The “Politik von unten” (Politics from Below) colloquium originated from the initiative of three doctoral students. It was initially held in 2011 and 2012 with the support of the Berlin Graduate School of Social Sciences, the Working Group on Social Movements of the German Political Science Association (DVPW), and the Berlin Social Science Center (WZB). Since 2013, the colloquium has been part of the institute’s operations. Details about the colloquium can be found on the website of the Working Group on Social Movements.
The colloquium is intended to be a place for regular exchange on ongoing research projects on collective political action, political mobilization, protest, social movements, and revolutions. Here is an overview of the previous sessions.
Each session will discuss a paper (in English or German), which will be circulated in the email list one week in advance, and is considered to be read by all participants. The papers can be draft chapters or articles (unpublished) as well as advanced research proposals that are no longer at a draft stage. The discussions follow Tilly’s rules of etiquette. Presentations can be held in English or German. The language of the meeting will be communicated in advance.
Anyone who wants to attend the colloquium regularly can subscribe to the email list through which texts are sent out in advance. Those who wish to attend individual sessions can follow the invitations.
Meetings will be mainly online. Locations session in hybrid mode will be communicated in advance.
The next program (Fall 2025) is organized by Damla Keşkekci and Eva-Lotte Schwarz. You will find the “Call for Contributions” here.