• Anthropology of Sound & Music
• Music as a pedagogical tool
• Anthropology of religion
• History of Christianity

Johan is currently completing his PhD in Social and Cultural Anthropology at the Centre for Modern Indian Studies, University of Göttingen. His doctoral research examines how globalisation, transnational migration, and urbanisation are reshaping the sonic mediation and musical landscape of Christianity in Kerala, including experiences of reverence, worship, and the sacred. Focusing particularly on the Mar Thoma Church, he explores how musical practices respond to these changes while also preserving the Church’s Syriac heritage and Oriental Orthodox traditions.

At Göttingen, Johan taught courses on the anthropology of Christianity and on music and religion, bringing together his interests in ethnography, religious studies, and musical practice. While his broader academic interests lie at the intersection of history and anthropology, he is also interested in the possibilities of music as a pedagogical tool.

Johan holds an MA in Comparative History from Central European University (CEU), where he also completed an Advanced Certificate in Religious Studies, and an MA in Modern Indian Studies from the University of Göttingen. He received his bachelor’s degree in Humanities, with a minor in Education Studies, from Azim Premji University. 

Alongside his academic work, Johan is a classically trained pianist. He has accompanied choirs in India and abroad, and his experience as a music practitioner informs his scholarly interest in how music is learned, performed, and experienced.