Mirjam Künkler
Assistant Professor of Near Eastern Studies
Princeton University

Political Scientist Mirjam Künkler (Ph.D. Columbia) joined the Department in 2007. She is currently working on a book that analyzes the impact of contemporary Islamic thought and social movement activism on the transformation of authoritarian rule in Iran (1989-2005) and Indonesia (1974-1998).

Of broader comparative interest to her are questions about:

1. Comparative Relations between Religion and State in the Muslim World – a project funded by Princeton University’s Luce Initiative on Religion and International Affairs.
2. Religious Parties in the Muslim world – a three-year research project she is undertaking together with Güneş Murat Tezcür, funded by the United States Institute of Peace (USIP).

Before joining Princeton, Künkler served as the Deputy Director of the Center for the Study of Democracy, Toleration and Religion (CDTR) at Columbia University, under the directorship of Alfred Stepan.

Künkler is the Trustee for Princeton University to the American Institute for Iranian Studies (AIIrS) and a Member of the Board of the Association for the Study of Persianate Societies (ASPS).