Hans G. Kippenberg (DEU)

His research and teaching topics formerly were the great religions of ancient and modern Mediterranean cultures (Gnosis and others), their representations and their social effects, the sociology of religion of Max Weber and the history of comparative religions in the 19th and 20th century. Since 2001 his research focuses on religions as sources of violence. His publication and commentary of the famous spiritual testament of the terrorists of 9/11 and his recent work Gewalt als Gottesdienst make him one of the strongest representatives of the thesis that violence is rooted in religions themselves. He was 1977-1989 professor for common religion history and compared religion science at the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen (NL) and since 1998 fellow at the Max-Weber-Kolleg of the Universität Erfurt. Kippenberg was president of the „Deutsche Vereinigung für Religionsgeschichte (DVRG)“ from 1993 to 2001. He co-published with T. Seidensticker Terror im Dienste Gottes. Die „Geistliche Anleitung“ der Attentäter des 11. September 2001 (Frankfurt 2004);Religions and Violent Actions in the edition of Thomas Schefflers Religion between Violence and Reconciliation(2002) and Religiöse Sinn-Deutungen in säkularen Konflikten(Münster 2005). This year he published Gewalt als Gottesdienst. Religionskriege im Zeitalter der Globalisierung(München 2008).