The lecture series “Civil Society and Political Conflict” focuses on central transformations in the structure and dynamics of political conflict and its impact on civil society.

The series builds on the assumption that, due to the rise of new cleavages, the structural basis of politics has been radically changing. Emerging divides between integration and demarcation cut across traditional categorizations, relativizing and partly even reinforcing traditional conflicts. During such restructuring of political conflict, not only new issues, such as immigration, Europe, or climate change, have become the focus of political debate. We also witness a fundamental change in the landscape and dynamics of political mobilization and organization. These new landscapes of contentious politics and their consequences are dealt with in the lecture series, opening an integrative perspective on the dynamics of conflict and cooperation in civil society.

The series is organized by the Center for Civil Society Research.

Upcoming Lectures

October 14, 2024

Movement Parties from the Left and their Political Consequences in Latin America and Southern Europe
Lecture by Kenneth M. Roberts (Cornell University)

November 7, 2024

How Can Civil Society Counter the Far Right? Lessons from Poland and Germany
Roundtable with Grzegorz Ekiert, Heike Radvan, and Heike Kleffner

(The event is part of the workshop “Contentious Politics within Civil Society: How the rise of new cleavages and the far right transform civil society” on 7./ 8. November 2024.)

Past lectures

Are the Politically Active Better Represented?
Lecture by Jennifer Oser, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel

Has Globalization Reduced Worldwide Terrorist Attacks?
Lecture by Gary LaFree, University of Maryland

Grassroot Activism as a Mainstreaming Strategy for the Populist Radical Right
Lecture by Adrian Favero, University of Groningen

Hate in the Homeland: The New Global Far Right
Lecture by Cynthia Miller-Idriss, American University, Washington D.C.

The Revolutionary City: Urbanization and the Global Transformation of Rebellion
Mark R. Beissinger, Princeton University

Civil Society’s Democratic Potential: Organizational Trade-offs between Participation and Representation
Nicole Bolleyer, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

Civil Society against Democracy: Organizational Bases of the Populist Counterrevolution in Poland
Grzegorz Ekiert, Harvard University

(Cancelled due to Corona virus restrictions)

The Poor’s Struggle for Political Incorporation in Latin America
Federico M. Rossi, National University of San Martín, Buenos Aires

The Reshaping of West European Party Politics
Christoffer Green-Pedersen, Aarhus University

Protest in der longue durée: Geschichtswissenschaft und politische Soziologie im Dialog
Diskussion mit Philipp Gassert und Dieter Rucht

Trade Unions and the Politics of Inequality
Jonas Pontusson, University of Geneva

Rethinking social policy conflict as politics of priorities: Implications for party competition and welfare state reform
Silja Häusermann, University of Zurich

European Politics in the Shadow of the Great Recession
Hanspeter Kriesi, European University Institute, Florence

Building Bridges: Civil Society and Social Movement Theories in Times of Crisis
Donatella della Porta, Scuola