Dr. Arndt-Walter Emmerich

Arndt Emmerich is a post-doctoral research fellow at the Max-Weber-Institute of Sociology of Heidelberg University. He was a Research Fellow in the Department of Religious Diversity at MPI-MMG. As part of his project, he analysed the role of local mosque activism during the German refugee crisis through a comparative neighbourhood perspective. Prior to this, Dr Emmerich was a Qualtitaive Research Officer at the Oxford Department International Development, working for the Changing Structures of Islamic Authority project. He carried out an ethnographic study in various cities in Germany and the UK, in order to understand how Muslim youths learn about Islam, decide which Islamic tradition they follow and how mosque-based authorities ensure to stay relevant for the second and third generation of European Muslims. Dr Emmerich holds a DPhil and MPhil from the Oxford Department International Development and a BA in Sociology from the University of Essex. In his recently published monograph “Islamic Movements in India - Moderation and its Discontents”, Dr Emmerich conducted long-term participatory research within an assertive Islamic movement in the Indian states of Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and New Delhi. He drew on insights from political sociology, social movement theory and studies on political Islam to analyse the ways Islamic movements participate in the democratic process, negotiate with the secular state and align with other Muslim and non-Muslim groups. His most recent article “Political Education and Legal Pragmatism of Muslim Organizations in India” has been published in Asian Survey in 2019 and discusses the involvement of Muslim organizations in disseminating political education and legal pragmatism in India.

Publications

Books

Emmerich, A. (2020). Islamic movements in India: moderation and its discontents. London: Routledge. Link

Journal Articles

Emmerich, A. (2022). Masks, mosques and lockdowns: Islamic organisations navigating the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany. Entangled Religions, 12(3). Link

Emmerich, A. (2022). Negotiating Germany’s first Muslim–Christian kindergarten: Temporalities, multiplicities, and processes in interreligious dialogue. Social Compass. Link

Emmerich, A. (2021). Language change and persistence within Turkish mosques in Germany: Transnational ties and domestic demands. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies. Link

Emmerich, A. (2020). Salafi youth activism in Britain: A social movement perspective. Journal of Muslims in Europe, 9(3), 3-34.

Emmerich, A. (2019). Political education and legal pragmatism of Muslim organizations in India. A study of the changing nature of Muslim minority politics. Asian Survey, 59(3), 451-473. Link