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Institute of Sociology

Understanding society, unlocking perspectives

We study how social cohesion emerges and how it comes under pressure: through demographic change, regional and international structural change, in education and work, and in the economy, culture and the environment. As a site of the Research Institute Social Cohesion, we focus in particular on what holds societies together in times of rapid change. To this end, we combine sociological theories, developed in international exchange, with quantitative, qualitative and computational methods, and we build our own openly available research tools.

We aim to:

• explain and understand how social structures and processes shape social life;
• help shape the international sociological debate;
• give students a sound training in theory and methods, introduce them to current research through our Master's specialisations, and enable them to think sociologically on their own;
• support early-career researchers and give them room to pursue independent research;
• bring sociological knowledge into dialogue with the public, policymakers and civil society, in Halle, in Saxony-Anhalt and beyond;
• actively shape the development of our discipline within the university and in professional associations.

News

Institutskolloquium im Wintersemester 2026/27

Our current institute colloquium explores various questions: What do academic career paths look like, and how do systemic disruptions affect the research habitus?

Over the course of four evenings, speakers from Berlin and Siegburg to Wuppertal will seek to provide answers regarding compelling topics related to academic careers.

Getting Here

Getting Here from Halle Main Station:

Exit Halle Main Station through the main entrance located next to the DB travel centre, turn left and walk along the taxi rank to the tram stop.
Use the tram lines 2, 5, 10 and 12 and get off at "Am Steintor."
The journey time is about 5 minutes.
Tickets can be bought from the vending machine at the stop. Some trams also run with a vending machine on board.

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Related areas

• Medical Sociology   
• Health and Nursing Sciences   
  (Professor Gabriele Meyer)
• Social Education and Social Policies
• Sociology of Law
• Centre for Social Research    
• Institute of Higher Education Research (HoF)
• Reader Dr. Walter Bartl
• Professor Peer Pasternack
• Landesforschungsschwerpunkt und Graduiertenschule Gesellschaft und Kultur in Bewegung (GKB) / Society and Culture in Motion (SCM)
• German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research Halle-Jena-Leipzig - iDiv   
• Social Learning and Environmental Governance (SLEG) Lab

News archive

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