“Islam and Digitality” research group launches workshop in Erfurt

From November 13 to 15, the “Islam and Digitality” research group met for the first time across locations in Erfurt to present their projects and discuss common topics in greater depth. The workshop began with a theoretical discussion on the topics of digitality, digital religion and digital hermeneutics as well as the relationship between orality, literacy and digitality.

The practical part offered insights into the group’s research work: Frankfurt project participants showed how historical narratives – such as the depiction of early Islamic conflicts or the role of female prophet companions – are presented online by Muslim influencers. The Erfurt sub-project analyzed the aesthetics of audiovisual media, with a focus on the online presence of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat and AI-generated content. The sub-project in Berlin is dedicated to hadiths and their hermeneutics in the digital space, which will be the focus of the next meeting in May 2025.

A highlight of the workshop was the work with Markus Brodthage (Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg), who presented the documentary method for analyzing religious content on social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok.