Albrecht Hermann Hofheinz

Research interests
My main disciplinary background is in Islamic and Arabic studies, combining both philological, historical, and social-anthropological approaches. I have also been influenced by my studies in German literature and linguistics, comparative religion, and Persian language.
My interests include
- the cultural and social impact of the internet in the Arab world with a special focus on majority use, based on online and fieldwork in Egypt, Sudan, and Morocco;
- environmental activism and green movements in the Arab world;
- Sufism and the pietistic roots of modernity in the Muslim world, as expressed by reform movements over the past three centuries;
- Islam in Africa, in particular local and intellectual history in the Sudan, from the 18th century to the present;
- Arabic manuscripts in the Sudan and in the libraries of Timbuktu (Mali), with an eye to improve access to public and private collections containing West Africa’s oldest and most important literary heritage.
My academic research remains indebted to field experience gained while working in humanitarian and development cooperation with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the UN, and the German Development Service in the Sudan, the Palestinian territories, and Yemen.
My work is embedded in several research networks at the Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages, including GreenMENA: Climate Change and Energy Transition in the Middle East, In 2016: How it felt to live in the Arab World five years after the ‘Arab Spring’, and the New Middle East Project (NewME).
For more detail, see my publications at Google Scholar, Academia and ResearchGate.
Teaching and tutoring
I teach graduate and undergraduate courses in Arabic and Middle Eastern studies. Apart from participation in language training at all levels, this includes:
- MØNA1505 - Modern Middle East History
- MES4010 - Readings in Middle East Studies
- MES4110 - Readings of Middle Eastern Texts
- MES4210 - Topics in Arabic Studies I
- MES4220 - Topics in Arabic Studies II
- MES4560 - Topics in Islamic Studies II
- ARA2010 - Arabic D
- ARA4118 - Arabic Manuscripts
- ARA4505 - Arabic Cyberspace
Since joining the University of Oslo, I have regularly supervised master students as well as five doctoral candidates.
Background
I received my academic training at universities in Bonn, Tunis, Cairo, and Berlin, where I engaged in Islamic, Arabic and Persian studies, Islamic art history, Arabic music, comparative religion, German literature and linguistics. In 1996, I obtained the degree of dr.philos. in history from the University of Bergen with a dissertation on the social and religious history of an Islamic reform movement in the early modern Sudan. The dissertation was selected as one of that year’s best by the Middle East Studies Association of North America (Malcolm H. Kerr Award).
My academic life was enriched by field experience gained while working in humanitarian and development cooperation with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the UN, and the German Development Service in the Sudan, Uganda, the Palestinian territories, and Yemen. My main tasks there included assistance to prisoners of war and other persons arrested in relation to conflict, to refugees, internally displaced, and other civilians affected by violent conflicts, evaluation of cooperation programmes, and consultancy in matters of good governance.
After returning to academia, I became a fellow of the Institute for Advanced Study and the Centre for Modern Oriental Studies i Berlin before joining the University of Oslo in 2004.
Publications
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Hofheinz, Albrecht Hermann (2022). A Flame of Learning in the Winds of Change: Notes on the History of the Majādhīb of al-Qaḍārif. In Delong-Bas, Natana J. (Eds.), Islam, Revival, & Reform: Redefining Tradition for the Twenty-First Century. Essays Inspired by John O. Voll. Syracuse University Press. ISSN 9780815637509. Show summary
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Hofheinz, Albrecht Hermann (2021). Young vs. Settled [a code of "In 2016"]. Journal of Arabic and Islamic studies. ISSN 0806-198X. 21(Themed section "In 2016"), p. 370–375. Full text in Research Archive
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Hofheinz, Albrecht Hermann (2021). Male vs. Female [a code of "In 2016"]. Journal of Arabic and Islamic studies. ISSN 0806-198X. 21(Themed section "In 2016"), p. 316–335.
