Prof. Dr. Hans Vorländer
Table of contents

Chairholder
NameProf. Dr. Hans Vorländer
Director, Center for the Study of Constitutionalism and Democracy
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Chair of Political Theory and History of Political Thought
Chair of Political Theory and History of Political Thought
Visitor Address:
von-Gerber-Bau, Room 231 Bergstraße 53
01069 Dresden
- work Tel.
- +49 351 463-35812
- fax Fax
- +49 351 463-37233
Office Hours:
Meetings are currently by appointment only. Please contact the secretary’s office.
Prof. Dr. Hans Vorländer, born 24 September 1954 in Wuppertal, studied Political Science and Law in Bonn and Geneva. He received his doctorate in 1980 with a thesis titled “Constitution and consensus. The constitution in the debates about fundamental and basic law in the Federal Republic of Germany”.
After lecturing at the Theodor-Heuss-Akademie in Gummersbach, Hans Vorländer was a John F. Kennedy Memorial Fellow and a research associate at Harvard University (Cambridge, USA) and deputy professor at the universities in Frankfurt and Essen. Since 1993, Hans Vorländer is full professor of political science and holds the chair in Political Theory and History of Political Thought at TU Dresden. He has been a guest professor in Paris, Dubrovnik, Mexico City, Bologna and Turin.
Hans Vorländer was a founding member and deputy speaker of the Collaborative Research Centre 537 “Institutionality and Historicity” (1997 - 2008) and leader of the subproject “The Constitution as an Institutional Political Regime”. Since 2007, he has been the founding director of the Centre for the Study of Constitutionalism and Democracy. From July 2009 until June 2014, Hans Vorländer was speaker of the Collaborative Research Centre 804 “Transcendence and Sense of Community”. In 2012, he founded the Henry Arnhold Dresden Summer School, which is held annually in collaboration with the Dresden museums. Since 2017, he has been the director of the Mercator Forum on Migration and Democracy – MIDEM, which he initiated.
Hans Vorländer was chairman of the scientific advisory board at the Federal Agency for Civic Education (2001-2005) and was also the chairman of the German Society for Political Science (2003-2005). He is currently working on various research projects dealing with constitutionalism and democracy, is responsible for a range of international collaboration and exchange programmes and is a member of numerous national and international commissions, committees and bodies. Since 2018, he is member of the Expert Council of German Foundations on Integration and Migration. Most recently, he has been appointed to the Expert Commission for Integration of the German Federal Government.
Prof. Dr. Vorländer is currently taking a sabbatical. Dr. Schulz is therefore currently standing in for him.
Research Topics
- Political theory
- History of political thought
- Constitutionalism and constitution
- Democracy
- Liberalism
- Political cultures
- Populism
- Migration and integration
Academic Career
2018 | Member of the Expert Council of German Foundations on Integration and Migration |
2017 | Director of the Mercator Forum on Migration and Democracy |
2013 |
Elected President of Erfurt University (declined) |
2010 |
Guest professor at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) and at the Instituto Technológico Autónomo de México (ITAM), Mexico City |
2007 |
Founder and Director of the Center for the Study of Constitutionalism and Democracy |
2006 |
Chair of Political Science at the University of Luzern, Switzerland (declined) |
2001, 2006 |
Guest professor and Directeur d’études, École Pratique des Hautes Études, Paris |
since 1997 | Annual guest lecturer at the Inter-University Center Dubrovnik (Croatia) |
04/1993 |
Called to accept the Chair of Political Theory and History of Political Thought at TU Dresden; accepted 09/1993 |
1991 |
Habilitation, University of Essen |
1990 - 1993 |
Deputy chair at the University of Essen (C3: Internal Relations and C4: Political Science) |
1987 - 1990 | Deputy Chair for Political Science (Democratic Theory and Comparison of Liberal-Democratic Systems) at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main (C4) |
1986 - 1987 |
Research Associate (DFG research grant) at Harvard University, Cambridge, USA |
1984 - 1985 | John F. Kennedy Memorial Fellow, Center for European Studies, Harvard |
1984, 1985 - 1986 |
Researcherat the University of Essen |
1981 - 1984 |
Seminar Director and Lecturer at the Theodor Heuss Academy, Gummersbach |
1980 |
Awarded the academic degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the field of Political Science (“Constitution and Consensus”) by the University of Bonn – Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Karl Dietrich Bracher |
1975 - 1980 |
Studies in Law, Political Science, Philosophy, Sociology (joint degree), University of Bonn and University of Geneva |
Self-administration and committee function
Since 2019 Since 2018 |
