Contested (Dis)Arrangements - Societies between Conflict and Cohesion
At the HWK, social science is understood as the science of society. Sectors, institutions and actors of modern societies are analyzed in their developments and structures, their interactions and their effects. Further topics include the identification and investigation of new social and political challenges, e.g. transnationalization or climate change as well as policy analysis of political areas such as social or economic policy, and, last but not least, democratization and transformation processes worldwide. Research on methods and the development of sociological and political theories are also at the heart of the research area.
Social science research aims at a better understanding of social processes and sometimes also at the optimization of these processes. Comparative studies of welfare state arrangements or economic policy institutions might help to avoid or at least minimize adverse side effects of future reforms in these fields.
When analyzing social actions of both individuals and larger groups, social sciences contribute to the understanding of how and under what conditions social integration will develop and, perhaps even more important, under which conditions social integration fails and alienation will prevail.
The omnipresence of social issues leads to inter- and transdisciplinary ties between social science research at the HWK and the other research areas represented at the institute. Cooperation takes place with the marine and climate sciences, e.g. in the field of climate change, or the neurosciences and cognitive sciences, for example in studies on decision-making behavior of groups and individuals.
This broad understanding of Social Science, has led the HWK to consciously choose the plural form Social Sciences for this research area. In addition to fellows from the core disciplines sociology and political science, scientists from neighboring disciplines, such as economics, modern history and legal studies, pursue their projects here as well.
The HWK supports projects in the following fields:
- Comparative analysis of welfare states and social policy
- Studies on European politics and society
- Globalization, transnationalization and the transformation of the state
- Socio-cultural conseuqneces of demographic development
- Social and political theory and the history of ideas
- Urban Sociology
- Security studies, especially projects dealing with the tension between freedom/liberty and security
The HWK expressly encourages current and future Fellows to introduce new topics into the institute and the research landscape of Northwestern Germany.
The HWK offers Fellowships for three to ten months, Junior Fellowships for up to 12 months. In addition to the Universities in Bremen and Oldenburg, regional co-operation partners are among others the following renowned institutes:
- The Centre for Social Policy Research (ZeS, University of Bremen)
- The Center for Social Science Methodology
(MSW, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg) - The Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences (BIGSSS) at the University of Bremen and the Jacobs University Bremen
- The collaborative research center (SFB) 597 of the German Research Foundation (DFG) "Transformations of the State" at the University of Bremen and the Jacobs University Bremen
- Research Group Migremus - Migration, Residential Mobility and Urban Structure (University of Bremen)
For more information, please contact the e-mail address: sfuchs@h-w-k.de.