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Hofheinz, Albrecht Hermann (2021). Social Media [an array "In 2016"]. Journal of Arabic and Islamic studies. ISSN 0806-198X. 21(Themed section "In 2016"), p. 248–255. Full text in Research Archive
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Hofheinz, Albrecht Hermann (2021). Red Sea Islands [an array of "In 2016"]. Journal of Arabic and Islamic studies. ISSN 0806-198X. 21(Themed section "In 2016"), p. 232–239. Full text in Research Archive
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Hofheinz, Albrecht Hermann (2021). Mobile Phones [an array of "In 2016"]. Journal of Arabic and Islamic studies. ISSN 0806-198X. 21(Themed section "In 2016"), p. 186–195. Full text in Research Archive
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Hofheinz, Albrecht Hermann (2021). Celebrities [an array of "In 2016"]. Journal of Arabic and Islamic studies. ISSN 0806-198X. 21(Themed section "In 2016"), p. 35–39. Full text in Research Archive
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Hofheinz, Albrecht Hermann & Guth, Stephan (2021). Introduction [to themed section "In 2016: How it felt to live in the Arab World 5 years after the 'Arab Spring'"]. Journal of Arabic and Islamic studies. ISSN 0806-198X. 21(Themed section "In 2016"), p. 5–20. doi: 10.5617/jais.9481. Full text in Research Archive
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2019). Rāqī bi-akhlāqī. The Moral Turn: from Sufi Sheikhs to Facebook Groups? In Mayeur-Jaouen, Catherine (Eds.), Adab and Modernity: A “Civilising Process”? (Sixteenth-Twenty-First Century). Brill Academic Publishers. ISSN 978-90-04-41599-7. p. 620–650. doi: 10.1163/9789004415997_023. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2018). The Islamic Eighteenth Century: A View from the Edge. In Zemmin, Florian; Stephan, Johannes & Corrado, Monica (Ed.), Islam in der Moderne, Moderne im Islam: Eine Festschrift für Reinhard Schulze zum 65. Geburtstag. Brill Academic Publishers. ISSN 9789004364035. p. 234–253. doi: 10.1163/9789004364042_012. Full text in Research Archive
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Hofheinz, Albrecht Hermann (2017). Baby Milk [an array of "In 2016"]. Journal of Arabic and Islamic studies. ISSN 0806-198X. 21(Themed section "In 2016").
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Guth, Stephan; Chiti, Elena & Hofheinz, Albrecht (2017). Arrays of Egyptian and Tunisian Everyday-Worlds: An update on the project "In 2016—How it felt to live in the Arab World five years after the 'Arab Spring'”. Journal of Arabic and Islamic studies. ISSN 0806-198X. 17, p. 455–508. doi: 10.5617/jais.6130. Full text in Research Archive
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Guth, Stephan & Hofheinz, Albrecht (2017). Introduction: From "Issues" to "Arrays". Journal of Arabic and Islamic studies. ISSN 0806-198X. 17, p. 457–462. doi: 10.5617/jais.6131. Full text in Research Archive
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2017). Baby Milk. Journal of Arabic and Islamic studies. ISSN 0806-198X. 17, p. 466–469. doi: 10.5617/jais.6133. Full text in Research Archive
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2017). Broken Walls: Challenges to Patriarchal Authority in the Eyes of Sudanese Social Media Actors. Die Welt des Islams. ISSN 0043-2539. 57(3-4), p. 278–302. doi: 10.1163/15700607-05734p02. Show summary
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2016). #Sisi_vs_Youth, or: Who Has a Voice in Egypt? Journal of Arabic and Islamic studies. ISSN 0806-198X. 16, p. 327–348. doi: 10.5617/jais.4755. Show summary
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2013). Internet. In Kramer, Robert S.; Lobban, Richard A. & Fluehr-Lobban, Carolyn (Ed.), Historical dictionary of the Sudan. Scarecrow Press. ISSN 978-0-8108-6180-0. p. 216–217. Show summary
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2013). Soziale Medien im Arabischen Frühling. In Schneiders, Thorsten Gerald (Eds.), Der arabische Frühling: Hintergründe und Analysen. VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften. ISSN 978-3658011734. p. 117–125. doi: 10.1007/978-3-658-01174-1_7. Show summary
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2011). Nextopia? Beyond Revolution 2.0. Oriente Moderno. ISSN 0030-5472. N.S. 91. Show summary
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2011). Nextopia? Beyond Revolution 2.0. International Journal of Communication. ISSN 1932-8036. 5, p. 1417–1434. doi: 10.1163/22138617-09101005. Show summary
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2010). The elusive quest for revolution: What about the ‘next generation’? In Sudweeks, Fay; Hrachovec, Herbert & Ess, Charles (Ed.), Cultural Attitudes towards Technology and Communication 2010. School of Information Technology, Murdoch University. ISSN 978-0-86905-966-1. p. 187–197.
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2010). A history of Allah.com. In Brügger, Niels (Eds.), Web History. Peter Lang Publishing Group. ISSN 9781433104688. Show summary
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Hofheinz, Albrecht Hermann (2022). A Flame of Learning in the Winds of Change: Notes on the History of the Majādhīb of al-Qaḍārif. In Delong-Bas, Natana J. (Eds.), Islam, Revival, & Reform: Redefining Tradition for the Twenty-First Century. Essays Inspired by John O. Voll. Syracuse University Press. ISSN 9780815637509. p. 84–138. doi: 10.2307/j.ctv2fwfzp9.7. Show summary
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2019). Rex Seán O’Fahey (1943-2019). Sudan & Nubia : the Sudan Archaeological Research Society bulletin. ISSN 1369-5770. 23, p. 212–214.
