Daniel is a native of the USA, where he earned his Ph.D. from Duke University and taught at various universities. He is the author of two books, which address the relationship between religious difference, cultural history, and philosophy. His current research on the history of conversion is shaped by his deep interest in the way that religious traditions are connected to cultural transformations. It is his pursuit of this research that brought him to Berlin, where he is affiliated with the ICI Berlin Institute for Cultural Inquiry.