Member if the Expert Commission for Integration of the German Federal Government Member of the Expert Council of German Foundations on Integration and Migration |
Since 2017 | Director of the Mercator Forum on Migration and Democracy (MIDEM) |
Since 2012 | Founder and Director of the Dresden Summer School in Cooperation with Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, Deutsches Hygienemuseum Dresden, Militärhistorisches Museum der Bundeswehr, Sächsische Landes- und Universitätsbibliothek |
Since 2010 | Board member of DRESDEN-concept e.V. (Network of TU Dresden and non-university research institutions: Max Planck; Fraunhofer; Leibniz; Helmholtz und State Art Collections, Deutsches Hygienemuseum, Militärhistorisches Museum, Sächsische Landes- und Universitätsbibliothek): Spokesperson and coordinator for the Scientific Area Committee for “Culture and Knowledge”; involvement in this capacity with the future “Synergetic University” plans for TU Dresden as part of the Federal Excellence Initiative |
2010 | Spokesperson and coordinator for the cluster proposal for humanities, social and cultural sciences (5 faculties and non-university research institutions) for the “Cultural Transformations. The Dresden Center for Cultural Research” excellence initiative |
2009 - 2014 |
Founder and spokesperson for the collaborative research centre 804 “Transcendence and Common Sense”, leader of the subproject “Democratic Order between Transcendence and Common Sense” |
Since 2007 |
Leading spokesperson for the SFB initiative “Transcendence and Common Sense”, TU Dresden |
2005 - 2006 |
Spokesperson and coordinator the excellence initiative “Dresden International Graduate School of Culture, History, and Society” |
2005 |
Spokesperson and coordinator for the excellence initiative “Social Change and Institutional Order” (Graduate School) at TU Dresden |
2000 - 2009 | Founding member and project lead of European Graduate College 625 "Institutionelle Ordnungen, Schrift und Symbole/ Ordres institutionnels, écrit et symboles” at TU Dresden and Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Paris |
2000 - 2008 |
Deputy spokesperson for collaborative research centre 537 “Institutionality and Historicity” at Technische Universität Dresden |
1997 - 2008 |
Founding member and project lead for collaborative research centre 537 “Institutionality and Historicity” at TU Dresden |
1997 - 2000 |
Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Science at Technische Universität Dresden |
Since 1997 |
Programme officer at TU Dresden for the collaboration: with the New School University (previously: New School for Social Research), New York – annual fund raising from ISAP funds at the DAAD as well as with the University of Zagreb (Croatia) and the Inter-University Center Dubrovnik (Croatia); Erasmus officer for the exchange programmes with Lyon (France), Turin (Italy), Bologna (Italy) and Wroclaw (Poland) |
1994 - 2008 |
Member of the TU Dresden Council |
1994 - 2000 | Member of the Council for the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Science |
1994 - 1997 2000 - 2005 |
International officer and Socrates/Erasmus officer for the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Science at Technische Universität Dresden |
1994 - 1995 2002 - 2003 |
Managing director of the Institute of Political Science at Technische Universität Dresden |
Offices and memberships
Since 2018 | Member of the Expert Council of German Foundations on Integration and Migration |
Since 2014 | Member of the international expert commission Elite Network of Bavaria |
Since 2014 | Science committee Il Pensiero |
Since 2012 | Member of the scientific committee Lucerne Conference, Lucerne, Switzerland |
2010 - 2012 | Member of the Law Working Group in the German Council of Science and Humanities |
Since 2010 | Member of the preselection commission for the DGF programmeVilla Vigoni-Gespräche, Loveno di Menaggio, Italy |
Since 2010 | Co-publisher of journal “Zeitschrift für Politikwissenschaft” |
2009 - 2014 | Member of the programme commission for the State of Thuringia |
Since 2009 | Member of the “Social Cohesion” expert committee at the Federal Interior Ministry |
Since 2008 | Member of the scientific advisory board at the Instituto Electoral del Distrito Federal, Mexico |
Since 2006 | Member of the scientific advisory board for the journals “Politik-wissenschaft” and “Kritische Justiz” |
Since 2005 | Member of the scientific publications committee of Filosofia Politica |
2002 - 2006 | Member of the advisory board at the Centre for Higher Education (CHE), Gütersloh |
Since 2002 | Publisher of the series “Verfassung und Politik” from VS-Verlag publishing house |
Since 2002 | Assessor for accreditation agencies (ZEvA und ACQUIN) |
2002 | Appointed as a corresponding member of the Bavarian American Academy |
2002 | Appointed as member of the advisory board at the “Institut für Europäische Verfassungswissenschaften”, Hagen |
2001 - 2003 | Chairperson of the “Deutsche Gesellschaft für Politikwissenschaft” |
