Academic interests
My research focuses on the transformations of religion in society since the mid-twentieth century, with a specific emphasis on contemporary forms of religiosity in the Western world. I have conducted extensive studies on the political controversies surrounding religion in public schools and am currently exploring religious and secular narratives in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
I am also interested in the way religious communities adapt and adopt traditional and new media for their religious purposes. To this end, I have investigated the dynamic relationships between religion, media, and community among Evangelicals and Jehovah's Witnesses.
In a historical context, I am captivated by the interwoven relationship between academic research and religious innovation in the 1960s to 1970s and its evolution in subsequent decades.
In my work, I strive to integrate empirical research and theoretical analysis, drawing from classical debates in the study of religion such as the emic-etic distinction and exploring emerging topics, such as utopian imaginaries. I am also exploring innovative avenues through philosophical research, in particular the concept of collective intentionality.
Education
- 2020: Habilitation, venia docendi in the study of religion (Religionswissenschaft).
Habilitation thesis on collective intentionality among the Jehovah’s Witnesses - 2016: Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) in Higher School Education, University of Bern
- 2011: Ph.D. in the study of religion, University of Fribourg. Ph.D. thesis on the sociopolitical debates surrounding religion in Swiss schools.
- 2007: M.A. in the study of religion (major), contemporary history, social anthropology (minors), University of Fribourg
Professional experience
- 2024 – Professor of the study of religion at the Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages (IKOS), University of Oslo
- 2023 – 2024 Associate professor of the study of religion at the Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages (IKOS), University of Oslo
- 2017 – 2023 Assistant professor of theory and method in the study of religion, University of Bern
- 2014 – 2017 Postdoctoral assistant in the study of religion, University of Bern (50%)
- 2013 – 2017 Senior research fellow, Department of religious studies, University of Fribourg (50%)
- 2010 – 2012 Scientific collaborator, Institute for the study of religion II, University of Bayreuth
- 2007 – 2010 Research assistant, Department of religious studies, University of Fribourg
Appointments
- Current Secretary General of the International Association for the History of Religions (2025–2030)
Partners
- Affiliated researcher at the Institute for the science of religion, University of Bern. Co-PI in the research project "How Worldviews Shape Social Responsibility: Religious and Secular Narratives of the Body, the Virus, and the State in the Covid-19 Crisis" (NFP80)
