Current projects

The Chair of Political Theory is home to the “Just Climate Transitions” research network. Here, scholars from various disciplines exchange ideas on the topic of just climate transitions. A key focus of the work lies in the fields of philosophy and the social sciences. Key questions include, for example, the role of democratic processes in climate adaptation and which (colonial) inequalities are exacerbated by the climate crisis.

The network holds an annual conference to discuss current issues in climate policy and climate ethics. Topics in recent years have included:

• Climate Change and the Future of Democracy (2026)
• Climate Change and Vulnerability (2025)
• Sustainability in the Anthropocene (2024)
• Future Paths for Staying Within Planetary Boundaries (2023)
• Just Transitions in a Changing Climate (2022)
• Grounding Climate Change—Land, Environment, and the Green Future (2021)

The network is coordinated by Fabian Schuppert and Kerstin Reibold. Those interested can contact Kerstin Reibold.

Further information can be found on the network’s website: here.

 

 

Since January 1, 2025, the International Research Group on Authoritarianism and Counter-Strategies has been based at the Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences at the University of Potsdam. It is funded by the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.

The research group brings together around 20 activist scholars from countries in the so-called “Global South.” A key focus of the group’s work is the analysis of contemporary authoritarianism, as well as the examination of anti-authoritarian movements and strategies. In addition to research, the group is expanding its offerings of courses and other events; further information on the course offerings can always be found here, and information on current events can always be found here.

The research group is coordinated by Börries Nehe as its academic director, with support from Fabian Schuppert and Jürgen Mackert (Chair of General Sociology).

Further information about the group’s current work can be found on its website: here.