News from research: Exciting fellows at the Max Weber College!

News from research: Exciting fellows at the Max Weber College!

On October 14, 2025, the Max Weber Kolleg at the University of Erfurt was pleased to welcome the new fellows for the winter semester 2025-26. Under the leadership of Susanne Rau and Jörg Rüpke, the collegiate research group “Religion and Urbanity” is consistently supplemented with renowned members who are dedicated to the complex interactions between religion and urban space.

The new fellows include Meriam Belli, who is working on “The Space and Place of Death in the Postcolonial City,” and Thomas Blanton, whose research focuses on “Paul of Tarsus: Labor Markets, Itinerancy, and Religious Entrepreneurship.” Other notable contributions include the work of Duane Corpis on the impact of Protestant charitable networks from the Reformation to international Protestantization in the period 1500 to 1800, and Julia Hillner, who examines the influence of imperial women on religious patronage in Rome from late antiquity to the Middle Ages.

Research projects and fellowships

The list of fellows also includes Prem Poddar, who will study “Border Cosmopolises: Himalayan Missions and Buddhism,” and Benjamin Schliesser, who will examine the role of urban Christian groups in the first century. Noam Shoked will analyze the transformation of the Israeli environment by ultra-Orthodox Jews in his work on “Haredi Landscapes.” Fathima Thesni Pokattungal also provides valuable input in the form of her dissertation on the trading networks on the Malabar Coast.

The research group for social philosophy and social theory welcomes, among others, Raminda Kaur, who will share her thoughts on “Ruminations: Religions, Cities and Worlds” as a Distinguished Fellow, and Emil Sobottka, who is dedicated to religiously motivated political participation and the commitment of conservative Christians in Brazil.

Awards and ongoing projects

As an associated fellow, Younes Nourbakhsh will draw on Hartmut Rosa's resonance theory in his project “Religion, Resonance and Sustainable Development”. Jeremy Richard, a doctoral student, examines questions surrounding the legitimacy and reception of Wagner and West in his project “Evil geniuses”. Postdoctoral researcher Deborah Rinaldi devotes her research to the interaction between social bonds and resonance theory.

The Merian Center ICAS:MP (Metamorphoses of the Political) in Delhi has two distinguished fellows, Yasmeen Arif and Anshu Malhotra, who work on identity and space in Delhi from 1947 to the present.

In addition, the International Graduate School “Resonant Self-World Relations” with Lara Bortolusci Leporati brings out interesting perspectives on the topic of “Critique of alienation” in urban contexts. In the Collaborative Research Center “Structural Change in Property”, Jaivir Singh and Solomon Benjamin are researching the social and legal framework of property and territory.

One of the outstanding projects is the ERC Advanced Grant “(De)Colonizing Sharia?” under the direction of Irene Schneider, which includes several fellows who focus on the influence of colonial regulations on Islamic law. These include Dilyara Agisheva and Viktor Forian-Szabo, whose work focuses on the legal challenges in the context of Pahlavi Iran and religious secularization in the Ottoman Empire.

Hartmut Rosa and Jörg Rüpke, the directors of the Max Weber Kolleg, welcomed the new colleagues in their opening speeches and emphasized the importance of their research contributions for the understanding of religion and urbanity.

These new additions embody a fascinating variety of perspectives and subject areas that are intended to contribute to a deep and differentiated examination of the topic of religion in urban spaces. The University of Erfurt and the Max Weber College are emphasizing their commitment to interdisciplinary research that illuminates both the present and the history of urban life.

Given the developments in the area of ​​religion and urbanity, the Max Weber Kolleg is well positioned to act as a leading institution in this research field. The new cohort of fellows and doctoral students is expected to have a strong influence on the scientific discussion in the coming years.

uni-erfurt.de reports that the diversity of the projects not only illuminates the historical perspective, but also brings current social challenges into focus. In a world that is increasingly complex and interconnected, the examination of religion and its influence on urban spaces will continue to be of central importance.