Research Foci
- Iconography of the Levant and the ANE
- Gender History and Archaeology
- Rituals and Ritual Theory
- Levantine Glyptics
- Feminist, gender and queer theory in dialogue with exegesis
CV
Academic Education
- Habilitation (University of Münster)
- PhD Student in Hebrew Bible Studies (University of Bern)
- PhD (summa cum laude), Dissertation title: Stamp Seals as Prism for the Gender History of the Southern Levant: Archaeological, Epigraphic, Iconographic and Exegetical Explorations
- M.A. equiv. exams in Protestant Theology
- Studies in Protestant Theology (Universities of Erlangen, Münster, Basel, Tübingen)
- Studies in Islamic Theology and Arabic (University of Münster)
- Ecumenical Studies in Theology (Near East School of Theology, Beirut)
- Graduation
Positions
- PostDoc assistant in Hebrew Bible Studies (University of Münster)
- Research Fellowship at the W.F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research, Jerusalem (Marcia and Oded Borowski/Barton Research Fellowship)
- Researcher / staff member „Stamp Seals from the Southern Levant” SNF SINERGIA Project
- Assistant in Hebrew Bible (Bern)
- Guest Lecturer in Hebrew Bible (University of Basel)
Honors
- Helga-Weippert-Award in the category Best dissertation / habilitation in the area of historical and archaeological research on ancient Palestine/Israel – German Society for the Exploration of Palestine
- Marcia and Oded Borowski/Barton Research Fellowship – W.F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research (AIAR), Jerusalem
- Sean W. Dever Memorial Prize in the category Awarded for the best paper presented at a conference in 2021 about a topic in the field of Syro-Palestinian or Biblical Archaeology for the paper. – W.F. Albright Institute for Archaeological Research, Jerusalem
- EABS Student Prize Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies in the category Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies – European Association of Biblical Studies
- Hanna Jursch Young Scientist Award – Protestant Church of Germany
- Scholarship of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Württemberg – Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Württemberg
- Scholarship for study abroad – German National Committee of the Lutheran World Federation
External Functions
- Society of Biblical Literature (Steering Committee “Senses, Cultures, and Biblical Worlds”)
- Lectio Difficilior: Europäische elektronische Zeitschrift für Feministische Exegese (Editorial board, Co-editor)
- Society of Biblical Literature (Steering Committee Member: “Senses, Cultures, and Biblical Worlds”)
- European Association of Biblical Studies (Iconography and the Bible, Research Unit Organization und Co-Chair)
- European Association of Biblical Studies (EABS) (Technical assistant)
- University of Bern (Representative and senate member for the intermediate staff association)
Teaching
- Introductory seminar: Proseminar: Einführung in die historisch-kritische Exegese des Alten Testaments (ohne Hebräisch) [012060]
- [ – | Mon, – | | ETH 302]
- Introductory seminar: Proseminar: Einführung in die historisch-kritische Exegese des Alten Testaments (mit Hebräisch) [012059]
- [ – | Mon, – | | ETH 204]
- Practice: Übung: Hatte Gott eine (Ehe)frau? Geschlecht als Stolperstein in der Religionsgeschichte (mit/ohne Hebr.) [010179]
- [ – | Mon, – | | ETH 106b]
- Practice: Übung: Repetitorium: Biblisches Hebräisch [010180]
- [ – | Mon, – | | ETH 106b]
- Introductory seminar: Proseminar: Einführung in die historisch-kritische Exegese des Alten Testaments (mit Hebräisch) [018075]
- Introductory seminar: Proseminar: Einführung in die historisch-kritische Exegese des Alten Testaments (ohne Hebräisch) [018076]
- Introductory seminar: Proseminar: Einführung in die historisch-kritische Exegese des Alten Testaments (ohne Hebräisch) [012060]
Projects
- Visual Power Networks: Semiotics of Solar Imagery in Ancient Near Eastern Visual and Textual Media ()
Own Resources Project - Ritualized Reorganizations: The Dynamics of Royal Rituals in the Literature and History of Ancient Israel (Habilitation) ()
Own Resources Project - A Social-Material Approach to Gender and Literary Practices in the Iron Age II–III Southern Levant ()
Project Carried out outside the University Münster - Stamp Seals as Prism for the Gender History of the Southern Levant: Archaeological, Epigraphic, Iconographic and Exegetical Explorations ()
Project Carried out outside the University Münster
- Visual Power Networks: Semiotics of Solar Imagery in Ancient Near Eastern Visual and Textual Media ()
Publications
- Biermann, Bruno. “Where Are Your Daughters, Jerusalem? The Embodiment of Gender and Family Relations in Iron Age Levantine Material Culture.” in Exploring Gender Dynamics Across the Ancient Near East: Collected Essays of Gender and Methodology in the Ancient Near East (GeMANE) 4 and 5, Vol. 7 of wEdge, edited by Ellie Bennett, Megan Cifarelli, Omar N’Shea and Allison Thomason. (Münster: Zaphon, in Kürze).
