Lehrstuhl für Orientalische Philologie und Islamwissenschaft

Georges Tamer wurde 1960 im Libanon geboren. Er studierte Philosophie, Soziologie, Theologie und Klassische Philologie an der Goethe-Universität und der Philosophisch–Theologischen Hochschule St. Georgen Frankfurt a.M. (1989-1992) und der Freien Universität Berlin (1992-1995). Promotion in Philosophie an der FU Berlin 2000 (Islamische Philosophie und die Krise der Moderne. Studien zum Verhältnis von Leo Strauss zur islamischen Philosophie des Mittelalters), Habilitation in Islamwissenschaft 2007 an der Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (Von Dahr zu Allah. Zeitvorstellungen und hellenistische Ideen in der vorislamisch-arabischen Poesie und im Koran).

Er war 2001-2006 Lektor für Arabisch in Erlangen, 2006/2007 Gastprofessor für Arabistik an der FU Berlin und 2007-2012 Sofia Chair in Arabic Studies an der Ohio State University. Seit Oktober 2012 hat er den Lehrstuhl für Orientalische Philologie und Islamwissenschaft an der FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg inne.

Er verbrachte Forschungsaufenthalte am Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, am Institute for Advanced Studies in Princeton und am Internationalen Kolleg für Geisteswissenschaftliche Forschung (IKGF) in Erlangen. Er war 2012-2013 Marie Curie Fellow der Gerda Henkel Stiftung. Von 2009 bis 2012 war er Mitglied des Wissenschaftlichen Beirats, seither affiliierter Research Partner des IKGF.

Seine Forschungsinteressen umfassen verschiedene Gebiete der arabisch-islamischen Geistesgeschichte wie die Koranhermeneutik, die arabische Philosophie und ihre moderne Rezeption, die arabische Literatur in Geschichte und Gegenwart und die interreligiösen Beziehungen.

• 2007 Habilitation (2nd Ph.D.) in Islamic Studies at the Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg. Dissertation title: Von Dahr zu Allah. Zeitvorstellungen und hellenistische Ideen in der vorislamisch-arabischen Poesie und im Koran.
• 2000 Ph.D. in Philosophy, Freie Universität Berlin. Dissertation title: Islamische Philosophie und die Krise der Moderne. Studien zum Verhältnis von Leo Strauss zur islamischen Philosophie des Mittelalters.
• 1997 – 1999 Active participant at the Berliner Seminar of the Working Group Modernity and Islam at the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin.
• 1995 Magister Artium in Philosophy, Freie Universität Berlin. Thesis: Schwermut und Leiden in Kierkegaards „Stadien auf des Lebens Weg“.
• 1993 Courses at the Evangelical Kirchliche Hochschule Berlin.
• 1992 Regular student at the Freie Universität Berlin.
• 1991/92 Courses taken at the Jesuit Philosophisch–Theologische Hochschule St. Georgen in Frankfurt am Main.
• 1989/90 – 1991/92 Studied Philosophy as a major, Evangelical Theology and Sociology as a minor at the J.-W. Goethe Universität in Frankfurt am Main.
• 1988/89 Preparatory course for the foreign students at the J.-W. Goethe Universität in Frankfurt am Main.
• 1985/86 – 1987/88 Studied Philosophy at the Lebanese University and German at Goethe-Institute in Tripoli.

• March-April 2014 Guest Professor at the School of Theology at the University of Balamand. Teaching an MA-Course „Reading the Bible through the Qur’ān“.
• Since October 1, 2012 Chair of Oriental Philology and Islamic Studies at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg.
• October 1, 2007 – September 30, 2012 M.S. Sofia Chair in Arabic Studies at the Ohio State University.
• July 2009 – September 2012 Member of the Advisory Board of the International Consortium for Research in the Humanities „Fate, Freedom, and Prognostication. Strategies for Coping with the Future in East Asia and Europe“ at the Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg.
• July 14 – 25, 2008 Faculty Member of the Summer University Course „Religion and Politics: The Presence of Sacred and Secular Traditions in Europe and the Middle East“ at the Central European University in Budapest.
• February 1 – September 30, 2007 Permanent Research Fellow at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg.
• October 1, 2006 – September 30, 2007 Guest Professor, Institut für Arabistik at the Freie Universität Berlin, Director.
• 2003/2004 Taught courses at the Divinity School at the Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg.
• November 1, 2000 – January 31, 2007 Lecturer of Arabic at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg.
• 2001 Invitation to join the University of Balamand in Lebanon as assistant professor, declined.
• 1997/98 Instructor at the Institut für Arabistik und Semitistik, Freie Universität Berlin.
• 1997/98 Assistant of Prof. Ulrich Haarmann, Chair of the Berliner Seminar „Modernity and the Past“ of the Working Group Modernity and Islam at the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin.

