Workshop II: Expanding Participation and the State in the Late Bonn Republic
On June 25 and 26, 2026, the second project workshop of the research project funded by the Gerda Henkel Foundation took place at CASFI (Kaiserplatz 7-9). The event was organized in cooperation with the research consortium “Democratic Constitution in Europe” (Eichstätt/Hamburg/Heidelberg).
The focus was held on the diverse forms of civic participation and their impact on state action in the second half of the 20th century. A total of three experts from Marburg, Potsdam, and Bonn presented insights into their current research on topics such as: forms of protest and participation between 1960 and 1990, statehood in contemporary history, and the role of volunteer work as a democratic virtue.
In addition to guest lectures by Prof. Dr. Sabine Mecking (Marburg), Dr. Christoph Nübel (Potsdam), and Prof. Dr. Christine Krüger (Bonn), the workshop provided the opportunity to present the subprojects of the research groups from Bonn as well as those from Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Heidelberg, and Hamburg. The subsequent plenary discussions served to critically reflect on the theoretical approaches of “expansive participation” and “democratic constitution” and to gain valuable insights for further scholarly research.
We would like to thank all participants for the discussion, the valuable insights, and the opportunity to explore new perspectives.