supervised by Prof. Dr. Ulrich Berner.
2003-2005 Grant for Graduate Research of the State of Bavaria (Bayerische Landesgraduiertenförderung); travel grant of the DAAD.
2003 Magistra Artium, University of Bayreuth, with a thesis on “Possession Cults in African Islam – Comparative Study of the Religion of the Swahili and the Hausa”, supervised by Prof. Dr. Ulrich Berner.
1999 (2 months) Swahili language course grant of the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service), Taasisi ya Kiswahili na Lugha za Kigeni, Zanzibar/Tanzania.
1997-2003 Undergraduate studies in study of religion, anthropology and Islamic studies (focus area Africa) at the universities of Bayreuth and Edingburgh, GB.
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Research Grants
2015-2019 Speaker of AESToR.NET (Network for Young Researchers of the German Research Council, DFG), together with Anne Koch; funding for six conferences/workshops.
University functions
2010 to 2018: deputy faculty women’s representative, Faculty of Philosphy, Philosophy of Science and Study or Religion.
2010 to 2018: member of the faculty commission for teaching funds, Faculty of Philosphy, Philosophy of Science and Study of Religion.
Membership in academic associations
African Association for the Study of Religions (AASR)
German Association for the Study of Religion (DVRW) and its working groups Aesthetics of Religion, Religion and Medicine and Africa
Religionswissenschaftlicher Medien- und Informationsdienst ReMID e.V.
Teaching
I regularly offer classes on history of African religions/Islam and Christianity in Africa; aesthetics of religion; religion and healing; methods in the study of religion; Introduction to the Study of Religion; BA colloquium; role playing games/didactic simulations of interreligious dialogue. For further information see LSF.
topOrganisation of Meetings and Panels
2018 „Methodology in Aesthetics of Religion / Author Workshop Handbook for Cultural and Cogni-tive Aesthetics of Religion”, AestorNet, organised by Adrian Hermann, Petra Tillessen, Kathari-na Wilkens and Anne Koch, University of Bonn, 31.5.–3.6.2018.
2017 „Methodology in Aesthetics of Religion / Author Workshop Handbook for Cultural and Cogni-tive Aesthetics of Religion”, AestorNet, organised by Katharina Wilkens and Anne Koch, Univer-sity of Munich, Germany, 10.–12.11.2017.
2017 Author workshop “Narrative Cultures”, AestorNet Conference organised by Anne Wahl, Dirk Johannsen and Anja Kirsch (in cooperation Katharina Wilkens), University of Münster, Germany, 16.–19.03.2017.
2016 Author workshop for the planned handbook, AestorNet, organised by Esther-Maria Guggenmos (in cooperation with Anne Koch and Katharina Wilkens), University of Erlangen, 10.-11.11.2016.
2016 “Narrative Cultures and the Aesthetics of Religion: Storytelling – Imagination – Efficacy”, AestorNet meeting organised by Dirk Johannsen and Anja Kirsch (in cooperation with Anne Koch and Katharina Wilkens), University of Oslo, Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages (IKOS), June 2016.
2015 AESToR NET – The Aesthetics of Religion Research Network Kick-off workshop: “The Sensory Sacred – Aesthetic as a Connective Concept for the Study of Religion” – Positions and Future Plans, organised by Alexandra Grieser and Jay Johnston (in cooperation with Anne Koch and Katharina Wilkens), University of Erfurt, August 2015.
2015 Organisation of the double panel „The Dynamics of Material Text Practices and the Somatics of Sacred Scripture“, together with Isabel Laack, IAHR conference Erfurt, August 2015.
2013 Organisation of the double panel “History of Religions in Africa: Postcolonial Perspectives”, DVRW biannual meeting Göttingen, September 2013 (together with Dr Jörg Haustein).
2011 Panel “Project Aesthetics of Religion: Debates, positions, results”, workshop panel of the working group Aesthetics of Religion of the DVRW (together with Alexandra Grieser), DVRW Biannual Meeting 2011, Heidelberg.
