„Disruption“ – Launch event of the Conflict, Crisis, and Change (C3) Research Center

27 October 2026 | 18:00–19:30, with reception afterwards | Congress hall, FZA

Disruption is at the centre of crises and has become a common description of contemporary crises in particular. From the disruption of global supply chains to the disruption of national and international political systems, a sense of rupture permeates public debates on ongoing dynamics of conflict and change. This roundtable discusses insights from different disciplines as to what disruption means, how it shapes conflict dynamics and outcomes, and how the vocabulary of disruption introduces new perspectives on temporality and the open-endedness of history.

With this discussion and the subsequent reception, we invite you to join us in celebrating the launch the new Conflict, Crisis, and Change (C3) Research Center at the University of Bayreuth.

Welcome address: Prof. Dr. Stefan Leible, President of the University of Bayreuth

Panelists:

• Prof. Dr. Nina Nestler, Professor of Criminal Law (University of Bayreuth)
• Prof. Dr. Cindy Wittke-Hohlfeld, Professor of Eastern European History (University of Regensburg)
• Prof. Dr. Joschka Philipps, Professor of Sociology of Insecurity (University of Bayreuth)

Host: Prof. Dr. Jana Hönke, Chair for Sociology in Africa and C3 Director (University of Bayreuth)

All welcome – free, no registration required.

Please note that photographs and video recordings will be made during the event by members of the C3 – Conflict, Crisis, and Change Research Center. The recordings may be used for documentation and public-relations purposes, including publication on our website, social media channels, and other online platforms. If you do not wish to be recorded, please contact a member of our event team on site or email us at c3-research-center@uni-bayreuth.de. We will take your objection into account and make sure that no identifiable recordings of you are made or published.

Der Beitrag Invitation: „Disruption“ – C³ Launch Event (27.10.) at the University of Bayreuth erschien zuerst auf Conflicts.Meanings.Transitions.

„Demokratische Resilienz in Zeiten weltpolitischer Umbrüche: Die Bundesrepublik Deutschland und ihre Bündnisse in Geschichte und Gegenwart“

24.11.2026 | 18:00 mit anschließendem Stehempfang | Institut für Zeitgeschichte (IfZ), Leonrodstraße 46 b, München

Das Bündnis mit den USA, die Mitgliedschaft in der NATO und die Integration in ein freiheitliches Europa – nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg trugen die internationalen Partnerschaften der Bundesrepublik lange zur Festigung der Demokratie bei. Doch zuletzt scheint sich das Blatt zu wenden: Die gegenwärtige US-Regierung sympathisiert offen mit demokratiefeindlichen Kräften in Deutschland, Russland versucht mit Desinformationskampagnen den gesellschaftlichen Zusammenhalt zu schwächen, und rechtspopulistische Parteien bauen ihre Macht aus. Auch auf europäischer Ebene verbünden sich Rechtspopulisten, um die liberale Demokratie zu bekämpfen.

Unser Podium diskutiert Geschichte und Gegenwart der deutschen Demokratie in ihren internationalen Zusammenhängen, um die künftigen Herausforderungen für die Demokratieresilienz der Bundesrepublik besser zu verstehen.

Panelist*innen

• Stefan Creuzberger (Universität Rostock)
• Lars Langenau (Süddeutsche Zeitung)
• Ursula Münch (Akademie für Politische Bildung Tutzing)
• Kiran Klaus Patel (LMU München)
• Moderation: Isabel Heinemann (Institut für Zeitgeschichte)

Die Veranstaltung ist eine Kooperation mit dem Forschungsverbund „Deutungskämpfe im Übergang“, der vom Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt (BMFTR) gefördert wird.

Anmeldung

Eine Anmeldung über die IfZ-Website wird erbeten.

Bilaterale Gespräche am Rande der Münchner Sicherheitskonferenz 2025

Der Beitrag Invitation to the panel discussion – Democratic Resilience in Times of Geopolitical Upheaval (in German, 24.11., IfZ Munich) erschien zuerst auf Conflicts.Meanings.Transitions.

