Carool Kersten
Carool Kersten (b. 28 June 1964, Haelen, Netherlands) is a Dutch scholar of Islam, a professor of Islamic Studies, a linguist, Southeast Asianist and Arabist whose first published academic work dealt with the Dutch merchants’ dealings in 17th century Cambodia and Laos (Strange Events in the Kingdoms of Cambodia and Laos, 2003).
Dr Kersten has a PhD in the study of religions from SOAS (London), an MA (cum laude) in Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies from Radboud University Nijmegen (Netherlands), and a Certificate in Southeast Asian Studies from Payap University (Thailand). He is also a sworn translator with the Courts in the Netherlands and a member of the Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL) in the UK.
Before turning to an academic career, Carool Kersten worked for twelve years in the corporate sector, based in Saudi Arabia from 1989 to 2000 as a personal and general services manager, and later consultant and translator for the Dutch engineering company Ballast Nedam Group. From 2002 until 2007, From 2002 until 2007, Kersten taught Asian history and religions at the Center for International and Graduate Studies (now known as the Institute of South East Asian Studies, SEAIGS) of Payap University in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Later, he was Senior Lecturer and Associate Professor in the Study of Islam & the Muslim World at King’s College London (2007−2022), a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Philosophical and Religious Studies of the Science & Research Centre in Koper (Slovenia), and in July 2022 was appointed Research Professor (BOFZAP) in Islamic Studies at the Faculty of Theology & Religious Studies of the Catholic University of Leuven (KU Leuven). That same year, King’s College London granted him the title of “Emeritus Reader in the Study of Islam and the Muslim world”.
Between 2008 and 2020, Dr Kersten has edited the blog Critical Muslims, Introducing alternative voices from the Muslim world.
Selected Publications
- Strange Events in the Kingdoms of Cambodia and Laos (1637−1644), Chiang Mai, White Lotus Press, 2003, 134 p. ISBN 9789744800282.
- “Observations on Ethnic and Religious Pluralism in Seventeenth-Century Phnom Penh”, in International Symposium The Changing Mekong: Pluralistic Societies under Siege. Khon Kaen (Thailand): Center for Research on Plurality in the Mekong Region (CERP) and the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, 28 – 30 June 2004, 21 p.
- [editor] Dr Muller’s Asian-Journey: Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Yunnan, White Lotus Press, 2005, 258 p. ISBN 9789744800701.
- Cosmopolitans and Heretics: New Muslim Intellectuals and the Study of Islam, Hurst and Columbia University Press, 2011, 288 p.
- [ed. with Madawi al-Rasheed and Marat Shterin] Demystifying the Caliphate: Historical Memory and Contemporary Contexts, Oxford University Press, 2013, 320 p. ISBN13 978 – 0199327959.
- [with Susanne Olsson] Alternative Islamic Discourses and Religious Authority, Routledge, 2013.
- The Caliphate and Islamic Statehood, Gerlach Press, 2015.
- Islam in Indonesia: The Contest for Society, Ideas and Values, Hurst and Oxford University Press, 2015. Indonesian tr.: Berebut Wacana: Pergulatan Wacana Umat Islam Indonesia Era Reformasi, Mizan, 2018.
- [with Klaus-Gerd Giesen and Lenart Skof] The Poesis of Peace: Narratives, Cultures and Philosophies, Routledge, 2017.
- A History of Islam in Indonesia: Unity in Diversity, Edinburgh University Press, 2017, Indonesian tr. Mengislamkan Indonesia: Sejarah Peradaban Islam di Nusantara, Penerbit Baca, 2018.
- The Fatwa As an Islamic Legal Instrument: Concept, Historical Role, Contemporary Relevance, Gerlach Press, 2018.
- Contemporary Thought in the Muslim World: Trends, Themes, and Issues, Routledge, 2019.
- Islam and Contemporary European Literature, Edinburgh University Press, 2025, 352 p. ISBN (PDF) 9781474492690.