Alexander Fidora Riera

Alexander Fidora Riera

Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

Humanities

Alexander Fidora, born 1975 in Offenbach (Germany), studied philosophy at the University of Frankfurt. He obtained his PhD in 2003 at Frankfurt University, where he has been co-director of a DFG-research project. In 2006 he accepted a position at ICREA in the Department of Ancient and Medieval Studies of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, where he has been Executive Director of the Institute of Medieval Studies (until 2019). PI of two ERC projects, Fidora has been a Visiting Professor at Saint Louis University, Universidad Panamericana in Mexico, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Goethe University Frankfurt and University of Pennsylvania. His work has been distinguished with the "Premi Internacional Catalònia" (2011), the "Samuel Toledano Prize" (2012) and the "A. v. Humboldt Research Award" (2022). Co-editor of the journals "Revista Española de Filosofía Medieval" and "Historical Interactions of Religious Cultures"; Member of Academia Europaea.

Research interests

Fidora studies the intercultural dimensions of medieval thought and, in particular, the cultural contacts between Judaism, Christianity and Islam. He focuses on medieval epistemology and the relations between philosophy and theology. His research interests include: Reception, interpretation and transformation of philosophical and theological translations from Arabic in medieval Europe; Latin philosophy into Hebrew; Polemics, controversial theology and interreligious dialogue in the Middle Ages; Consequences of the confrontation between the three religions of the Book for the formation of European cultural identity (ERC-Research Projects "Latin Philosophy into Hebrew" (2008-2012) and "The Latin Talmud" (2014-2019), continued with funding from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (2021-2024 & 2025-2028). 

Selected publications

- Fidora A 2025, 'The Division of the Sciences in Opus maius IV, 1, 2: Roger Bacon’s Sources and Their Transformation', in M. Allen (ed.), The Sciences of Roger Bacon's Opus Maius, London: Routledge, 42-54.
- Fidora A 2025 (2024), 'The Confessions of Rabbi Samson de Louhans. An Analysis of the anti-Talmudic Procedure in Chambéry in 1417', Henoch. Historical and Textual Studies in Ancient and Medieval Judaism and Christianity 46/2, 391-417.
- Fidora A & Lampurlanés I 2025, 'The Anti-Jewish Bookcase at the Time of Benedict XIII', Sefarad 85/1, 1-20.
- Fidora A 2025, '«Ut vulgariter loquimur». Paraules i locucions catalanes al Pugio fidei de Ramon Martí (ca. 1280)', Arxiu de Textos Catalans Antics 36, 123-133.
- Fidora A 2025, 'Takdim', in Enes Şanal, Avrupa’da Endülüs bilim mirasi, Istanbul: Kronik, 19-22.

Selected research activities

Invited lectures in Barcelona (2), Córdoba, Frankfurt (2), Palma and Paris.
Organization of a Symposium at Frankfurt University (October) and a panel at SOFIME's 9th international congress in Córdoba (December).
Co-PI with Ulisse Cecini of the research project "The Polemic against the Talmud in Latin Europe between 1240 and 1415" (Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, 2025-2028, PID 2024-155482NB-I00/AEI).
Appointed chair of the Philosophy, Theology & Religious Studies section of the Academia Europaea (AE).
Appointed chair of the Philosophy and Theology panel of the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO).
Appointed member of the Board of Innovation of the Institute for Advanced Studies of Frankfurt University (“Forschungskolleg Humanwissenschaften”).