His dissertation examines how violence was unleashed during the suppression of the Bavarian Soviet Republic. It focuses on the question of which guiding ideologies shaped this violence – particularly antisemitism, anti-Bolshevism, and militarism – and how they influenced the actions of the people involved.

Together with Alexander Schwarz, we are delighted about his excellent PhD completion with magna cum laude, and we wish him all the best for his future academic career.

Alexander Schwarz (center) and the members of the examination committee (left to right): Markus Mühlnikel (minutes), Jana Hönke (third examiner), Julia Eichenberg (first examiner), and Martin Ott (second supervisor).

Der Beitrag Congratulations to Dr. Alexander Schwarz for the successful completion of his PhD erschien zuerst auf Conflicts.Meanings.Transitions.

The book responds to the reform of legal education, which under § 5a Abs. 2 DRiG (German Judiciary Act) now mandates that the teaching of National Socialist and socialist state injustice be a compulsory part of law studies. It is the first textbook covering this new required subject matter. Particular emphasis is therefore placed on the legal histories of National Socialism and the SED dictatorship and their embedding in the broader development of German law.

Further information

Photo: Julia Eichenberg (©Niklas Reinhart)

Der Beitrag New publication: PD Dr. Julia Eichenberg as co-editor of the handbook “Deutsche Unrechtsgeschichte im 20. Jahrhundert” erschien zuerst auf Conflicts.Meanings.Transitions.

Thematik & Zielsetzung

Russlands Krieg gegen die Ukraine, die Infragestellung der NATO durch die US-Regierung und geopolitische Rivalitäten haben eine Welle der Aufrüstung in Deutschland und Europa ausgelöst. Damit gehen Forderungen nach breitem gesellschaftlichem Engagement einher, etwa im Zivilschutz oder bei der Wehrpflicht, um wehrhaft und resilient handeln zu können. Gleichzeitig stellen sich Fragen der zivilgesellschaftlichen Beteiligung und demokratischen Kontrolle: wie lassen sich demokratische, den Grundrechten verpflichtete Institutionen und Prozesse stärken gegen autokratische Bestrebungen und Desinformation durch antidemokratische Kräfte? Wie lässt sich der Ausbau der Rüstungsindustrie und Verteidigungsfähigkeit gesellschaftlich rückbinden und demokratisch kontrollieren?

Ziele des Workshops:

• Analyse aktueller globaler sicherheitspolitischer Herausforderungen und ihrer regionalen Auswirkungen
• Diskussion der Möglichkeiten zur Stärkung der demokratischen Kontrolle und Resilienz auf lokaler und regionaler Ebene
• Vertiefte Betrachtung der bayerischen Rüstungsindustrie und von Desinformation und Sabotage
• Entwicklung konkreter Handlungsempfehlungen im Dialog zwischen Politik, Zivilgesellschaft, Wissenschaft, Bundeswehr und Medien

Rahmenprogramm

Am Vorabend findet am IfZ die Podiumsdiskussion „Demokratieresilienz in Zeiten weltpolitischer Umbrüche: Die Bundesrepublik Deutschland und ihre Bündnisse in Geschichte und Gegenwart“ (24.11., 18:00–19:30 mit anschließendem Empfang) statt. Teilnahme frei, keine Anmeldung erforderlich.

Hintergrund

Der Workshop wird vom BMFTR-geförderten Forschungsverbund “Bayerisches Zentrum für Friedens- und Konfliktforschung: Deutungskämpfe im Übergang” veranstaltet. Der Verbund untersucht die Rolle von Deutungskämpfen für Prozesse des politischen Wandels und stellt Orientierungswissen zu aktuellen Konfliktlagen für Politik, Zivilgesellschaft und die Öffentlichkeit bereit.

Der Workshop wird ko-organisiert mit den Verbundpartnern am IfZ und dem neugegründeten Conflict, Crisis, and Change (C³) Research Center an der Universität Bayreuth.

Kontakt: Verbundkoordinator Dr. Jan Sändig (jan.saendig@uni-bayreuth.de)

Der Beitrag Policy Workshop on Resilience and Democratic Oversight in Times of Rearmament (IfZ, 25.11.) erschien zuerst auf Conflicts.Meanings.Transitions.

