Transformation of Contemporary Societies

The transformation of contemporary societies is essentially a reaction to the phenomena of the dissolution of borders. As inter-societal borders dissolve, for example, national labour markets become transnational markets. For the organization of labour prevailing to date, which has been characterized by national systems of social welfare, this presents some fundamental challenges. Meanwhile, the intra-societal dissolution of borders, for example in the field of politics, leads to new forms of governance in which the relationship between citizens and politics is redefined. It is the aim of the Main Research Area to analyze phenomena of the building of order in a borderless world and to further develop the methods of investigating such phenomena for meaningful and interdisciplinary work.

The Main Research Area is supported by six institutions of the University of Duisburg-Essen: the Institute of East Asian Studies, the Institute for Work, Skills and Training, the Institutes of Sociology and Political Science, the Institute for Development and Peace, and the Rhine-Ruhr Institute for Social Science Research and Political Consultancy, an affiliated institute of the UDE. They appoint representatives to the Main Research Area research council, which makes decisions on programme orientation and funding for research projects.