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Editorial Team

Dr. Anna Tessmann (since 2019)

Heidelberg University


Anna is a postdoctoral researcher specializing in contemporary religiosity, with a particular emphasis on esotericism, Zoroastrianism, and Islam. Her academic journey in religious studies began during her undergraduate years at St. Petersburg State University (1994–2000), where she pursued a B.A. in Comparative Study of Religion(s) and first developed an interest in Zoroastrianism. In 2005, Anna completed her M.A. thesis at Heidelberg University, followed by the defense of her Ph.D. dissertation in Religious Studies at the Universities Sodertorn and Gothenburg, Sweden, in 2012. Since 2014, she has been a faculty member at Heidelberg University, where she teaches courses on the History of Iranian Religions and Persian Language. Anna’s research encompasses a broad spectrum of topics within religious studies, including. Her interdisciplinary approach combines historical analysis with contemporary religious studies, contributing to the growing field of research on Zoroastrian esotericism and its place in modern academic discourse

Prof. Dr. Birgit Menzel (since 2019)

Mainz University


Birgit is a Professor for Russian (Inter-) Cultural Studies at the Faculty of Translation, Language and Culture Studies, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz. In 1974–1975, she studied Russian Literature, Politics, and Film Studies at Indiana University in Bloomington, USA. Birgit earned her M.A. and Ph.D. from the Free University of Berlin in 1982 and 1991. In 1997, she received her postdoctoral degree (habilitation) in Russian and Slavic Literatures from the University of Rostock. She is one of the editors of The New Age of Russia: Occult and Esoteric Dimensions (2012). Birgit is the project leader of the New Age research group on the German side. Her latest publications are focused on Citizen Diplomacy during the Cold War, Esotericism, Occultism, and Parapsychology in Russia, Russia, and/as Eurasia and Transhumanism and Utopia.

Romina Kaltenbach (née Heim), M. A.  (until 2022)

Mainz University


In 2017, Romina defended her M.A. thesis on Vasily Nalimov’s Concept of Freedom at the Faculty for Translation Studies, Linguistics, and Cultural Studies of the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz in Germersheim. After her graduation, she taught German at St Petersburg State University (SPbU) as a foreign-language assistant for the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). She has also worked as a freelance translator for Russian, English, and German languages for three years. Since 2018, Romina is a Ph.D. candidate at University Mainz in GermersheimHer current research focuses on the spiritual movement of Mystical Anarchism in early Soviet Russia and its esoteric dimension represented by the Moscow Templar Order.

Julia Andreeva (2019)

Anna Grechanaia (2023)

Kirill Miliutin (2022)

Daria Shevtsova (until 2021)

Sveta Tambovtseva (2020)

Andrey Tiukhtiaev (2019)