Max-Weber-Kolleg awards honorary doctorate to Professor Gudrun Krämer

Professor Gudrun Krämer is one of the most outstanding Islamic scholars of our time. In her decades-long academic career, she has not only significantly shaped the field of Islamic studies, but has also provided decisive impetus for interdisciplinary research and the academic debate on Islam in a global context.

She has raised modern Islamic studies to a new level with her thorough and precise analyses of the history and present of Islam. Her work is characterised by a remarkable methodological diversity and depth that has enabled her to address both historical and contemporary issues with a rare combination of empathy and critical distance. For her brilliant research on the history, culture, religion and values of Muslims, she received the Gerda Henkel Prize in 2010 and the Historisches Kolleg Prize in 2025. In her work, she has contributed to providing a deeper understanding and a differentiated picture of Islamic cultures and societies. Her commitment to a differentiated and unprejudiced view of Islam in Western discourse has thus helped to question stereotypical representations and promote a respectful and open exchange. In addition, Professor Krämer has also promoted the subject of Islamic Studies worldwide through her international charisma and her diverse teaching activities abroad and has repeatedly set new accents. Her academic achievements therefore go far beyond her numerous publications.

In addition to her work as a researcher and teacher, her great commitment to the academic community is also of outstanding importance. Professor Krämer has been involved in many academic and science policy institutions and committees, including as spokesperson of the Max-Weber-Kolleg Academic Advisory Board at the University of Erfurt. She was awarded an honorary doctorate "in recognition of her outstanding achievements in the field of Islamic Studies as a comparative and understanding cultural and social science, in particular her profound research on the relationship between Islam and modernity", as the doctoral certificate states. Hartmut Rosa and Jörg Rüpke, Director and Co-Director of the Max Weber-Kolleg at the University of Erfurt: “We congratulate Gudrun Krämer and are proud to be able to honour another outstanding scholar with an honorary doctorate from the Max Weber-Kolleg.”