Most of my academic career has been devoted to the study of migrants in Europe and their offshoot. After studying anthropology at the University of Utrecht and later at the University of Amsterdam in the 1980s, I became part of a network of academics working on ethnicity, specifically focusing on Turkish migrants and inter-ethnic relations in European cities. My research agenda shifted to Islam and Turkish Islamic organizations in Europe and Turkey, and I was involved in international projects on Islam, education, and nation-building in Europe. Since 2010, I have been president of the Netherlands Interuniversity School for Islamic Studies (NISIS) and since 2016, I have served as executive editor of the Journal of Muslims in Europe (JOME). I have published numerous works for the general public and give frequent public lectures. Recently, my work explores the dynamics of Islamic authority among Muslims in Europe and the organizational dimensions of Islam, as well as the intersection of Islam and digitization.
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam • Amsterdam, Netherlands
Specialization in anthropology of religion and Islamic studies.