„Narrative Zugänge zum Verständnis von Verantwortung im Kontext staatlicher Repression“

1 July 2026 | 10:15–11:45 | University of Bielefeld, X-E0-234 & Online

Within the lecture series „Dynamiken gesellschaftlicher Konflikte zwischen Theorie und Praxis“

Participation via Zoom | Details on the event

Overview on the lecture series

Der Beitrag Invitation – Talk by K. Andra Avram in lecture series (Bielefeld & online, 1.7.) erschien zuerst auf Conflicts.Meanings.Transitions.

Prof. Dr. Jana Hönke researches the many forms of governance and the conflicts that arise in the interplay of states, corporations, and civil society. Her projects focus especially on how security is produced in the Sahel, how arms manufacturers can be held accountable, and what influence African climate activists exert. Prof. Hönke is also an expert on the role of China and other rising powers in Africa.

Jana Hönke now brings this expertise to the German Foundation for Peace Research (DSF) as a new board member. The DSF, which recently celebrated its 25^th anniversary, supports peace and conflict research in Germany. It has already provided more than €25 million for around 500 projects and conferences, promoting innovative research as well as practice‑oriented insights. “I am looking forward to helping shape the foundation’s important work and its funding strategy in these challenging times”, said Jana Hönke about her new position.

PD Dr. Julia Eichenberg, a historian of modern European history, studies how war and violence transformed everyday life and what strategies – law, diplomacy, and international cooperation – are used to contain conflicts. She is one of the principal investigators within the regional network “Conflicts.Meanings.Transitions” and an active member of the Working Group on Historical Peace and Conflict Research (AKHF).

Julia Eichenberg will represent the University of Bayreuth on the steering committee of the Bavarian Science Alliance for Peace, Conflict, and Security Research (FoKS). Succeeding Jana Hönke, she will contribute to further develop the alliance, which brings together the interdisciplinary expertise of Bavarian research institutions on peace, conflict, and security issues. In a time of geopolitical shifts, the aim is to develop scholarly perspectives and policy solutions through dialogue with decisionmakers.

“With FoKS, an important platform has been created to make peace, conflict, and security research at Bavarian universities more visible and to strengthen the voice of science in current debates. I am very pleased to be able to contribute to this interdisciplinary exchange as a representative of the University of Bayreuth and as a historian,” says Julia Eichenberg.

Furthermore, Jana Hönke was recently elected director and Julia Eichenberg a board member of the new Conflict, Crisis, and Change (C3) Research Center at the University of Bayreuth. The interdisciplinary C3 research center promotes academic collaboration and teaching in peace and conflict studies on site and provides guidance for policymakers and the public through formats like the Bayreuth Peace Talks. It also aims to develop a specific regionally-informed approach to peace and conflict research by closely collaborating with Bayreuth’s African studies expertise at the Forschungszentrum Afrika (FZA).

(Source: University of Bayreuth, Press Release No. 043/2026, 11 June 2026)

Photos: Jana Hönke (©UBT/J. Rennecke), Julia Eichenberg (©Niklas Reinhart)

Der Beitrag Bayreuth members appointed to committees in peace and conflict studies erschien zuerst auf Conflicts.Meanings.Transitions.

Abstract

In times of transition, actors clash regarding the interpretations of the past, solutions to current problems, and visions for the future. This Forum examines these discursive contestations and their implications for political change (Deutungskämpfe im Übergang). Taking a historically-oriented peace and conflict studies perspective, it investigates how actors advocate for, negotiate, and seek to delegitimize views to drive – or resist – political change. This aims to better understand how transitions unfold and may lead to pathways of escalation or conflict transformation. Studying these processes from an interdisciplinary perspective in both historical and contemporary cases, and regarding conceptual and theoretical dimensions, the Forum advances research on contentious political changes and peace – a key issue in today’s contested times.

The Forum brings together contributions from members of the BMBF-funded research network Conflicts.Meanings.Transitions (Deutungskämpfe im Übergang), as well as from scholars beyond the network.

