Tobias Scheunchen

Tobias Scheunchen
Advisor(s): Fred M. Donner
Islamic History and Civilization

Academic Bio

Before graduating with an M.A. in Islamic Studies from the American University of Beirut (AUB), Tobias completed his B.A. at Albert-Ludwigs-Universität in Freiburg, Germany. In his research, he converses and compares legal principles, concepts, and institutions in the legal cultures of the Sasanian and early Islamic Empires in order to shed light on the epistemology of jurisprudence and patterns of interaction between legal systems. His work is situated at the intersection(s) of Islamic, East Syrian, and Sasanian law thematically focusing on legal issues pertaining to matrimony and slavery while taking into account a variety of sources such as legal manuals, theoretical writings, and synodical minutes in Arabic, Syriac, and Pahlavi. Tobias cultivates interests in early and classical Islam as well as Syriac Christianity more broadly. In the past, he worked with Mario Kozah (Syriac Christianity) and Ulrich Rebstock (Islamic law) as his advisors. For extended periods, Tobias has studied and lived in Lebanon and Turkey and volunteered as a teaching assistant in Ghana.