1997 - 2005 | Member of the scientific advisory board at the Federal Agency for Civic Education; Chairperson (2001 - 2005) |
1997 - 2000 | Assessor for American Studies |
1996 - 2006 | Member of the advisory board for the Bundespräsident-Theodor-Heuss-Haus Foundation, Stuttgart; Deputy chairperson (2000 - 2006) |
1996 - 2000 | Member of the scientific advisory board for the “Foundation Archive of Parties and Mass Organisations in the DDR (SAPMO-DDR)” in the German Federal Archives |
Research Projects and Participation in Research Associations
Since 2017 | Head of the Forum on Migration and Democracy (MIDEM) (Financed by: Mercator Foundation) |
Since 2014 | Project lead for “Der gute Bürger. Erwartungshorizonte und Zuschreibungspraxen“ (“The good citizen. Horizons of expectation and practices of attribution”) - How is the ideal of a “good citizen” seen in the societal debates of the democratic constitutional order of the 21st century? (Financed by: Thyssen Foundation) |
Since 2011 |
Member of the research association “La démocratie face aux enjeux environnementaux”, Paris (Financed by: ANR) |
2010 - 2013 |
Project lead on “Constitutionalisation of transnational spaces: Emergent constitutional processes and semantics in political science analysis” (Financed by: DFG) |
2009 - 2014 |
Project lead on subproject H “Democratic Order between Transcendence and Common Sense” in collaborative research centre 804 (Financed by: DFG) |
2008-2009 |
Project lead (in collaboration with Gary Schaal and Claudia Ritzi, Hamburg) for “60 Years of the Basic Law. German Identity in context of Europeanisation and regionalisation” (Financed by: Thyssen Foundation) |
2007-2009 |
Member of the research association “Territoires, populations et citoyenneté en Europe”, Paris (Financed by: CNRS) |
2006-2009 |
Member of the research association “Concurrences de légitimité, types de contestation et transformations du statut de l’Etat dans les sociétés européennes”, Paris (Financed by: ANR) |
2000-2009 |
Project lead (together with J.-P. Machelon, F. Monnier and W. J. Patzelt) for "Die Entwicklung politischer Institutionen und die Vielfalt der Verfassungskulturen in Europa/ L' évolution des institutions publiques et la diversité des cultures constitutionnelles en Europe" at European Graduate College 625 "Institutionelle Ordnungen, Schrift und Symbole/ Ordres institutionnels, écrit et symboles", Technische Universität Dresden and Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Paris (Financed by: DFG and French Ministry of Research) |
1997-2008 |
Project lead on project I “Constitution as Institutional Order in Politics” in collaborative research centre 537, Technische Universität Dresden (Financed by: DFG) |
1996 - 1998 | Head of research project “National identity and citizenship in the multicultural society of the United States of America” (Financed by: DFG) |
1988 - 1992 |
Head of research project “Political thought and political culture in the USA” at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main (Financed by: State of Hessen) |
1986-1987 |
Head of research project “The American ideology: An exploration of the American liberal tradition”, Harvard University, USA (Financed by: DFG) |
1984-1985 |
Research project “A comparison of the constitutional order of the USA” (Financed by: Harvard University; DAAD) |
Publications (selection)
- Verfassung und Konsens, Berlin 1981
- Sozialer Liberalismus (co-ed.), Göttingen 1986
- Verfall oder Renaissance des Liberalismus? (ed.), München 1987
- Liberale Demokratie in Europa und den USA (co-ed.), Frankfurt am Main / New York 1990
- Hegemonialer Liberalismus. Politisches Denken und politische Kultur in den USA 1776–1920, Frankfurt am Main / New York 1997
- Nationale Identität und Staatsbürgerschaft in den USA, Opladen 2001
- Integration durch Verfassung (ed.), Wiesbaden 2002
- Geltungsgeschichten. Über die Stabilisierung und Legitimierung institutioneller Ordnungen (ed.), Köln / Wien / Weimar 2002
- Zur Ästhetik der Demokratie (ed.), Stuttgart 2003
- Gewalt und die Suche nach weltpolitischer Ordnung (ed.). Baden-Baden 2004
- Politische Reform in der Demokratie (ed.), Baden-Baden 2005
- Die Deutungsmacht der Verfassungsgerichtsbarkeit (ed.), Wiesbaden 2006
- Die Verfassung. Idee und Geschichte, München, 3rd edition 2009
- Demokratie. Geschichte, Formen, Theorien. München, 2nd edition 2010
- Revolution und demokratische Neugründung (ed.), Dresden 2011
- Transzendenz und die Konstitution von Ordnungen (ed.), Berlin / Boston 2013
- Demokratie und Tanszendenz. Die Begründung politischer Ordnungen (ed.), Bielefeld 2013.
- Transzendenz, Praxis und Politik bei Kant (ed.) Transzendenz, Praxis und Politik bei Kant, Berlin, Akademie-Verlag 2013
- Wer geht zu Pegida und warum? Eine empirische Untersuchung von PEGIDA-Demonstranten in Dresden. Schriften zur Verfassungs- und Demokratieforschung 1/2015
- PEGIDA. Entwicklung, Zusammensetzung und Deutung einer Empörungsbewegung. Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften 2016