Speaker: Mehdi Berriah (Institut français du Proche-Orient, Paris)
His research interests are medieval and modern Islamic thought and theology, with a particular focus on Ibn Taymiyya, theories of jihad, the formation of knowledge and religious authority in the Islamic world, and the political, social, and military history of the region.
He is also active as an academic coordinator in Palestine, Jordan, and Iraq, where he manages research programs and facilitates exchanges among scholars.
Recent publications include the co-authored The Medieval Jihad: Texts, Theories and Practices (Ifao, 2025) and the single-authored L’art de la guerre chez les Mamelouks (1250–1375): stratégies et tactiques (Brill, 2024). He has also received awards such as the Verbruggen Prize from the De Re Militari Society for Medieval Military History.
