Sebastian Elsässer
Biographic Data
| ID | 170747 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Sebastian Elsässer |
| GIVEN NAMES | Sebastian |
| FAMILY NAME | Elsässer |
| SIGNATURE | ELSÄSSER S |
| AFFILIATIONS | Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-4072-2422 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 13 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 10 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 13 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2007 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Christian-Muslim Relations in the Aftermath of the Arab Spring
A Wave of Unbelief? Conservative Muslims and the Challenge of Ilḥād in the Post-2013 Arab World
This article analyses the spread of unbelief among conservative Egyptian and Syrian Muslims in the post-Arab Spring period. In this period, social media gave an unprecedented visibility to transgressive expressions of fiducial doubt, creating the impression of a 'wave of atheism' within the conservative milieu. Based on original sources and interviews, the article argues that what the participants called 'atheism' (ilḥād) must not be read from th…
Victor J. Willi, The Fourth Ordeal. A History of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, 1968–2018
Between Preaching and Judging
Both as a slogan and a book, “Preachers, not Judges” has long dominated academic narratives about the Muslim Brotherhood’s turn towards ‘moderation’ in the 1970s and 1980s. However, upon examination, several commonplace assumptions about “Preachers, not Judges” do not hold. Firstly, the Muslim Brotherhood never renounced takfīr as a basic doctrine. It only debated different ways of implementing this doctrine in practice. Secondly, “Preachers, not…
Engineering the “Islamic personality”
The Muslim Brotherhood’s ideological belief in Islam as a comprehensive system ( šumūlīya ) implies ambitious ideas about forming and re-forming the minds, spirits and bodies of Muslim individuals through educational activities within the organisational framework of the Brotherhood. Internal debates reveal that actual educational practice in the Muslim Brotherhood balances different priorities and goals and allows a range of different expressions…
On modern Muslim subjectivity formation
Catherine Mayeur-Jaouen, Voyage en Haute-Egypte. Prêtres, coptes et catholiques
With her previous publications on Muslim and Christian pilgrimages in Egypt, French historian Catherine Mayeur-Jaouen has established herself as an authority on everyday religion in Egypt and its transformations from the pre-modern period until the present day. Voyage en Haute-Égypte is her most personal book to date. As she explains in the foreword, the origins of the book go back to the year 1989, when Mayeur-Jaouen worked as a French language …
Arab Non-believers and Freethinkers on YouTube
This article uses the increasing visibility of Arab non-believers in the virtual public sphere as an opportunity to re-examine the key issues and dividing lines between believers, sceptics, and non-believers in Arab societies. It analyzes the currently four most popular Arabic-language YouTube channels created by freethinkers, nonbelievers, and atheists and points out commonalities and differences in style, content, and message. The article argue…
The Coptic divorce struggle in contemporary Egypt
Since his accession in 2012, Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II has initiated a number of reforms within the church, including a major overhaul of the church court system and the introduction of more liberal provisions concerning divorces. This article explores the historical development and current state of divorce and divorce law within the Coptic Orthodox Community in Egypt and the complex interactions between Coptic citizens, their church, and …
Sufism and the Muslim Brotherhood
Scholarship on the Muslim Brotherhood has often commented on its initial connection with Sufism. However, the question of how and why Sufism matters in the fully established Muslim Brotherhood movement has so far gone unanswered. This article gives a detailed account of the Sufi elements adopted into Muslim Brotherhood activism by its founder, Ḥasan al-Bannā (1906-1949). It analyses their function, especially their important role in the education…
The Coptic Question in the Mubarak Era
Part of the legacy of the Mubarak era (1980–2011) in Egypt is the unsettled state of Muslim-Christian relations and the increasing volatility of sectarian tensions, which also overshadowed the first years of the post-Mubarak period. Egypt’s Christians, the Copts, are the largest Christian community in the Middle East. While they have always been considered an integral component of the Egyptian nation, their precise status within Egyptian politics…
Press Liberalization, the New Media, and the ‘Coptic Question’
The introduction of new media (internet, satellite TV) in the 1990s and the liberalization of the Egyptian press in the 2000s have brought the Coptic minority and its demands for equality and recognition to the forefront of public debate in Egypt. The consequences are diverse: more and sometimes better information and more room for the discussion of uncomfortable truths on the one hand, irresponsible sensationalism, the propagation of new and old…
Between Ideology and Pragmatism
Fathi Yakan is the pre-eminent figure of the Sunni Islamist movement in Lebanon. His theory of Islamic activism provides an example of how Islamists try to reconcile radical ideological thought with a pragmatic approach to social and political activism. After tracing Yakan's theory of activism along the concepts of education, mission or da'wa, and community, the article points out some of the tensions inherent in Yakan's thought. It explores the …
Press Liberalization, the New Media, and the ‘Coptic Question’
The introduction of new media (internet, satellite TV) in the 1990s and the liberalization of the Egyptian press in the 2000s have brought the Coptic minority and its demands for equality and recognition to the forefront of public debate in Egypt. The consequences are diverse: more and sometimes better information and more room for the discussion of uncomfortable truths on the one hand, irresponsible sensationalism, the propagation of new and old…
Arab Non-believers and Freethinkers on YouTube
This article uses the increasing visibility of Arab non-believers in the virtual public sphere as an opportunity to re-examine the key issues and dividing lines between believers, sceptics, and non-believers in Arab societies. It analyzes the currently four most popular Arabic-language YouTube channels created by freethinkers, nonbelievers, and atheists and points out commonalities and differences in style, content, and message. The article argue…
