Researching Collectivity in Protests and Resistance

In an era marked by social uncertainty, fragmentation, and intensified calls for solidarity, collectivity remains a central yet contested phenomenon in the social sciences. Whether as enduring movements, temporary alliances, or spontaneous gatherings, collectives continue to shape political, cultural, and everyday life. Their emergence, internal dynamics, and eventual dissolution raise key questions about social organization and belonging. Scrutinizing the emergence and internal dynamics of collectives in contexts of protest and resistance is particularly crucial for reflecting on the possibility of collective struggles for human rights and social justice.

One thematic focus of the workshop is the micro-sociological and interactional dimension of collectivity, especially in protest settings or short-lived group configurations. Here the emphasis lies on affective and performative dynamics that unfold in the moment: the generation of solidarity, the embodied experience of being part of a collective, but also the fragility of these formations in the face of situational change. Central questions include how such collectives emerge, what sustains them, and under what circumstances they begin to dissolve.

A second thematic focus concerns the emergence of collectivity among precarious migrant workers, particularly in light of the segmentation of labor sectors and the declining salience of “class” as a mobilizing logic. How do collective resistance, organization, and mobilization form under conditions of “multiple precarity”? What dynamics of grievance formation, institutionalization, or division characterize these collectives? Contributions in this area may examine processes of resistance, organization, or solidarity, with particular attention to structural and symbolic constraints, emerging organizational and identificatory logics, and temporal trajectories.

The workshop is organized within the doctoral program Human Rights and Social Justice in cooperation with Hochschule Fulda and Goethe University Frankfurt. It aims to provide an opportunity for emerging researchers to present and discuss their ongoing work with peers and senior colleagues. We welcome contributions that explore the phenomenon of collectivity in protests and resistance across empirical fields and theoretical traditions, and we encourage reflections on the conceptual and methodological challenges that accompany such research.

Guiding questions for contributions include how we can grasp the emergence, transformation, and dissolution of collectivity within a social science framework, what emotional, symbolic, or structural dynamics shape collective formations, how disparate acts of resistance are translated and consolidated into collective organization, what role moral economies and their violation play in precarious workers’ mobilizations, and how such protests and organizations re-articulate or transcend identificatory logics of class.

The workshop will be held in English, and contributions are invited in the form of presentations. Abstracts of 300 to 500 words may be submitted in English or German to christina.fischer(at)sk.hs-fulda.de by September 26, 2025 (extended deadline). Accepted contributors will be informed by October 1, 2025.

The workshop will take place on Thursday, December 4, 2025, from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Travel expenses within Germany will be covered, though overnight stays in Fulda cannot usually be financed. For questions or special needs, please contact christina.fischer(at)sk.hs-fulda.de. We look forward to your contributions and to fruitful discussions.

Call for Papers (PDF)