Kim Groop

Kim Groop

Dr. Th. University lecturer in Church history

20112023

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Personal profile

Research interests

I am a university lecturer, associate professor (docent) and researcher in church history at Åbo Akademi University. In my original research I have studied the history and legacy of the Christian mission and European colonialism in Africa; in particular, in Tanzania and Namibia. Lately, I have focused on issues relating to cultural memory and religious as well as political uses of the past. In this work, I have especially focused on Protestantism, pietism, and the Christian mission in Finland and Africa, as well as on the "re-building" of cultural memory sites in the former GDR. At present my main focus interest is the university church in Leipzig: a church that the GDR regime demolished and which was later rebuilt to be inaugurated in 2017. I study the rebuilding process through a lens of memory, heritage, and activism.

Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  • SDG 4 - Quality Education
  • SDG 10 - Reduced Inequalities
  • SDG 16 - Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

External positions

Chairperson, Donner Institute for Research in Religion and Culture

1 Jul 202230 Jun 2025

Management committee member, COST Action - Slow Memory: Transformative Practices for Times of Uneven and Accelerating Change

20212025

Board member, Centre for the Study of Christian Cultures (University of Turku)

2017 → …

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