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Guth, Stephan; Hofheinz, Albrecht & Chiti, Elena (2018). In 2016 -- How it felt to live in the Arab World five years after the "Arab Spring".
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Hofheinz, Albrecht & Guth, Stephan (2018). In 2016: Life in the Arab World after the ‘Arab Spring’. Show summary
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2018). Social Media Buzz in 2016.
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2018). Social Media.
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2018). Meikal Mumin and Kees Versteegh (eds.). The Arabic Script in Africa: Studies in the Use of a Writing System. Studies in Semitic Languages and Linguistics 71. Leiden: Brill, 2014. xx, 400 pp. €142.00, hardback; €137.00, e-book. Islamic Africa. ISSN 2333-262X. 9(1), p. 118–122. doi: 10.1163/21540993-00901008.
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2017). Baby Milk.
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Guth, Stephan; Hofheinz, Albrecht & Haugen, Toril Kristin Viken (2017). Lagar "leksikon" over året 2016: Livet i Egypt og Tunisia fem år etter. [Journal]. Apollon.
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2016). Blasphemy among Muslims.
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2016). Daring to Transgress: The Growing Visibility of Blasphemy and Atheism in the Current Arab Public.
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2016). Social Media Five Years after the “Arab Spring”—Some General Remarks.
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2016). A Look Back on Generation Stuck: of Dreams Repressed, of Seeking a Way Out.
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2015). Brave New Sudan.
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2014). Rāqī bi-akhlāqī, or: The Moral Turn, from Sufi Shaykhs to Facebook groups.
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2014). #WhyIHateIkhwan. Islamist-secular polarization in Egyptian social media.
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2014). How did the Arabic Twittersphere react to Obama’s speech outlining his strategy against IS?
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2014). Landslide.
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2014). Regime of fear, 2.0.
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2014). Tunisia – Egypt: who won?
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2013). Uthman ibn Abi Bakr Diqna. In Kramer, Robert S.; Lobban, Richard A. & Fluehr-Lobban, Carolyn (Ed.), Historical dictionary of the Sudan. Scarecrow Press. ISSN 978-0-8108-6180-0. p. 448–449. Show summary
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2013). Shadhiliya. In Kramer, Robert S.; Lobban, Richard A. & Fluehr-Lobban, Carolyn (Ed.), Historical dictionary of the Sudan. Scarecrow Press. ISSN 978-0-8108-6180-0. p. 379–380. Show summary
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2013). Majadhib. In Kramer, Robert S.; Lobban, Richard A. & Fluehr-Lobban, Carolyn (Ed.), Historical dictionary of the Sudan. Scarecrow Press. ISSN 978-0-8108-6180-0. p. 283–284. Show summary
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2013). al-Damer. In Kramer, Robert S.; Lobban, Richard A. & Fluehr-Lobban, Carolyn (Ed.), Historical dictionary of the Sudan. Scarecrow Press. ISSN 978-0-8108-6180-0. p. 119–120. Show summary
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2013). Ahmad ibn Idris. In Kramer, Robert S.; Lobban, Richard A. & Fluehr-Lobban, Carolyn (Ed.), Historical dictionary of the Sudan. Scarecrow Press. ISSN 978-0-8108-6180-0. p. 56–56. Show summary
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2013). Abdullah al-Tayyib. In Kramer, Robert S.; Lobban, Richard A. & Fluehr-Lobban, Carolyn (Ed.), Historical dictionary of the Sudan. Scarecrow Press. ISSN 978-0-8108-6180-0. p. 41–41. Show summary
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2013). Allah.com – a Trajectory.
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2013). #WhyIHateIkhwan. Islamist-secular polarization in Egyptian social media.
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2013). #WhyIHateIkhwan. Islamist-secular polarization in Egyptian social media.
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2013). Islamic studies in Germany: an overview.
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Hofheinz, Albrecht & Lohne, Jenny-Linn (2013). Fem drept og flere skadet etter nye kamper i Egypt. Show summary
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Hofheinz, Albrecht & Bergseng, Anne (2013). Tror turistene vil vende tilbake til Egypt. Show summary
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2012). From the high skies, or: the lie of the land – a view from the edge.
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2012). Out-Reach.
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2012). En attendant… le salut.
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2012). Who owns the revolution? A contested anniversary.
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2012). Egypt: Election results vs November Facebook popularity.
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2012). Social Media in the ‘Arab Spring’ — field observations from Egypt. Show summary
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2012). Social Media in the ‘Arab Spring’ — the example of Egypt.
