Carool Kersten is Dutch historian of Islam and the author and editor of eleven books. Trained as an Arabist, Southeast Asianist and scholar of religion, he currently works as a at King's College London, teaching in the , as well as at the , where he was also acting head in 2017. In his research he focuses on the contemporary Muslim world, in particular intellectual history and current developments in both regional and global contexts. In addition to that, he is interested in Southeast Asian history and Islam, and in developments in the Middle East.
Education
Carool Kersten studied Arabic Language and Culture at the then still existing Institute for the Study of the Languages and Cultures of the Middle East at Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands. He specialized in modern Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, with minors in International Law, International Relations and Indonesian. In 1987, he earned the academic title of doctorandus in Arabic and Islamic Studies with distinction, on the basis of a dissertation on the theory and practice of the Islamic law of treaties. After graduation he went to Egypt, where he attended the in Cairo. In 1988, he was admitted as a Sworn Translator by the Netherlands District Court in Arnhem. He returned to Nijmegen during a sabbatical to do graduate work in philosophy. Taking another sabbatical year in 2001, he studied at Payap University in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where he obtained a Certificate in Thai and Southeast Asian Studies. In 2005, he moved to England in order to conduct postgraduate research at the School of Oriental and African Studies and was awarded a PhD in the Study of Religions in 2009. In his thesis, written under the supervision of Professor Christopher Shackle and entitled 'Occupants of the Third Space: New Muslim Intellectuals and the Study of Islam', he dealt with the work of three contemporary Muslim scholars,. It has since been published as Cosmopolitans and Heretics by and
Career
Except for a sabbatical year, from 1988 until 2000, Carool Kersten worked for the Dutch construction and engineering company . In 1989 he was transferred to Saudi Arabia to provide support for the company's operations in the Middle East, where he held a number of staff and project positions, including that of personnel and general services manager for the company's Middle East operations. From 2002 until 2007, he taught Asian history and religions at the Center for International and Graduate Studies of Payap University in Chiang Mai, Thailand. In 2007, he joined King's College London as Lecturer in the Study of Islam & the Muslim World, becoming a Senior Lecturer in 2012, and Reader in 2017. Since 2014, he is also a Research Associate at the in Koper
Other activities
Carool Kersten is founding editor of the book series , published by Routledge.He is also a founding member of the British Association for Islamic Studies, serving on the and . In 2008, he was admitted as a Member of the . He has been a Fellow of the since 2011. Kersten also makes regular as an analyst and commentator on developments in the Muslim world.
Kersten also has contributed dozens of chapters, articles and reviews to edited volumes and academic journals. In addition, he writes a blog on alternative Islamic discourses under the title , and used to contribute book and music reviews for the website.
