Albrecht Hermann Hofheinz

• 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

  Rooted in the world historical methodology of John O. Voll, this collection brings together a diverse group of scholars to investigate the ongoing impact of revival and reform movements beginning in the eighteenth century and continuing through to the present. Ranging from the MENA region to Africa, India, and China, and covering a variety of religious interpretations, from scripturalist to Sufism, these essays offer new perspectives on movements including the Wahhabis of Arabia, the Sokoto Caliphate, the neo-Sufism of Shah Wali Allah of Delhi, Sufi scholars and networks on the African continent, and the Muslim Brotherhood. Contributors explore encounters between Islamic revival and reform and modernity with a focus on the ways in which Islamic reforms influence the political sphere. Concluding with contemporary reinterpretations of Islam in the digital arena, this volume examines, but also moves beyond, texts to include embodiments of religious practice, the development of religious culture and education, and attention to women’s contributions to education, cultural production, and community building.

• 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
• 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.
• 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
• 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
• 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
• 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
• 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
• 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

  Adab is a concept situated at the heart of Arabic and Islamic civilisation. Adab is etiquette, ethics, and literature. It is also a creative synthesis, a relationship within a configuration. What became of it, towards modernity? The question of the "civilising process" (Norbert Elias) helps us reflect on this story. During the modern period, maintaining one's identity while entering into what was termed "civilisation" ( al-tamaddun) soon became a leitmotiv. A debate on what was or what should be culture, ethics, and norms in Middle Eastern societies accompanied this evolution. The resilient notion of adab has been in competition with the Salafist focus on mores (akhlāq). Still, humanism, poetry, and transgression are constants in the history of adab.

• 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
• 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").
• 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
• 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
• 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
• 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

  This article presents and discusses voices of active social media users from the urban Sudan on the social impact of internet and mobile communication, with a focus on changes in individuals’ attitudes to established patriarchal norms, in particular regard- ing relations between the sexes, and between young people and their parents’ genera- tion. The picture that emerges from interviews and online sources is that of young people often impatient with the pace of change in their society, while at the same time professing that the new technologies have enabled them, in their own lives, to break established norms, to expand the realm of their private sphere, and to assert their own voice. Such sociocultural change risks going unnoticed if one focuses mainly on the political side of the Arab Spring; it may, however, be as important as regime change to the understanding of current dynamics in the Arab world.

• 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

  This article presents voices from Egypt reflecting on the question of who has the right to have a voice in the country in the first half of 2016. In the spirit of the research project “In 2016,” it aims to offer a snapshot of how it “felt to live” in Egypt in 2016 as a member of the young generation (al-shabāb) who actively use social media and who position themselves critically towards the state’s official discourse. While the state propagated a strategy focusing on educating and guiding young people towards becoming productive members of a nation united under one leader, popular youth voices on the internet used music and satire to claim their right to resist a retrograde patrimonial system that threatens every opposing voice with extinction. On both sides, a strongly antagonistic ‘you vs. us’ rhetoric is evident.

• 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

  The Republic of the Sudan was long the largest country in Africa and, according to the general consensus, also one of the least successful in many ways. This was not entirely its fault since it lay along the fault line between Muslim and Christian Africa and between the Nile Valley civilizations and African Sudanic cultures. This partly explains the long and bloody warfare waged by the Southerners to achieve independence, which they did in July 2011. So this hefty book actually covers not one but two states. This fourth edition of the Historical Dictionary of the Sudan does so, first, through a lengthy and detailed chronology tracing its relatively few successes and numerous failures. The introductory essay does an admirable job of putting it all in perspective. But the most informative part is the dictionary, with now over 700 entries for this fourth edition. They deal with important personalities, politics, the economy, society, culture, religion and inevitably the civil war. There are also appendixes and an extensive bibliography.