- Biermann, Bruno. “Von Göttin und Gott bis Geschlechtertheorie: Archäologische, Epigraphische und Ikonographische Impulse für Genderforschung.” in Update Exegese 2.3: Grundfragen gegenwärtiger biblischer Frauen- und Geschlechterforschung, edited by Wolfgang Kraus, Martin Rösel and Karin Finsterbusch. (Leipzig: Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, in Kürze).
- Biermann, Bruno. “Gendering Glyptics? Gender Archaeological Perspectives on Levantine Stamp Seals.” in Studies on Stamp Seals from the Southern Levant, Volume 5, Orbis Biblicus et Orientalis, edited by Ido Koch and Stefan Münger. (Leuven: Peeters Publishers, in Kürze).
Articles
Research Articles (Journals)
- Biermann, Bruno. “‘Male until Proven Otherwise?’: Searching for Women with the Help of Inscribed Stamp Seals from Jerusalem.” Near Eastern Archaeology (1), № 87 (): 34–40. doi: 10.1086/727577.
- Biermann, Bruno. “Beyond Binaries in Levantine Archaeology and Biblical Studies: Challenging Binary Binds in Epigraphy and Iconography.” Die Welt des Orients (S), № 54 (): 97–111. doi: 10.13109/wdor.2024.ext.1.93.
- Biermann, Bruno, Klein Cardoso, Silas, Porzia, Fabio, and Uehlinger, Christoph. “Introduction: Challenging Dichotomies and Biases in the Study of the Ancient Southern Levant.” Die Welt des Orients (S), № 54 (): 6–18. doi: 10.13109/wdor.2024.ext.1.2.
Research Article (Book Contributions)
- Biermann, Bruno. “Sexualitäten zwischen Normierung und Ambiguität im hebräischen Text und seiner Auslegungsgeschichte.” in Queer Theology. Perspektiven aus dem deutschsprachigen Raum, Vol. 41 of Queer Studies, edited by Lara Kneubühler and Miriam Löhr. (Bielefeld: Transcript Verlag, ). doi: 10.1515/9783839473382-005.
- Biermann, Bruno. “Sensing Bodies, Touching Artefacts. Material Culture, Embodiment, and Metaphor in Song 8.6.” in Song of Songs in Sense, Sight, Sound and Space, Vol. 112 of Hebrew Bible Monographs, edited by Annette Potgieter, Stefan Fischer and Gavin Fernandes. (Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix Press, ).
Special Issues of Journals
- Biermann, Bruno, Klein Cardoso, Silas, Porzia, Fabio, and Uehlinger, Christoph, eds. “Challenging Dichotomies and Biases in the Study of the Ancient Southern Levant.” Special Issue Die Welt des Orients S (). doi: 10.13109/wdor.2024.ext.issue-1.