A Wave of Unbelief? Conservative Muslims and the Challenge of Ilḥād in the Post-2013 Arab World
This article analyses the spread of unbelief among conservative Egyptian and Syrian Muslims in the post-Arab Spring period. In this period, social media gave an unprecedented visibility to transgressive expressions of fiducial doubt, creating the impression of a 'wave of atheism' within the conservative milieu. Based on original sources and interviews, the article argues that what the participants called 'atheism' (ilḥād) must not be read from th…
Sufism and the Muslim Brotherhood
Scholarship on the Muslim Brotherhood has often commented on its initial connection with Sufism. However, the question of how and why Sufism matters in the fully established Muslim Brotherhood movement has so far gone unanswered. This article gives a detailed account of the Sufi elements adopted into Muslim Brotherhood activism by its founder, Ḥasan al-Bannā (1906-1949). It analyses their function, especially their important role in the education…
Between Ideology and Pragmatism
Fathi Yakan is the pre-eminent figure of the Sunni Islamist movement in Lebanon. His theory of Islamic activism provides an example of how Islamists try to reconcile radical ideological thought with a pragmatic approach to social and political activism. After tracing Yakan's theory of activism along the concepts of education, mission or da'wa, and community, the article points out some of the tensions inherent in Yakan's thought. It explores the …
Press Liberalization, the New Media, and the ‘Coptic Question’
The introduction of new media (internet, satellite TV) in the 1990s and the liberalization of the Egyptian press in the 2000s have brought the Coptic minority and its demands for equality and recognition to the forefront of public debate in Egypt. The consequences are diverse: more and sometimes better information and more room for the discussion of uncomfortable truths on the one hand, irresponsible sensationalism, the propagation of new and old…
The Coptic Question in the Mubarak Era
Part of the legacy of the Mubarak era (1980–2011) in Egypt is the unsettled state of Muslim-Christian relations and the increasing volatility of sectarian tensions, which also overshadowed the first years of the post-Mubarak period. Egypt’s Christians, the Copts, are the largest Christian community in the Middle East. While they have always been considered an integral component of the Egyptian nation, their precise status within Egyptian politics…
The Coptic divorce struggle in contemporary Egypt
Since his accession in 2012, Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II has initiated a number of reforms within the church, including a major overhaul of the church court system and the introduction of more liberal provisions concerning divorces. This article explores the historical development and current state of divorce and divorce law within the Coptic Orthodox Community in Egypt and the complex interactions between Coptic citizens, their church, and …
Sufism and the Muslim Brotherhood
Scholarship on the Muslim Brotherhood has often commented on its initial connection with Sufism. However, the question of how and why Sufism matters in the fully established Muslim Brotherhood movement has so far gone unanswered. This article gives a detailed account of the Sufi elements adopted into Muslim Brotherhood activism by its founder, Ḥasan al-Bannā (1906-1949). It analyses their function, especially their important role in the education…
Engineering the “Islamic personality”
The Muslim Brotherhood’s ideological belief in Islam as a comprehensive system ( šumūlīya ) implies ambitious ideas about forming and re-forming the minds, spirits and bodies of Muslim individuals through educational activities within the organisational framework of the Brotherhood. Internal debates reveal that actual educational practice in the Muslim Brotherhood balances different priorities and goals and allows a range of different expressions…
On modern Muslim subjectivity formation
Catherine Mayeur-Jaouen, Voyage en Haute-Egypte. Prêtres, coptes et catholiques
With her previous publications on Muslim and Christian pilgrimages in Egypt, French historian Catherine Mayeur-Jaouen has established herself as an authority on everyday religion in Egypt and its transformations from the pre-modern period until the present day. Voyage en Haute-Égypte is her most personal book to date. As she explains in the foreword, the origins of the book go back to the year 1989, when Mayeur-Jaouen worked as a French language …
Arab Non-believers and Freethinkers on YouTube
This article uses the increasing visibility of Arab non-believers in the virtual public sphere as an opportunity to re-examine the key issues and dividing lines between believers, sceptics, and non-believers in Arab societies. It analyzes the currently four most popular Arabic-language YouTube channels created by freethinkers, nonbelievers, and atheists and points out commonalities and differences in style, content, and message. The article argue…
Victor J. Willi, The Fourth Ordeal. A History of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, 1968–2018
Between Preaching and Judging
Both as a slogan and a book, “Preachers, not Judges” has long dominated academic narratives about the Muslim Brotherhood’s turn towards ‘moderation’ in the 1970s and 1980s. However, upon examination, several commonplace assumptions about “Preachers, not Judges” do not hold. Firstly, the Muslim Brotherhood never renounced takfīr as a basic doctrine. It only debated different ways of implementing this doctrine in practice. Secondly, “Preachers, not…
A Wave of Unbelief? Conservative Muslims and the Challenge of Ilḥād in the Post-2013 Arab World
This article analyses the spread of unbelief among conservative Egyptian and Syrian Muslims in the post-Arab Spring period. In this period, social media gave an unprecedented visibility to transgressive expressions of fiducial doubt, creating the impression of a 'wave of atheism' within the conservative milieu. Based on original sources and interviews, the article argues that what the participants called 'atheism' (ilḥād) must not be read from th…
Christian-Muslim Relations in the Aftermath of the Arab Spring
Islamic Studies and History (11 works) · Political science (9 works) · Sociology (9 works) · Law (8 works) · Philosophy (7 works) · Epistemology (6 works) · Politics (6 works) · Islam (5 works) · Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies (5 works) · Theology (5 works)