• 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

  Der Arabische Frühling hat die meisten Menschen völlig überrascht - vor allem durch seinen Zeitpunkt und seine Intensität. Darüber hinaus wurden so manche Vorurteile herausgefordert, als auf einmal Frauen in den ersten Reihen der Protestierenden standen und dem Internet eine Schlüsselfunktion zukam. Insbesondere im benachbarten Europa wurden die Aufstände allerdings auch mit Argwohn betrachtet: Was kommt nach dem Sturz der Diktatoren? Driftet die arabische Welt in die Hände von radikalen Islamisten? Welche Zukunft erwartet die Christen und die anderen Minderheiten in dieser explosiven Region? Bereits nach kurzer Zeit sprachen manche vom „Arabischen Herbst“. Im vorliegenden Band erklären nun ausgewiesene Experten allgemeinverständlich und gut lesbar Entstehung, Verlauf und Perspektive der revolutionären Bewegungen. Sie beleuchten die Hintergründe und nehmen die zentralen Schauplätze Ägypten, den Maghreb, Libyen, den Jemen, Syrien und Bahrain in den Blick. Dabei knüpfen ihre Texte ergänzend und inhaltlich fortführend an den Band »Die Araber im 21. Jahrhundert. Politik, Gesellschaft, Kultur« an.

• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2011). Nextopia? Beyond Revolution 2.0. Oriente Moderno. ISSN 0030-5472. N.S. 91. Show summary

  Research on the impact of the internet in the Middle East has been dominated by a focus on politics and the public sphere, and oscillated between the hope for “revolutionary” change and the admission that regime stability in the region has not easily been unsettled by media revolutions alone. Obsession with the new and with latest technologies has helped to obscure more long-term sociocultural developments. This contribution is a plea for a shift of paradigm: to study more seriously the social and cultural effects of Internet and mobile phone use; to find out what impact the use of these media has on conceptions of the individual and its role in the construction of knowledge and values; and to determine how these dynamics are embedded in more long-term historical developments promoting a greater role for the individual vis-à-vis established authorities.

• 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

  Research on the impact of the Internet in the Middle East has been dominated by a focus on politics and the public sphere, and oscillated between the hope for ‘revolutionary’ change and the admission that regime stability in the region has not easily been unsettled by media revolutions alone. Obsession with the new and with the latest technologies has helped to obscure more long-term sociocultural developments. This contribution is a plea for a shift of paradigm: to study more seriously the social and cultural effects of internet and mobile phone use; to find out what impact the use of these media has on conceptions of the individual and its role in the construction of knowledge and values; and how these dynamics are embedded in more long-term historical developments promoting a greater role for the individual vis-à-vis established authorities.

• 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.
• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2010). A history of Allah.com. In Brügger, Niels (Eds.), Web History. Peter Lang Publishing Group. ISSN 9781433104688. Show summary

  Web History is the first edited volume to put the emerging field of web history on the research agenda of Internet research. Sixteen original chapters investigate how the use of the web has developed in the realm of web culture at large, as well as how the organization of web industries and old media institutions on the web have changed. A number of fundamental theoretical and methodological questions related to doing web history are also examined. The volume aims to explore some of the possible ways of approaching the web of the past, based on the assumption that the past is not only important for historical purposes, but because it must be taken into consideration in order to fully understand the web of the present, and the web of the future.

View all works in Cristin

• 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

  Rooted in the world historical methodology of John O. Voll, this collection brings together a diverse group of scholars to investigate the ongoing impact of revival and reform movements beginning in the eighteenth century and continuing through to the present. Ranging from the MENA region to Africa, India, and China, and covering a variety of religious interpretations, from scripturalist to Sufism, these essays offer new perspectives on movements including the Wahhabis of Arabia, the Sokoto Caliphate, the neo-Sufism of Shah Wali Allah of Delhi, Sufi scholars and networks on the African continent, and the Muslim Brotherhood. Contributors explore encounters between Islamic revival and reform and modernity with a focus on the ways in which Islamic reforms influence the political sphere. Concluding with contemporary reinterpretations of Islam in the digital arena, this volume examines, but also moves beyond, texts to include embodiments of religious practice, the development of religious culture and education, and attention to women’s contributions to education, cultural production, and community building.

• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2019). Rex Seán O’Fahey (1943-2019). Sudan & Nubia : the Sudan Archaeological Research Society bulletin. ISSN 1369-5770. 23, p. 212–214.
• Guth, Stephan; Hofheinz, Albrecht & Chiti, Elena (2018). In 2016 -- How it felt to live in the Arab World five years after the "Arab Spring".
• Hofheinz, Albrecht & Guth, Stephan (2018). In 2016: Life in the Arab World after the ‘Arab Spring’. Show summary

  Much has been written about democracy (or the lack of it), political Islam and violence in the Middle East after the ‘Arab Spring’. But how do these aspects relate to the realities of everyday life in the post-revolutionary Arab world? And aren’t there many other matters that are much more important to ‘ordinary’ Arabs than these three catchwords of western media coverage?

• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2018). Social Media Buzz in 2016.
• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2018). Social Media.
• 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.
• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2017). Who Speaks for Islam? And What Is Islam? Anti-authoritarianism, Humanism, and Autonomy of Choice as Important Dimensions in Current Self-Reflection.
• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2017). Baby Milk.
• Guth, Stephan; Hofheinz, Albrecht & Haugen, Toril Kristin Viken (2017). Lagar "leksikon" over året 2016: Livet i Egypt og Tunisia fem år etter. [Journal]. Apollon.
• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2016). Blasphemy among Muslims.
• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2016). Daring to Transgress: The Growing Visibility of Blasphemy and Atheism in the Current Arab Public.
• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2016). Social Media Five Years after the “Arab Spring”—Some General Remarks.
• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2016). A Look Back on Generation Stuck: of Dreams Repressed, of Seeking a Way Out.
• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2015). Of Broken Walls and Broken Illusions, or: Where do Sudanese Social Media Actors Perceive Liberating Change? Show summary

  ‘Patriarchal authority has collapsed,’ was a young intellectual’s first thought on the impact of internet use on his society. Where the outsider points to much continuity, Sudanese are convinced that their country has ‘totally changed’. To them, the experience of social change beneath the façade of superficial similarities and regime stability is fundamental. Old authorities still wield considerable power; and disrespect for the authorities is nothing new. But it remains a striking fact that this attitude is perceived by the actors themselves as a significant change, compared to the norms that they were fed by these authorities during their upbringing. This paper discusses how people in Egypt and Sudan reflect on the social changes they are experiencing.

• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2015). Brave New Sudan.
• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2014). 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. Show summary

  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 After the polarisation of the Egyptian political scene culminated in 2013 in a military coup and violent crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood, Egyptians who had embraced the 2011 revolution found themselves in a limbo regarding how to assess and react to this. While Brotherhood supporters maintained an air of steadfastness, many seculars slipped into a disillusioned pessimism. Opposed to military rule as much as to the Brotherhood’s attempt to appropriate the state, they found themselves squeezed between the ‘steadfast’ but unrepentant Brothers; a population tired of disruptions to daily life and the economy; an unreformed security apparatus; and a reassertively repressive ‘deep state’. No wonder that many who had engaged in public in 2011/12 now tended to withdraw. Many activists regarded such withdrawal into perceived passiveness as dangerous and tried to fight it. But how does it look from ‘below’, from the perspective of individuals taking the decision to ‘withdraw’? In my contribution, I shall investigate this through the lens of individuals’ reflections and other traces on social media — does the retreat from ‘Taḥrīr’ (the paradigmatic symbol of street power) signify a withdrawal from public action altogether? Is it a withdrawal into the private sphere, leaving public affairs to the powers that be? Or are we witnessing a ‘post-Taḥrīr’ readjustment, conscious of a longer, and perhaps more realistic, time frame (cf. the oft-quoted comparison to the “ten years” the French Revolution took). Reading into some prominent social media accounts as well as based on interviews with rank-and-file participants in the 2011 revolution, I shall argue that the ‘withdrawal’ from public action was less pronounced than some would believe, and often understood as a tactical retreat to safeguard one’s forces from being crushed in the clash of the ‘old’ giants. Maintaining the ‘spirit of the revolution’ rather than exhausting oneself in useless street battles was the order of the day. Using individual cases, I shall present a nuanced picture of how different individuals view their own trajectory with the revolution and their own role in its future path. A leitmotif will be to ask what people say about the ‘wall of fear’ that was declared broken in 2011 – a feat that some at the time described as the one irreversible effect of the Jan. 25 revolution. How do post-revolutionary individuals set themselves up vis-à-vis reassertive authorities – political, religious, family, etc. – after having claimed to have lost fear of them?

• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2014). Rāqī bi-akhlāqī, or: The Moral Turn, from Sufi Shaykhs to Facebook groups.
• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2014). #WhyIHateIkhwan. Islamist-secular polarization in Egyptian social media.
• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2014). How did the Arabic Twittersphere react to Obama’s speech outlining his strategy against IS?
• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2014). Landslide.
• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2014). Regime of fear, 2.0.
• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2014). Tunisia – Egypt: who won?
• 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

  The Republic of the Sudan was long the largest country in Africa and, according to the general consensus, also one of the least successful in many ways. This was not entirely its fault since it lay along the fault line between Muslim and Christian Africa and between the Nile Valley civilizations and African Sudanic cultures. This partly explains the long and bloody warfare waged by the Southerners to achieve independence, which they did in July 2011. So this hefty book actually covers not one but two states. This fourth edition of the Historical Dictionary of the Sudan does so, first, through a lengthy and detailed chronology tracing its relatively few successes and numerous failures. The introductory essay does an admirable job of putting it all in perspective. But the most informative part is the dictionary, with now over 700 entries for this fourth edition. They deal with important personalities, politics, the economy, society, culture, religion and inevitably the civil war. There are also appendixes and an extensive bibliography.

• 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

  The Republic of the Sudan was long the largest country in Africa and, according to the general consensus, also one of the least successful in many ways. This was not entirely its fault since it lay along the fault line between Muslim and Christian Africa and between the Nile Valley civilizations and African Sudanic cultures. This partly explains the long and bloody warfare waged by the Southerners to achieve independence, which they did in July 2011. So this hefty book actually covers not one but two states. This fourth edition of the Historical Dictionary of the Sudan does so, first, through a lengthy and detailed chronology tracing its relatively few successes and numerous failures. The introductory essay does an admirable job of putting it all in perspective. But the most informative part is the dictionary, with now over 700 entries for this fourth edition. They deal with important personalities, politics, the economy, society, culture, religion and inevitably the civil war. There are also appendixes and an extensive bibliography.

• 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

  The Republic of the Sudan was long the largest country in Africa and, according to the general consensus, also one of the least successful in many ways. This was not entirely its fault since it lay along the fault line between Muslim and Christian Africa and between the Nile Valley civilizations and African Sudanic cultures. This partly explains the long and bloody warfare waged by the Southerners to achieve independence, which they did in July 2011. So this hefty book actually covers not one but two states. This fourth edition of the Historical Dictionary of the Sudan does so, first, through a lengthy and detailed chronology tracing its relatively few successes and numerous failures. The introductory essay does an admirable job of putting it all in perspective. But the most informative part is the dictionary, with now over 700 entries for this fourth edition. They deal with important personalities, politics, the economy, society, culture, religion and inevitably the civil war. There are also appendixes and an extensive bibliography.

• 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

  The Republic of the Sudan was long the largest country in Africa and, according to the general consensus, also one of the least successful in many ways. This was not entirely its fault since it lay along the fault line between Muslim and Christian Africa and between the Nile Valley civilizations and African Sudanic cultures. This partly explains the long and bloody warfare waged by the Southerners to achieve independence, which they did in July 2011. So this hefty book actually covers not one but two states. This fourth edition of the Historical Dictionary of the Sudan does so, first, through a lengthy and detailed chronology tracing its relatively few successes and numerous failures. The introductory essay does an admirable job of putting it all in perspective. But the most informative part is the dictionary, with now over 700 entries for this fourth edition. They deal with important personalities, politics, the economy, society, culture, religion and inevitably the civil war. There are also appendixes and an extensive bibliography.

• 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

  The Republic of the Sudan was long the largest country in Africa and, according to the general consensus, also one of the least successful in many ways. This was not entirely its fault since it lay along the fault line between Muslim and Christian Africa and between the Nile Valley civilizations and African Sudanic cultures. This partly explains the long and bloody warfare waged by the Southerners to achieve independence, which they did in July 2011. So this hefty book actually covers not one but two states. This fourth edition of the Historical Dictionary of the Sudan does so, first, through a lengthy and detailed chronology tracing its relatively few successes and numerous failures. The introductory essay does an admirable job of putting it all in perspective. But the most informative part is the dictionary, with now over 700 entries for this fourth edition. They deal with important personalities, politics, the economy, society, culture, religion and inevitably the civil war. There are also appendixes and an extensive bibliography.

• 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

  The Republic of the Sudan was long the largest country in Africa and, according to the general consensus, also one of the least successful in many ways. This was not entirely its fault since it lay along the fault line between Muslim and Christian Africa and between the Nile Valley civilizations and African Sudanic cultures. This partly explains the long and bloody warfare waged by the Southerners to achieve independence, which they did in July 2011. So this hefty book actually covers not one but two states. This fourth edition of the Historical Dictionary of the Sudan does so, first, through a lengthy and detailed chronology tracing its relatively few successes and numerous failures. The introductory essay does an admirable job of putting it all in perspective. But the most informative part is the dictionary, with now over 700 entries for this fourth edition. They deal with important personalities, politics, the economy, society, culture, religion and inevitably the civil war. There are also appendixes and an extensive bibliography.

• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2013). Allah.com – a Trajectory.
• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2013). #WhyIHateIkhwan. Islamist-secular polarization in Egyptian social media.
• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2013). #WhyIHateIkhwan. Islamist-secular polarization in Egyptian social media.
• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2013). Islamic studies in Germany: an overview.
• Hofheinz, Albrecht & Lohne, Jenny-Linn (2013). Fem drept og flere skadet etter nye kamper i Egypt. Show summary

  Situasjonen i flere egyptiske byer er svært spent etter at Mohamed Morsi ble varetektsfengslet.

• Hofheinz, Albrecht & Bergseng, Anne (2013). Tror turistene vil vende tilbake til Egypt. Show summary

  Til tross for avlyst sesong for Egypt som reisemål, tror ekspertene at landet igjen vil bli populært blant turister

• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2012). From the high skies, or: the lie of the land – a view from the edge.
• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2012). Out-Reach.
• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2012). En attendant… le salut.
• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2012). Who owns the revolution? A contested anniversary.
• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2012). Egypt: Election results vs November Facebook popularity.
• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2012). Social Media in the ‘Arab Spring’ — field observations from Egypt. Show summary

  Was the ‘Arab Spring’ a ‘Facebook revolution’? Or were social media mere tools used by revolutionaries like others before? What role did the internet play in the Arab uprisings? And beyond that: what impact do these new forms of communication have in the Arab mediascape and in society more generally? In 2011, the importance of social media was heavily and controversially debated in (mostly western) media and academia. The present paper presents results of my fieldwork in Egypt in 2011/2012 where I focused on how users themselves (not least among the rank and file) view the role of social media in and following the Arab uprisings. Interviews and participant observation suggest that • while the importance of Facebook and Twitter may have been exaggerated in early reporting, social media did play a key role in mobilizing and organizing people; • the weight of social media in the flow of information is growing; • social media’s impact on socialization may be at least as important in the long run as the immediate political role they play.

• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2012). Social Media in the ‘Arab Spring’ — the example of Egypt.
• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2012). Sosiale mediers rolle i den egyptiske revolusjonen.
• 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.
• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2012). New Media, Religion and Gender. Comment on the presentation by Mia Lövheim.
• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2012). "Born on the 25th of January". Introduction to the European premiere of Aḥmed Rashwān’s film "Mawlūd fī 25 yanāyir".
• Hofheinz, Albrecht & Utvik, Bjørn Olav (2012). Egypt one year after: Military rule in guise of democracy? Show summary

  A year after people took to the streets of Egypt demanding an end to the rule of Mubarak, the question about what has actually happened since is contested. One the one hand there are those who argue that a revolution took place, ousting the old regime, and that the country is now heading towards a brighter future. On the other hand, there are others who claim that no substantial change has taken place and that the old regime is still intact. To debate these two opposing views, The Centre for Islamic and Middle East Studies in cooperation with The New Middle East and The Gulf Research Unit held a seminar, featuring Albrecht Hofheinz and Bjørn Olav Utvik.

• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2011). Revolution II.
• Hofheinz, Albrecht & Reichmuth, Christoph (2011). Sieg der Frommen trifft Tourismus. [Newspaper]. Neue Luzerner Zeitung. Show summary

  Der Rückhalt in der Bevölkerung für die Protestbewegung schwindet, sagt ein Islamexperte. Das Ergebnis der Wahlen könnte im Land einiges umwälzen.

