Steven Vanderputten is a historian specializing in the society and culture of the medieval West, particularly focusing on the period from approximately 800 to 1200. He is a full professor in the Department of History at Ghent University, where he researches the societal embedding of religious groups and their impact on cultural developments. Vanderputten's work addresses a wide range of subjects, including memory and collective identities, conflict management, rituals, public behavior, communication practices, institutional development, and ecclesiastical reform. He has authored several critical monographs, including 'The Monastic Reform Process: Realities and Representations in Medieval Flanders, 900-1100' and 'Dark Age Nunneries: The Ambiguous Identity of Female Monasticism, 800-1050'. He has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals and has been involved in numerous funded research projects. His latest project, 'The Quest for Otherness: Uncovering Narratives of Religious Distinction in the Long Tenth Century,' seeks to explore questions of memory and cultural continuity in early modern religious communities. Vanderputten is an active member of various academic committees and research groups, contributing to the fields of medieval studies and history.