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2012). Sosiale mediers rolle i den egyptiske revolusjonen.
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Ohlander, Erik S.; Ballanfat, Paul; Ephrat, Daphna; Hofheinz, Albrecht & Kılıç, Mahmud Erol (2012). From the Editors. Journal of Sufi Studies. ISSN 2210-5948. 1(1), p. 1–2.
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2012). New Media, Religion and Gender. Comment on the presentation by Mia Lövheim.
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Hofheinz, Albrecht & Utvik, Bjørn Olav (2012). Egypt one year after: Military rule in guise of democracy? Show summary
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2011). Revolution II.
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Hofheinz, Albrecht & Reichmuth, Christoph (2011). Sieg der Frommen trifft Tourismus. [Newspaper]. Neue Luzerner Zeitung. Show summary
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Hofheinz, Albrecht & Mohammed, Ferhad (2011). (on the significance of South Sudan’s independence for the future of non-Arab people in the Arab states). [Internet]. Gulan Media.
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Hofheinz, Albrecht; Akerhaug, Lars & Skevik, Erlend (2011). Øyenvitne til VG Nett: Folk løper forbi med sårede. [Internet]. VG Nett.
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2011). Nextopia? Beyond Revolution 2.0.
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Hofheinz, Albrecht & Meringolo, Azzurra (2011). «Il web ha dato coraggio alla rivoluzione araba». [Newspaper]. Il Messaggero. Show summary
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2011). Schmalband: Ägypter nutzen das Internet per Modem. [Internet]. golem.de: IT-News für Profis. Show summary
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Hofheinz, Albrecht & Havdal Tangenes, Anders (2011). Håp om frihet og fremtid: opptøyene i Egypt. [Newspaper]. Under Dusken. Show summary
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2011). Die Welt schaut zu – Islamwissenschaftler über das Internet in der arabischen Welt. [Radio]. Deutschlandfunk: Informationen am Morgen. Show summary
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Hofheinz, Albrecht & Falkenberg Mikkelsen, Sigurd (2011). NRK P2 Kulturnytt: [om sosiale mediers rolle i demonstrasjonene i Egypt]. [Radio]. NRK P2.
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2011). Kuttet hele internett: Egyptiske myndigheter har sperret befolkningens tilgang til internett i påvente av demonstrasjoner etter fredagsbønnen. [Internet]. ABC Nyheter.
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2011). Korrespondenten: Sosiale medier i Tunisias folkerevolusjon. [TV]. TV2.
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Hofheinz, Albrecht & Wiedemann, Charlotte (2010). Islamic Manuscripts from Mali: From Holes in the Sand to a Digital Library. [Internet]. qantara.de. Show summary
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2010). The elusive quest for revolution: What about the 'next generation'? Show summary
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2009). Fī taʿāwun norwēǧī saʿūdī: Naql ṭullāb wa-ṭālibāt min Iskandināfiyā li-taʿallum al-lugha al-ʿarabiyya fī Jidda. [Newspaper]. al-Madīna - al-Arbiʿāʾ.
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2009). Fī istikhdām al-Internet fī al-ʿĀlam al-ʿArabī. [Radio]. Deutsche Welle (DW-RADIO/DW-WORLD/Arabic).
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2009). “Den nubiske apekatt”. [Radio]. NRK P1 “Her og nå”.
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2009). Response to Fredrick Bäck, Islamic groups on the internet in Finland.
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2016). Policy Brief: Broken Walls: Challenges to Patriarchal Authority in the Eyes of Sudanese Social Media Actors. UiO: Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages. Show summary
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2016). Broken Walls: Challenges to patriarchal authority in the eyes of Sudanese social media actors. UiO: Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages.
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2015). Withdrawal from Taḥrīr? Voices from the social media on the fate of the revolution, the wall of fear, and the role of individual actors in post-coup Egypt. Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages, University of Oslo. Show summary
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2014). #WhyIHateIkhwan. Islamist-secular polarisation in Egyptian social media. Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages, University of Oslo.
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2013). Social Media in the 'Arab Spring': The Example of Egypt. University of Oslo. Show summary
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Hofheinz, Albrecht (2012). Social Media in the ‘Arab Spring’ — the example of Egypt. The New Middle East. Show summary
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Myrvold, Pernille; Moubarak, Mary Boulos & Hofheinz, Albrecht (2010). RAPPORT utarbeidet til Universitets- og høgskolerådet (HRS): Sammenligning av bruken av bokstavkarakterer for emnene ARA103 (UiB) og ARA1120 (UiO) høsten 2010. Universitets- og høgskolerådet (UHR) . Show summary