Saskia Schäfer

My comparative research investigates democratic and autocratic transformations, with particular attention to religion, education, and political participation. My work bridges political sociology, anthropology, and critical policy studies in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.

Since 2025, I am leading a research group at Humboldt University that analyses and seeks to improve civic education on antisemitism and other forms of discrimination in Germany and beyond. The group consists of researchers and civil society practitioners.

Previously (2018-2025), my research group “Secularity, Islam, and Democracy in Indonesia and Turkey” analysed the rise of religious nationalism.

This project built on my postdoctoral research at Columbia University (2013-2015) and the Chinese University of Hong Kong (2016).

I hold a Dr. phil. from the Otto Suhr Institute of Political Science at Freie Universität Berlin, where I was affiliated with the Center for Middle Eastern and North African Politics.

My book, Mobilizing Mainstream Islam (Cornell University Press, 2026), explains the rise and transformation of religious nationalism in post-Suharto Indonesia.