I am a German specialist in MIDDLE EASTERN HISTORY and POLITICS focusing on the intellectual encounter of East and West, on the perception of Europe and the Greek classics in the modern Middle East, the origins of nationalism and cultural revivalism in the Eastern Mediterranean, and contemporary discourses of enlightenment.
I received my M.A. in Oriental philology (Arabic, Persian and other languages), modern Greek and Byzantine studies, and political science (political philosophy) from Bochum University before I became a recipient of a scholarship by the State of Israel.
After spending a great deal of time in the Middle East, I gained my doctorate in Oriental philology (i.e. Middle Eastern languages and history) on “Modernism and the Idea of Europe in the Eastern Mediteranean.” Currently I am working on several projects dealing with East-West encounters.
My new book deals with HUMANISM in the MODERN ARAB WORLD: How Arab thinkers in the modern era developed ideas of enlightenment and a new perception of Europe and the Greek antiquity.
