REBECCA GEBAUER
PhD Researcher
Category: Essays
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Reflections on studying and experiencing the Israel-Palestine Conflict
Imagine you intensely study a conflict region and its narratives for a whole year and then you travel to see the situation on ground for yourself. You think that you are well prepared and that you understand why the conflict is what it is. Power imbalances. Corrupt politicians. Contested truths and histories. Legacies from colonial… Read.
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Which theories of democratisation best explain why democracy failed in the Weimar Republic?
It appears to be impossible to identify a singular approach or theory to fully explain the failure of the Weimar republic or any other case of democratization. As argued above, the theories on democratisation are manifold and all have their merits, therefore, the best theories for one particular case can only be identified by looking… Read.
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Is it possible for nationalism to avoid being based on either race or ethnicity?
It seems, on the surface at least, that for the most part nationalism has a strong focus on exclusion based on ethnicity or race by very often aiming to protect the nation from foreigners, with foreigners being mostly identified by the different biological appearance (race) or their different customs (ethnicity). However, this essay shows that… Read.
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‘Theory is always for someone, and for some purpose’ Robert W. Cox
It appears to be impossible to identify a singular approach or theory to fully explain the failure of the Weimar republic or any other case of democratization. As argued above, the theories on democratisation are manifold and all have their merits, therefore, the best theories for one particular case can only be identified by looking… Read.
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How successful are audiences in rejecting and renegotiating media messages?
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What is the relationship between thinking conceptually and developing a sociological imagination?
Thinking sociologically means to “broaden our horizons of understanding” by not being satisfied with “exclusivity and completeness” that goes along with individual interpretations (Bauman and May, 2001:181). So thinking sociologically is an invitation to be critical and observant but, as C. Wright Mills points out, social scientists also need to treat sociology as a “practice… Read.
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