ISLAMOLOGIST & HISTORIAN
Mehdi Berriah
Specialist in Islamic thought, jihad and radicalities, epistemologies and paradigms, knowledge traditions and forms of authority, approached through a perspective that connects the classical heritage with contemporary dynamics. Researcher at the Institut français du Proche-Orient (Ifpo).
About
His work examines the circulation and reconfiguration of concepts, epistemological frameworks, paradigms, legal categories, and forms of authority between the classical corpus and contemporary dynamics, as well as their effects on doctrinal, institutional, and social levels.
Grounded in source analysis, intellectual history, and critical Islamic studies, this approach aims to provide a deeper understanding of contemporary Islam, its currents, debates, and transformations.
Learn more on my ORCID and Ifpo profile pages
Academic Background and Career
Trained in Arabic studies and the history of the Muslim world, Mehdi Berriah has taught and conducted research in France and internationally before joining the Institut français du Proche-Orient (Ifpo) in 2023, where he serves as Regional Head of the Islamic Studies division (Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq). His career combines teaching, public lectures, scholarly production, project coordination, and the development and leadership of research networks.
Books
The Medieval Jihad: Texts, Theories and Practices, Ifao, Le Caire
« Jihad and fitna : penser et concevoir la guerre dans le Mašriq médiéval (VIIe-XVIe siècles) », Annales Islamologiques 56
Professional Mobility in Islamic Societies (700-1750): New Concepts and Approaches, Brill, Leyde
Ibn Taymiyya’s Thought: Corpus, Reception and Legacy, Leuven University Press
L’art de la guerre chez les Mamelouks (1250-1375) : stratégies et tactiques, Leyde, Brill (Series Islamic History and Civilization, volume 214)
Les Mamelouks : les cavaliers de l’Islam. Études sur l’art de la guerre chez les Mamelouks, Paris, Héritage
Excerpt from the Verbruggen Prize 2024 committee’s commentary on the monograph
L’art de la guerre chez les Mamelouks (1250–1375): stratégies et tactiques (Brill, 2024)
We have long needed a book kile this on the Mamluks. Berriah’s approach si very scholarly, using a wide variety ofsources, with a particular emphasis on Arab material. It is well organized so that readers can find their way around what isa very complex subject. The author deals very fairly with the work of other scholars, notably Ayalon and Amitai-Preiss, while expressing his own views with great clarity. This is a monumental work which will serve scholarship for many generations.
John France
Professor Emeritus, Swansea University