• 2014 Organizing and conducting an international interdisciplinary conference „Exegetical Crossroads: Understanding Scripture in Judaism, Christianity and Islam in the Medieval Orient“ at the Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg on February 20-22, 2014.
• 2013 With Patrice Brodeur, Carlos Fraenkel and Assaad Elias Kattan Co-Editor of the Book Series „Judaism, Christianity and Islam – Tension, Transmission, Transformation“ Berlin, Boston, New York: Walter De Gruyter.
• November 2013 Member of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches for seven years.
• October 1, 2012 Member of several committees at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg.
• 2011 Organizing and conducting an international interdisciplinary conference „Islam and Rationality: The Impact of al-Ghazālī“ at The Ohio State University on November 10-12, 2011.
• 2009 – 2012 Member of the Faculty Senate of the College of Arts and Sciences at The Ohio State University.
• 2009/2010 Chair of the search committee for a position in Arabic at The Ohio State University.
• 2009/2010 Member of the Graduate Study Committee of the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at The Ohio State University.
• 2007 Organizing and conducting an international interdisciplinary conference „Humor in der Arabischen Kultur“ at the Freie Universität Berlin on July 05-07, 2007.
• 2004 Founder and director of Maraya Institute for cultural and academic exchange between Europe and the Arab World. Established relationships with academic institutions and intellectuals in Egypt, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
• 2004 Organizing and conducting an international interdisciplinary conference „Die Trias des Maimonides“ at the Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg on July 07-11, 2004.
• 2003/2004 Supervising the Arabic translation of Harald Motzki, Die Anfänge der islamischen Jurisprudenz in Mekka bis zur Mitte des 2./8. Jahrhunderts (The Origins of Islamic Jurisprudence), Stuttgart 1991. Published in 2010.
• 2000 Research project „Der Einfluss von Globalisierungs- und Regionalisierungsprozessen in der Geschichte der Ostkirche auf die Entstehung, Ausbreitung und frühe Entwicklung des Islam im 6. und 7. Jahrhundert“ proposed to the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Erfurt. Project accepted by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. Invitation declined.

• Member of the Deutsche Morgenländische Gesellschaft
• Member of the Deutscher Hochschulverband
• Member of the Middle East Study Association
• Member of the American Oriental Society

• October 1, 2014 – June 30, 2015 Research Fellow of the International Consortium for Research in the Humanities „Fate, Freedom and Prognostication. Strategies for Coping with the Future in East Asia and Europe“ at the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg.
• 01.01.2012 – 31.12.2013 Marie Curie Fellowship (Senior Researcher) of the Gerda Henkel Foundation.
• 2010 – 2011 Considerable Grants from Mershon Center for International Security Studies, Middle East Studies Center, Arts and Humanities, Melton Center for Jewish Studies, Office of International Affairs and Humanities Institute at The Ohio State University dedicated to the conference „Islam and Rationality: The Impact of al-Ghazālī“ to be held on November 10-12, 2011.
• June – September 2010 Visiting Scholar at the International Consortium for Research in the Humanities „Fate, Freedom, and Prognostication. Strategies for Coping with the Future in East Asia and Europe“ at the Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg.
• 2009-2010 OSU Humanities Research Grant.
• 2008-2009 OSU Humanities Research Grant.
• 2008-2009 OSU Mershon Center for International Security Studies Research Funding.
• 01.01. – 08.15.2006 Member of the School of Historical Studies, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton.
• 10.01.2002 – 07.31.2003 Fellow of the Working Group Modernity and Islam at the Institute for Advanced Study Berlin (Project: Jewish and Islamic Hermeneutics as Critique of Knowledge).
• 01.20.2001 Ecumenical prize of the Ecumenical Council Berlin-Brandenburg for the year 2000.
• 1995 – 2000 Ph.D. scholarship from the DAAD.
• 1989 – 1995 Scholarship from the Diakonisches Werk of the Evangelical Church in Germany.