2010 Organisation and moderation of the 4th meeting of the working group Aesthetics of Religion of the DVRW: Editorial work on the publication “Relocating Religion(s). Museality as Critical Term for Aesthetics of Religion”, in: Journal of Religion in Europe 4(3) (together with Jens Kugele, Katja Triplett and Sebastian Schüler), Marburg.
2009 Organisation and moderation of the 3rd meeting of the working group Aesthetics of Religion of the DVRW: „Ortswechsel“: Religion als Exponat – Zur Entwicklung religionsästhetischer Grundbegriffe am Beispiel „Musealität“ (together with Jens Kugele, Anne Koch and Alexandra Grieser), LMU, München.
2007 Organisation of the panel „Individual Religiosity, Religious Group Identity and the Problem of Representation“ (together with Isabel Laack), DVRW/EASR Meeting 2007, Bremen.
2001 Organisation of the “International Student Symposion Study of Religion” at the University of Bayreuth, and editor of the proceedings (with own paper “The Spirit Cult of the Swahili” [German]).
topAcademic Papers Presented (selection)
2019 Religion in East-African Travelogues – Narratives of Difference and Self-Affirmation, EASR conference, Tartu, 25.-29.6.2019.
2019 ‘When the Kalmyks saw me, they thought I was their black devil’ - East African travel ac-counts in comparative perspective, Workshop “In Search of Shangri-La: Travel Writing, Religious His-tory, and Spirituality”, organised by Matthias Egeler, University of Munich, 8.-9.3.2019.
2018 Unruhige Ahnen zwischen Pastoren, Ärztinnen und Heilerinnen [Restless Ancestors Between Pastors, Doctors and Healers], Workshop of the working group “Religion and Medicine”, organised by Stephanie Gripentrog, University of Greifswald, 2.-3.2.2018.
2017 Embodying the Qur’an, SCRIPT conference “Books as Sacred Beings”, organised by Yohan Yoo and James W. Watts, Center for Religious Studies, Seoul National University, South Korea, 13.-14.10.2017.
2017 Aesthetics of “Other” Religions in East African Travelogues, Panel “On the relationality of religious traditions in Africa”, DVRW meeting, Marburg, 13.-16.09.2017.
2016 Spirits and/or identity disorder? Inclusivistic and exclusivistic strategies in dialogues between Religion and Psychology, presented at the meeting of the working group „Religion and Medicine“ of the German Association for the Study of Religion (DVRW) „‘Code-switching‘ between religious and medical language“, Mühlheim an der Ruhr, November 2016 [German].
2016 Narratives in Spirit Possession, presented at the AestorNet meeting “Narrative Cultures and the Aesthetics of Religion: Storytelling – Imagination – Efficacy”, organised by Dirk Johannsen and Anja Kirsch, University of Oslo, Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages (IKOS), June 2016.
2016 Infusions and Fumigations: Therapeutic Aspects of the Quran, presented at the conference “Seeing, Touching, Holding, and Tasting Sacred Texts”, organized by James W. Watts, CERES Bochum, April 2016.
2015 Catholic Christianity in East Africa between locality and world church, joint lecture series „Entangled Perspectives on non-European Christianities“ organised by Kerstin Radde-Antweiler and Adrian Herrmann, winter semester 2015/16, Department for the Study of Religion, Bremen, December 2015 [German].
2015 Drinking the Qur’an. Production and Consumption of Texts as Medicine, presented at the conference „Destroying Texts“ organised by Joachim Friedrich Quack, Heidelberg, SFB Material Text Cultures/Materiale Textkulturen, December 2015 [German].
2015 Drinking the Qur’an as Modern Practice, presented in the panel “The Dynamics of Material Text Practices and the Somatics of Sacred Scripture“ organised by Isabel Laack and Katharina Wilkens, IAHR conference Erfurt, August 2015.
2015 Transcendence and Imagination – Some Thoughts on Two Related Concepts, presented at the conference “Interpreting Transcendence: An Interdisciplinary Dialogue” organised by Jenny Ponzo and Robert Yelle, Center for Advanced Studies, LMU Munich, June 2015.
2014 Spirit Possession and Aesthetic Knowledge. Narrativity, Embodiment and Relationality, NGG/EASR conference, Groningen/NL, May 2014.
2013 On Black Madonnas, Networked Apparitions and Photographic Miracles. Marian Devotion from the Perspective of Aesthetics of Religion, Lecture series “Trend Religion Christianity?”, University of Lucerne, 3/12/13 [German].
2013 Drinking the Quran, Reading the Quran. Shifting Media Usage Between Semantics and Somatics, BASR/EASR Meeting September 2013, Liverpool.
2012 Demonology and (hospital) medicine. Reflections on their relationship in Tanzania. Conference ‘De-Differentiations? Religion and Medicine’, Study of Religion/Prof. Dr. Dorothea Lüddeckens, University of Zurich, CH [German].
2007 Mary and the Demons: Marian Worship and Ritual Healing in Tanzania, Annual Meeting of the African Association for the Study of Religion (AASR), Gaborone, Botswana.
topOther Presentations (selection)
2019 Religionskompetenz – Planspiele als Methode der politischen Bildung [Competence in Religion – Simulation Games as Method in Political Education], Expert conference „Religion in politi-caleducation“, hosted by the Federal Agency of Civic Education, (bpb) and the Eugen-Biser Foundation, Berlin, 3.-4.5.2019.
2018 TV Interview Bayern 3 Stationen – Des Pudels Kern: Wer oder was ist der Teufel? [Show „Stations“, Installment The crux of the matter – Does the Devil really exist?), 18.04.2018.
2018 Presentation on the history of Nigeria, incl. history of religions in its relevance for understanding health and sickness, further education seminar of the working group “Counselling and sup-port for people from an African country of origin”, organised by Vreni Steinack, Department of Migration and Health, City of Munich, 10.04.2018.
2018 Participation in a Panel discussion „Does the Devil really exist?“ hosted by the Catholic Academy Bavaria, Munich, in the context of the Faust-Festival 2018, 26.02.2018.2016 Masks, sacrifices, trance, pilgrimage. On ritual dealings with ancestor spirits in Tanzania, presented at the meeting „Between this world and the other world. Encounters with different realities“, organised by Gernot Meier and Sabine Kast-Streib, Evangelische Akademie Baden in cooperation with the Centre for Pastoral Studies, Heidelberg, Bad Herrenalb, April 2016 [German].
2016 Masken, Opfer, Trance, Wallfahrt. Vom rituellen Umgang mit Ahnengeistern in Tansania und in anderen Ländern Afrikas [Masques, sacrifice, trance, pilgrimage. On rituals directed towards ancestor spirits in Tanzania and in other African countries], further education seminar for pas-toral care workers in the reformed church “Zwischen Diesseits und Jenseits. Begegnung mit verschiedenen Wirklichkeiten” [“Between this world and the next world. Encounters with other realities”], organised by Gernot Meier and Sabine Kast-Streib, Protestant Academy Baden in cooperation with Centre for Pastoral Care Heidelberg, Bad Herrenalb, 08.-10.04.2016.
2015 Further education session on the history of Africa focussing on colonialism and on religion as it relates to medical practices for the working group „Counselling and aiding people from an African country“ of the City of Munich service centre for migration and health in the department for health and environment, organised by Vreni Steinack, Munich, September 2015 [German].
2015 Witchcraft, religious revival and development, presented at the German-Tanzanian Friendship Circle, organised by Reginald Temu, Munich, June 2015 [German].
2014 Recent developments in the healing landscape of Tanzania – On the dynamics of ancestors, herbal treatments and the Holy Spirit, presentation in a lecture series „Healing in Tanzania“ as part of the project „Dialogue between Cultures“, Ecumenical information Centre (Ökumenisches Informationszentrum e.V.), Dresden, December 2014.
2006 European spirits on the dance floor. On the dynamics of African religiosity, Long Night of Science (Lange Nacht der Wissenschaft), University of Heidelberg, November 2007.