Center for Civil Society Research

Martina Sander

The Center conducts research on the foundations, self-understanding, and transformation of civil society in contemporary democratic societies. Using an integrative research approach, it systematically combines protest and social movement research with the empirical analysis of political conflict structures and social capital research. By analyzing political conflicts and transformations in civil society over long periods of time, the Center provides answers to fundamental questions about the future of democracy and social cohesion.

The Center is a joint initiative of the WZB and Freie Universität Berlin launched in 2017 with funding from the Stiftung Mercator and the Volkswagen Foundation.

December 7-8, 2023

Analyzing protest in the digital age: Challenges and opportunities in combining text and video sources

The two-day conference organized together with Donatella della Porta (COSMOS at SNS Florence) aims to broaden the methodological debate about the opportunities and challenges of digital data analysis for extending research on the repertoire of protest.

December 7, 2023 | 6 p.m. [WZB and via Zoom]

Expanding Protest Events Analysis through Video

Public roundtable on video-enhanced protest analysis with Jennifer Earl, Stefan Malthaner, Antje Scharenberg and the organizers Donatella della Porta and Swen Hutter. Hybrid event at WZB and via Zoom.

Registration link

More information

pch.vector | Freepik

February 16, 2024

Zusammen stark: Kooperationen für eine aktivere Zivilgesellschaft

In this one-day forum with civil society actors, we will discuss pressing issues and challenges relating to cooperation and networking within civil society and develop solutions for closer cooperation.