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Research Clusters
How do social and political power structures perpetuate themselves? How can the growing emphasis on group identity—whether based on ethnicity, religion, or nationality - be reconciled with a deepening of democracy and peaceful international cooperation? And to what extent do current crises contribute to the rise of anti-democratic actors and movements?
At the Marburg Institute of Political Science, we explore these pressing questions in both research and teaching through three dedicated clusters: Transformation and Democracy, Global Orders and Global Differences, and Power and Domination.
Cluster: Transformation and Democracy
In the research cluster “Transformation and Democracy”, we view democracy as an ongoing process. Democracy, both as a way of life and a system of political governance, is constantly evolving. This evolution can lead to greater democratization of societies but also to erosion and deformation processes that may result in authoritarian shifts—even in democracies traditionally considered stable.
How do globalization processes reshape political conflicts in modern democracies? What are the consequences of growing voter dissatisfaction for democratic decision-making? To what extent do various crises fuel the rise of anti-democratic actors and movements? What role do social media play in spreading disinformation and hate speech? At the same time, we also ask: What new and progressive visions of democracy are emerging?
The research cluster “Transformation and Democracy” approaches these questions from two complementary perspectives:
On one hand, we adopt an empirical-analytical perspective, focusing on the development and application of theories related to political behavior, political communication, and party competition. Using modern, computer-based research methods, we generate valuable empirical insights that help deepen our understanding of the challenges contemporary democracies face.
On the other hand, we examine “Transformation and Democracy” through the lens of democratic theory and feminist-critical perspectives. This includes analyzing attitudes and ideological movements opposed to democracy, such as right-wing extremism, racism, antifeminism, and antisemitism. At the same time, we explore initiatives aimed at expanding political participation and representation, as well as envisioning ways to foster a more inclusive and cooperative society in the future.
Researchers in this Cluster:
Ursula Birsl, Isabelle Borucki, Annette Henninger, Aribert Heyder, Funda Hülagü, Victoria Palchikova, Philipp Polta, Julia Schulte-Cloos, Matti Traußneck, Stine Ziegler, Mareike Trawnik
Current Projects in this Cluster:
- Digitale Linkage - how to regain citizens for democracy
- Outgroup hostility and affective polarization in everyday social and political life
- Attitudes, stereotypes and social prejudice (Group-Focused Enmity, anti-Semitism)
- Representation and political participation in diverse and digital societies
- Organized Anti-Feminism and Authoritarianism in the Middle East: The Case of Turkey
Cluster: Global Orders and Global Differences
How are rising international rivalries—such as the war in Ukraine, the great power conflict between China and the United States, or the growing challenge to the Western-dominated world order by emerging powers—connected to increasing societal conflicts and divisions? What links the rise of identity-based conflicts to global inequalities and existential threats like the climate crisis?
In political practice, as well as in the media and particularly on social networks, differences and seemingly unbridgeable divides (on topics like migration, pandemics, inequality, or anti-gender mobilizations) are often constructed. These narratives increasingly undermine social cohesion within nations and hinder international cooperation across borders.
This research cluster examines the construction of orders and differences, investigates their empirical foundations, and explores their national and international implications.
Researchers in this Cluster:
Susanne Buckley-Zistel, Clara Fechtner, Hubert Zimmermann, Rachid Ouaissa, Alexander Lohse, Dunya Elemenler, Julius Dihstelhoff
Current Projects in this Cluster:
● The Justification of Military Interventions
● Burden-Sharing in Europe and Asia
● Kompetenznetzwerk "Postcolonial Hierarchies in Peace & Conflict“
● Human Rights Discourses in a Society of Migration (GER)
● TraCe Regionales Forschungszentrum „Transformations of Political Violence“
● Status-seeking strategies of a rising regional power: The foreign policy of the UAE since 2011
Cluster: Power and Domination
How do power and domination structures reproduce themselves? What is the relationship between capitalist modes of production, patriarchal and racist power dynamics, social inequality, and democracy? How can these forms of domination and inequality be overcome? Whose interests, social positions, and ideas are represented in democracies, and how are these considered in the distribution of resources?
We explore these questions across three dimensions:
Drawing on Marx’s critique of political economy, we examine whether the concept of a “market-conform democracy” (Angela Merkel) is adequate, and how racist or patriarchal systems of domination are intertwined with capitalism.
In our empirical-analytical research, we focus on the unequal consideration of material and ideological interests among different social classes. We investigate the ongoing marginalization and discrimination of women, LGBTIQ+ individuals, and racism, exploring how these inequalities and institutional barriers affect the reproduction of power and domination.
We also ask: How can (school-based) political education be linked with research on migration and inequality in education? And how can it be discussed in relation to social and political participation, as well as the promotion of democracy?
Researchers in this Cluster:
Letícia Barbabela, Dorothee Beck, Susann Gessner, Annette Henninger, John Kannankulam, Philipp Klingler, Maria Schneider, Nils Strecker, Eva Wegner, Sarah Best
Current Projects in this Cluster:
● Interdisciplinary Research Network “Gender • Power • State” (GER)
- “Gender. Power. State—Co-Constructions, Transformations, and Representations in the Media Since 1500”
● Unequal Democracy in Brazil and South Africa
● Politicians, Policies, and the Reproduction of Wealth (POWER)
● European Migration Policy Since the War in Ukraine: The Tension Between Liberalization and Restriction.
● Evaluation of the Project “o[s]tklick: Shaping a Post-Migrant Society” (GER)