Guest editors: Florian P. Kühn (University of Bayreuth & Gothenburg) & Jan Sändig (University of Bayreuth)

Overview on the Forum

Contributions

Sändig, Jan/Florian P. Kühn (2025): Contested transitions and perspectives on peace – Deutungskämpfe im Übergang, Zeitschrift für Friedens- und Konfliktforschung (ZeFKo) 14(2): 295–305.

Parashar, Swati (2025): The ‘slow violence’ of famines, Zeitschrift für Friedens- und Konfliktforschung (ZeFKo) 14(2): 307–318.

Weller, Christoph (2025): Deutungskämpfe: Begriffe, Konzept, Bearbeitung, Zeitschrift für Friedens- und Konfliktforschung (ZeFKo) 14(2): 319–334.

Chojnacki, Sven (2025): Feldgebundene Deutungskämpfe: Strukturelle Analyse und reflexive Praxis, Zeitschrift für Friedens- und Konfliktforschung (ZeFKo) 14(2): 335–349.

Zöhrer, Michaela/Christian Methfessel and Daniel Stahl (2024): Claims to Universal Norms and the Forging of Transnational Networks. Struggles over the Meaning of Gender-Based and Sexual Violence, Zeitschrift für Friedens- und Konfliktforschung (ZeFKo) 13(2): 417–426.

Pauls, Christina (2024): Struggles over Memory? Decolonial memory activism as epistemic struggle against Eurocentrism, Zeitschrift für Friedens- und Konfliktforschung (ZeFKo) 13(2): 437–447.

McEvoy, Bretton J./Jana Hönke (2024): Non-accountability as post-colonial harm: rethinking the responsibilities of arms producers, Zeitschrift für Friedens- und Konfliktforschung (ZeFKo) 13(2): 427–436.

Schwarz, Alexander W./Florian P. Kühn and Julia Eichenberg (2024): Violence, change and continuity in times of transition, Zeitschrift für Friedens- und Konfliktforschung (ZeFKo) 13(2): 427–436.

Funding

Research for this Forum, including the workshop “All things change the same?” (University of Bayreuth, June 2023), were supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF, by now BMFTR) within the project “Bayerisches Zentrum für Friedens- und Konfliktforschung: Deutungskämpfe im Übergang” [grant number 01UG2204A-D].

Der Beitrag Out now! Our ZeFKo Forum: „Contested transitions and perspectives on peace – Deutungskämpfe im Übergang“ erschien zuerst auf Conflicts.Meanings.Transitions.

During her talk, Hanna Israel discussed ways to reduce societal divisions. As the former director of the international dialogue platform My Country Talks (2020–2024), she shared insights into the innovative project that brings people with opposing views together – what she calls a kind of “Tinder for politics.” The goal: break down prejudices and bridge political gaps.

Hosted by Prof. Jana Hönke (University of Bayreuth) and co-organized by the C³ Research Center (then the UBT Peace and Conflict Research Network) at the University of Bayreuth, the BMFTR regional network Conflicts.Meanings.Transitions, and the FoKS Alliance.

Recording and editing: Niclas Boenki (Conflicts.Meanings.Transitions).

Der Beitrag Event video – Hanna Israel on Political Polarization (Bayreuth Peace Talks) erschien zuerst auf Conflicts.Meanings.Transitions.

Speakers:

• Prof. Dr. Eugénia da Conceição-Heldt, Chair of European and Global Governance, Technical University Munich
• Prof. Abraham L. Newman, PhD, Director of the BMW Center for German and European Studies, Georgetown University
• PD Dr. Andreas Kruck, Senior Researcher, Chair for Global Governance and Public Policy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich

Hosted by Prof. Dr. Jana Hönke, Chair for Sociology in Africa & Project leader of Conflicts.Meanings.Transitions, University of Bayreuth

Organized by FoKS (Bayerische Wissenschaftsallianz für Friedens-, Konflikt- und Sicherheitsforschung),

Video ©Amerikahaus Munich
Cut by Niclas Boenki, Conflicts.Meanings.Transitions research network (with support from the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space, BMFTR)

Der Beitrag Recap video – How to Defuse Interdependence Without Blowing Up the Liberal World Order? (MSC2026) erschien zuerst auf Conflicts.Meanings.Transitions.