- Ben-Marzouk, Nadia, Biermann, Bruno, Greet, Ben, Fahrni, Renate, Höflmayer, Felix, Ranzer, Noa, Streit, Katharina, and Münger, Stefan. “‚On Vulture’s Wings…‘: A Recent Find from Tel Lachish (Israel) Displaying a Vulture, a Caprid, a Snake and a Twig.” in „Trinkt von dem Wein, den ich mischte!“ / „Drink of the Wine which I Have Mingled!“ Festschrift für Silvia Schroer, Vol. 303 , edited by Stefan Münger, Nancy Rahn and Patrick Wyssmann. (Leuven: Orbis Biblicus et Orientalis, ). doi: 10.5167/uzh-253138.
- Biermann, Bruno. “Männliche Herrschaft und Körperdiskurse zwischen Feminisierung und Virilität in Ezechiel 23.” Lectio difficilior (2), № 2021 (): 1–35.
Scientific Talks
- Biermann, Bruno : “A Social-Material Approach to Gender and Writing in the Iron Age Southern Levant”. Annual Meeting of the European Association of Biblical Studies in Sofia, Sofia, .
- Biermann, Bruno : “The In\Visibile Female Body? Gender and the Schematic Body in the Iron Age Southern Levant”. Annual Meeting of the European Association of Biblical Studies, Sofia, .
- Biermann, Bruno : “Gender\Ambiguity in the Material Culture of the Southern Levant: Reflections on the Field(s)”. Religion Beyond Binary, Religious Studies Department, Frankfurt, .
- Biermann, Bruno : “About Goddesses, Motherhood and Children's Amulets: Stamp Seal Iconography and Engendered Functions in the Middle Bronze Age Levant and Anatol”. Annual Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature, San Antonio, .
- Biermann, Bruno : “Beyond Binaries in Biblical Studies and Levantine Archaeology”. 24th Congress of the International Organization for the Study of the Old Testament, Zürich, .
- Biermann, Bruno : “Un\stable Names? Embodiment and Inscribed Seals from the Iron Age II–III Southern Levant”. Annual Meeting of the European Association of Biblical Studies, Toulouse, .
- Biermann, Bruno : “Mystical Unification, Heterosexual Marriage, or Queer Sex? The Significance of Sexuality in the Interpretation of the Song of Songs”. Annual Meeting of the European Association of Biblical Studies, Toulouse, .
- Biermann, Bruno : “Where Are Your Daughters, Jerusalem? The Embodiment of Gender and Family Relations in Iron Age Levantine Glyptics”. Gender and Methodology in the Ancient Near East 5, Helsinki, .
- Biermann, Bruno : “Sensing Bodies, Touching Artifacts: Reconsidering the Relationship between Material Culture, Embodiment, and Metaphor in Song 8.6”. Alttestamentliches Kolloquium der Theologischen Fakultät Zürich, Zürich, .
- Biermann, Bruno : “Gender in between Embodiment, Material Culture, and Literature: A Case Study of Levantine Stamp Seals”. (En)Tangled? Gender and Religion Throughout History, Zürich, .
- Biermann, Bruno : “Relating Seals from the Southern Levant and Gender Archaeology. Theoretical and Practical Considerations”. Annual Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature, San Antonio, .
- Biermann, Bruno : “Intersecting Stamp Seals and Gendered Bodies”. Annual Meeting of the American Society of Overseas Research, Chicago, .
- Biermann, Bruno : “Wearing a Seal as Conceptual Metaphor and Bodily Experience”. Annual Meeting of the European Association of Biblical Studies, Wuppertal, .
- Biermann, Bruno : “Wearing a Seal as Conceptual Metaphor. Tracing a Conceptual Metaphor In the Song of Songs and Its Relation to Bodily Experience”. Graduate Symposium of the European Association of Biblical Studies, Mainz, .