Alex with historian Niall Ferguson at the Center for European Studies at Harvard
Alexander holds a PhD in linguistic (University of Mainz, Germany) and another one in comparative religion (University of Munich, Germany). He has studied at the Pontifical University Gregoriana in Rome (1998-1999), at Al-Azhar University in Cairo (2003-2004), and also researched at the Faculty of Theology of the University of Ankara (2004-2005).
His work mostly revolves around intercultural and inter-religious encounters between the Western and the Muslim worlds. At Harvard, Alex worked in the field of politics and religion at both the Center for European Studies and the Divinity School, looking into religious and quasi-religious narratives, how they shape identity, and how they seek influence over policymaking.
Fellowships
Alex is a Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs in New York. In his work for the Council Alex looks into concepts of the West and the contributions of Latin America therein.
Alexander serves as Senior Advisor to the Berggruen Institute, a think tank based in Los Angeles and its publication The World Post. Alex works on democracy in the digital age and the impacts, artificial intelligence may have on socities.
In the academic year 2014-2015 Alex served as J.F. Kennedy Memorial Fellow at the Center for European Studies at Harvard University. The topics of his lectures were debates in Germany and their impact on Europe.
Positions
Alexander served as visiting scholar to both Harvard Divinity School and Harvard Center for European Studies in the academic years 2015-2016 and 2016-2017. His research is on (quasi-)religious narratives and their impact on identity and policymaking. Alex also works on a theory of secularism and pluralism that caters the need of contemporary liberal societies.
In May 2017, he was named visiting professor to UNAM University in Mexico City.
He is invited as visiting scholar to the University of the Basque Country in San Sebastian in June and July 2017. Alex after that will be serving as a visiting scholar to the City University in Hong Kong in the fall semester of 2017 and to Taiwan National University in the whole academic year of 2017-2018.
Alex at the Center for European Studies at Harvard, April 2017 (Photo: David Elmes).
Alex giving a lecture at UNAM University in Mexico City in May 2017. Topic was the surge of populists and the religious and nationalistic rhetoric narratives they use to convince their electorate.