• 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.
• Hofheinz, Albrecht; Akerhaug, Lars & Skevik, Erlend (2011). Øyenvitne til VG Nett: Folk løper forbi med sårede. [Internet]. VG Nett.
• Hofheinz, Albrecht & Torgersen, Hans Henrik (2011). Revolusjonen, del 2. [Newspaper]. Verdens Gang.
• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2011). Nextopia? Beyond Revolution 2.0.
• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2011). On the events in Libya. [TV]. Insu^tv.
• Hofheinz, Albrecht & Meringolo, Azzurra (2011). «Il web ha dato coraggio alla rivoluzione araba». [Newspaper]. Il Messaggero. Show summary

  Il professor Hofheinz: «La rivolta era matura, i social networks l’hanno fatta crescere»

• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2011). Schmalband: Ägypter nutzen das Internet per Modem. [Internet]. golem.de: IT-News für Profis. Show summary

  Die ägyptische Regierung hat die Abschaltung der Mobilfunknetze auf Druck der Wirtschaft wieder aufgehoben, SMS funktioniert aber weiter nur sehr schlecht. Die Internet Service Provider sollen sich bereithalten, um den Betrieb wieder aufzunehmen.

• Hofheinz, Albrecht & Havdal Tangenes, Anders (2011). Håp om frihet og fremtid: opptøyene i Egypt. [Newspaper]. Under Dusken. Show summary

  I Egypt er arbeidsløsheten ti ganger høyere blant de med universitetsutdanning enn blant de uten. Da er det ikke rart at studentene sto øverst på barrikadene i protest mot Hosni Mubaraks regime.

• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2011). Den første Facebook-revolusjonen? [Internet]. ABC Nyheter. Show summary

  Revolusjonen i Egypt er utvilsomt en folkets revolusjon, men uten mediene ville ikke gnisten kunnet spre seg.

• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2011). Die Welt schaut zu – Islamwissenschaftler über das Internet in der arabischen Welt. [Radio]. Deutschlandfunk: Informationen am Morgen. Show summary

  In Ägypten sei das Internet nicht die Ursache für die Proteste, sagt Albrecht Hofheinz, Islamwissenschaftler an der Universität Oslo. Welch große Bedeutung die Regierung dem Medium beimesse, sehe man an der Unterbrechung der Leitungen.

• Hofheinz, Albrecht & Falkenberg Mikkelsen, Sigurd (2011). NRK P2 Kulturnytt: [om sosiale mediers rolle i demonstrasjonene i Egypt]. [Radio]. NRK P2.
• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2011). Kuttet hele internett: Egyptiske myndigheter har sperret befolkningens tilgang til internett i påvente av demonstrasjoner etter fredagsbønnen. [Internet]. ABC Nyheter.
• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2011). Korrespondenten: Sosiale medier i Tunisias folkerevolusjon. [TV]. TV2.
• Hofheinz, Albrecht & Wiedemann, Charlotte (2010). Islamic Manuscripts from Mali: From Holes in the Sand to a Digital Library. [Internet]. qantara.de. Show summary

  Forgotten, stolen and now rediscovered: In West African Timbuktu, families have maintained thousands of Islamic manuscripts down the centuries. Private individuals such as Abdelkader Haidara are now working to protect and digitise this African library heritage.

• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2010). Dynamics of internet use in the Arab-Islamic world. Show summary

  Etter en kort oversikt over hva som er mest 'populær' innenfor arabisk internettbruk, og hva som er felles med resten av verden og hva som er særegen, blir hovedfokuset på dynamikken som internettbruk i den arabisk-muslimske verden hjelper til å skape mellom brukerne og autoriteter (sosiale, religiøse, og politiske). Hovedargumentet er at internettbruk fremmer individets rolle i å definere hva 'islam' er - uten at det nødvendigvis skaper en individualistisk holdning Til slutt blir denne intenett-dynamikken satt i et lengre historisk perspektiv.

• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2010). The elusive quest for revolution: What about the 'next generation'? Show summary

  Research on the impact of the Internet in the Middle East has been dominated by a focus on politics and the public sphere, and oscillated between the hope for ̳revolutionary‘ change and the admission that regime stability in the region has not easily been unsettled by media revolutions alone. Obsession with the new and with the latest technologies has helped to obscure more long-term socio-cultural developments. This paper is a plea for a shift of paradigm: to study more seriously the social and cultural effects of Internet and mobile phone use; to find out what impact the use of these media has on conceptions of the individual and its role in the construction of knowledge and values; and how these dynamics are embedded in more long-term historical developments promoting a greater role for the individual vis-à-vis established authorities.

• 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.
• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2009). Fī istikhdām al-Internet fī al-ʿĀlam al-ʿArabī. [Radio]. Deutsche Welle (DW-RADIO/DW-WORLD/Arabic).
• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2009). “Den nubiske apekatt”. [Radio]. NRK P1 “Her og nå”.
• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2009). Midtøsten ruster opp. [Newspaper]. Universitas.
• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2009). Tombouctou: les manuscrits sauvés des sables. [TV]. ARTE. Show summary

  Des spécialistes tentent de sauver de l'ensablement des milliers de manuscrits, témoignages précieux du passé florissant de la ville. À Tombouctou, des spécialistes tentent de sauver de l'ensablement des milliers de manuscrits, témoignages précieux du passé florissant de la ville, ancien carrefour commercial et grand centre intellectuel de l'islam.

• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2009). Response to Fredrick Bäck, Islamic groups on the internet in Finland.
• 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

  From “Arab Spring” to “Arab Winter”—this narrative, focused on the political reestablishment of unbridled authoritarianism, misses the bigger picture. After a year of frustrated silence, social media actors re-emerged from disengagement “because there’s much more to the story than what may seem evident. Progress within the political maybe stunted. But “[...] thanks to demographic trends and exponential technology, the cultural and societal is hastening.” What role does technology play here? This brief summarizes views of Sudanese users on the impact of the internet in their country, after their own attempt at joining the “Arab Spring” was crushed in 2013.

• 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.
• 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

  This report presents results of a critical survey of how ‘revolutionary’ individuals in Egypt assessed the fate of the revolution and their own trajectory in it, a year after the military deposed president Mursī. Based on an analysis of social media and online interviews, it focuses on those who spearheaded the 2011 ‘revolution’ and who use the term ‘revolutionaries’ as self-description, in contrast to the other major forces: the Muslim Brothers (MB), the supporters of the old regime, and the military. I argue that among long-standing activists, ‘withdrawal’ from public action was less pronounced than some would believe, and often understood as a tactical retreat to safeguard one’s forces from being crushed in the clash of the ‘old’ giants. Maintaining the ‘spirit of the revolution’ rather than exhausting oneself in useless street battles was the order of the day. On the surface, the ‘deep state’ has managed to reassert itself, through cooption of the media and harsh repression of any opposition. Paradoxically, this shows how afraid the old regime is of the power of new ideas. It is thus all the more important for those who are not susceptible to direct persecution to support forums for alternative visions and free debate in Egypt. Outside actors such as Norway should • help to keep open spaces—physical and virtual—for alternative information flows, like the ‘Tahrir Lounge’ supported by the German Foreign Ministry; • monitor and publicly criticise attempts to restrict such spaces and hold Egyptian authorities accountable for such restrictions.

• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2014). #WhyIHateIkhwan. Islamist-secular polarisation in Egyptian social media. Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages, University of Oslo.
• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2013). Social Media in the 'Arab Spring': The Example of Egypt. University of Oslo. Show summary

  Was the ‘Arab Spring’ a ‘Facebook revolution’? Or were social media mere tools used by revolutionaries like others before? What role did the internet play in the Arab uprisings? And beyond that: what impact do these new forms of communication have in the Arab mediascape and in society more generally? In 2011, the importance of social media was heavily and controversially debated in media and academia. To gain insight into how users themselves view the role of social media in the recent events, I did fieldwork in Egypt in autumn 2011 and spring 2012. Interviews and participant observation suggest that 1. while the importance of Facebook and Twitter may have been exaggerated in early reporting, social media did play a key role in mobilising and organising people; 2. the weight of social media in the flow of information is growing; 3. social media’s impact on socialisation may be at least as important in the long run as the immediate political role they play.

• Hofheinz, Albrecht (2012). Social Media in the ‘Arab Spring’ — the example of Egypt. The New Middle East. Show summary

  Was the ‘Arab Spring’ a ‘Facebook revolution’? Or were social media mere tools used by revolutionaries like others before? What role did the internet play in the Arab uprisings? And beyond that: what impact do these new forms of communication have in the Arab mediascape and in society more generally? In 2011, the importance (or not) of social media was heavily and controversially debated in (mostly western) media and academia. To gain insight into how users themselves view the role of social media in the recent events, I did fieldwork in Egypt in autumn 2011 and spring 2012. Interviews and participant observation suggest that 1) while the importance of Facebook and Twitter may have been exaggerated in early reporting, social media did play a key role in mobilising and organising people; 2) the weight of social media in the flow of information is growing; 3) social media’s impact on socialisation may be at least as important in the long run as the immediate political role they play.

• 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

View all works in Cristin