Annemarie-Schimmel-Lectures
Each year, an established scholar presents their approach to comparative theology over the course of three evenings. The first lecture is held in a ceremonial setting at the Bonn Minster. In collaboration with the Minster, the general public is invited to attend. The second and third lectures, which are aimed at an academic audience, take place at the University of Bonn.
Annemarie-Schimmel-Lectures 2026
"‘Outsiders within’ in Solidarity: The Method of Comparative Feminist Theology” was the theme of this year’s Annemarie Schimmel Lectures at the University of Bonn. On Monday, 8 June 2026, at 5:00 p.m., in the Gangolf Hall at Bonn Minster, Dr. Jerusha T. Rhodes, Professor of Islamic Studies from New York, delivered the opening address. In the public event, she presented how religions can learn from one another through a feminist perspective. On 9 and 10 June, two further lectures were held, each at 5:00 p.m.
Past Lectures
Annemarie-Schimmel-Lectures 2025
The Necessary Uncertainty of Today's Interreligious Encounters | Francis X. Clooney SJ (02.06.2025)
Bild © BonnerMuenster / YouTube
“The Spirit Leads the Church into an Unpredictable Interfaith Future” was the theme of the third Annemarie Schimmel Lectures at the University of Bonn. On Monday, 2 June 2025 at Bonn Minster, Francis X. Clooney SJ, Professor of Comparative Theology at Harvard, delivered the opening address. In the public event, he presented a vision of a Church that is willing to learn across religious boundaries. This was followed by a public discussion with Gesine Schwan, Chair of the SPD’s Grundwertekommission.
Annemarie-Schimmel-Lectures 2024
As part of the Annemarie Schimmel Lectures 2024, Charlotte Elisheva Fonrobert presented her current research on the relationship between diaspora and neighborhood in Judaism.
Annemarie-Schimmel-Lectures 2023
Annemarie-Schimmel-Lectures 2023
Bild © BonnerMuenster / YouTube
What is love? How does it work? What is beauty? These questions were at the center of the first Annemarie Schimmel Lecture. Over the course of three consecutive days, philosopher and Jordanian prince Ghazi bin Muhammad explored these themes in a series of lectures—beginning with an opening event at Bonn Minster, followed by two further sessions held in the Assembly Hall of the University of Bonn.
Annemarie Schimmel (1922–2003)
Annemarie Schimmel (1922–2003) was one of the most important scholars of Islamic studies in the 20th century. Through her works and translations—especially on Islamic mysticism—she built bridges between East and West as well as between Islam and Christianity. She was a long-standing professor at Harvard University and delivered lectures around the world.
To this day, she enjoys great esteem in Muslim-majority countries and remains a source of inspiration for theological scholarship. Annemarie Schimmel is buried at the Poppelsdorfer Friedhof in Bonn.
Ceremony for the 100th Birthday of Annemarie Schimmel on April 7, 2022
On April 7, 2022, the 100th birthday of Annemarie Schimmel, who lived and worked in Bonn, was celebrated. A commemorative ceremony in her honor was held in the Grand Lecture Hall of the Collegium Albertinum (Adenauerallee 19, 53111 Bonn).
Ceremony -Annemarie Schimmel
Bild © Universität Bonn / YouTube
Contact
Dr. Markus Adolphs
Rabinstraße 4