Forschungsschwerpunkte
  • Wissensgeschichte, Praktiken der Wissensproduktion und -erschließung
  • Genealogie als Wissensdisziplin (ʿilm al-ansāb)
  • Prophetennachkommen (šurafāʾ/sāda)
  • Religiöse Autorität und Charisma (baraka)
  • Bibliotheksgeschichte
  • Manuskriptstudien
  • Digital Humanities
Promotion

[Arbeitstitel] The Production and Verification of Genealogical Knowledge: A Case Study on ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī (d. 561/1166), His Lineage, and His Descendants

Betreuerin
Prof. Dr. Syrinx von Hees
Promotionsfach
Arabistik und Islamwissenschaft
Angestrebter Abschlussgrad
Dr. phil.
Verleihender Fachbereich
Fachbereich 09 – Philologie

This dissertation project examines the production of genealogical knowledge in Islamic societies between the 13th and 18th centuries using a longue durée approach and a transregional and diachronic comparison. It takes as its case study the production of knowledge about the contested prophetic descent of the Iraqi scholar, preacher, and Sufi saint ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī (d. 561/1166) and his descendants in Syria, al-Andalus, and the Western Maghrib. The aim of the project is to show how early modern authors dealt with prophetic descent and the problems of truth, certainty, and verifiability of genealogical knowledge, as well as their limits. Specifically, the project examines who was involved in the production of genealogical knowledge about ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī and his descendants, on what sources and evidence this knowledge was based, how these sources and evidence were evaluated, prioritized, and hierarchized, and how this knowledge was documented, presented, and disseminated. Finally, it examines by whom and with what methods attempts were made to verify and control this knowledge.

To address these questions, the study draws on a broad corpus of sources covering the period from shortly after al-Jīlānī’s death in the 12th century to the 18th century. This corpus includes historiographical works, biographical anthologies, hagiographical literature, genealogical compilations, local family histories, genealogical treatises, and poetry. This diverse selection allows for a nuanced understanding of the many actors involved in the production and dissemination of genealogical knowledge, as well as their practices and methods.

The project contributes to a deeper understanding of genealogy as a discipline in premodern and early modern Muslim societies. By examining the case of ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī and his descendants, this dissertation study reveals how different groups interact in the production of genealogical knowledge. It demonstrates that genealogical methods became increasingly refined over the centuries, as genealogists not only reflected on their own practices but also adopted techniques from related disciplines. Furthermore, the analysis highlights the substantive and methodological links between genealogy and other fields, such as history, Ḥadīth criticism, and Islamic law, showing how developments in these areas have shaped genealogical practices.

Vita

Akademische Ausbildung

Promotionsstudium der Islamwissenschaft und Arabistik, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster
Masterstudium der Islamwissenschaft und Arabistik, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster
Bachelorstudium der Islamwissenschaft, Freie Universität Berlin

Beruflicher Werdegang

Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin, Institut für Arabistik und Islamwissenschaft, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster
Studentische Hilfskraft, Institut für Arabistik und Islamwissenschaft, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster

Mitgliedschaften und Aktivitäten in Gremien

Middle East Medievalists (MEM) (Mitglied)
Middle East Studies Association (MESA) (Mitglied)
Centrum für Geschichte und Kultur des östlichen Mittelmerraums (GKM) (Mitglied)
Lehre

Publikationen

Auswahl

Gesamtliste

Artikel

Forschungsartikel (Zeitschriften)
Poster
Forschungsartikel (Buchbeiträge)

Webpublikationen (Blogbeiträge)

Sonstige wissenschaftliche Veröffentlichungen

  • . . Rezension: Realizing Islam. The Tijaniyya in North Africa and the Eigteenth-Century Muslim World, von Zachary Valentine Wright
  • . . Rezension: Muhammad’s Body. Baraka Networks and the Prophetic Assemblage, von Michael Muhammad Knight
Wissenschaftliche Vorträge

  • Kraneiß, Natalie : “Making Doubt Impossible: Genealogy as Certain Knowledge in Eighteenth-Century Fez”. , Ghent University, .
  • Kraneiß, Natalie : „Wenn Genealogie sichtbar wird: Stammbäume im frühneuzeitlichen Nordafrika.“ Interdisziplinäres Forschungskolloquium "Familie und Verwandtschaft: historische und aktuelle Zugänge", Münster, .
  • Kraneiß, Natalie : “Tracing Endowment Notes in Maghribi Manuscript Culture”. Workshops on Manuscript Culture V: Endowment Notes, Istanbul / Online, .

  • Kraneiß, Natalie : “The Production and Dissemination of Genealogical Knowledge through Hagiographical Literature”. , Georgetown University, Washington (Online), .
  • Kraneiß, Natalie : “Producing Genealogical Knowledge: The Prophetic Descent of ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī (d. 561/1166) in Biographical and Hagiographical Literature”. , London, .
  • Kraneiß, Natalie : “Divine Light, Fragrant Musk, and Blossoming Gardens: The Production of Genealogical Knowledge About the Iraqi Scholar and Sufi Saint ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī (d. 1166) and His Descendants”. Study Day der Research Group "World Genealogy", Universität Hamburg, .
  • Kraneiß, Natalie; Kopp, Matthias; Kretzschmar, Gerald; Puzio, Anna : „Religiöse Praxis im digitalen Wandel: Neue Herausforderungen für Kirchen und Religionsgemeinschaften“. , Münster, .
  • Kraneiß, Natalie : “Verification (taḥqīq) as a New Method for Early Modern Genealogists? ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī (d. 1166) and His Descendants in the Western Maghreb as a Case Study”. Writing history in the Maghreb (7th-20th centuries): Authors, Texts, Manuscripts, Rabat, .
  • Kraneiß, Natalie : „Zwischen Mehrsprachigkeit und Ressourcenlücke: Quo Vadis ‘Kleine Fächer” in den deutschsprachigen Digital Humanities? (Podiumsdiskussion)“. , Passau, .

  • Kraneiß, Natalie : “Travelling Manuscripts in an Early Modern Knowledge Network: The Library of the Sufi Brotherhood an-Nāṣiriyya in Tamgrūt, Morocco”. , University of Cambridge, UK (online), .