Quran scholar wins international Best Paper Prize
Postdoc Johanne Louise Christiansen wins award for Best Paper 2018 from the International Qur'anic Studies Association for her research contribution on the Quran's diplomatic relationship to the ritual of circumambulation
Johanne Louise Christiansen from Faculty of Theology at University of Copenhagen receives praise from her international peers: She is awarded the Andrew Rippin Best Paper Prize 2018 which is awarded to junior scholars by the International Qur'anic Studies Association.
The award is given for her paper “‘And Their Prayer at the House is Nothing but a Whistling and a Clapping of Hands’ (Q 8:35): Negotiating Processions in the Qur’an.” The paper investigates the Quran's mixed attitude towards the popular ritual of circumambulation. Johanne Louise Christiansen argues that the Quran displays reservations about the ritual but chooses a pragmatic strategy of moderation and negotiation instead of opposition.
Johanne Louise Christiansen is a Postdoctoral fellow at the Danish research project Ambiguity and Precision in the Qurʾan, which is funded by the Danish Independent Research Fund. The project is based at the Faculty of Theology, University of Copenhagen and lead by Professor Thomas Hoffmann.