Upcoming Events

WDA Spring School 2026

The next Spring School Discourse Analysis in Sociology of Knowledge will take place from March 25 to 27, 2026. Over the past decade, discourse research in the social sciences and humanities has experienced a boom. Methodological training in the various disciplines has only begun to address this boom. In particular, questions relating to concrete work on texts, dealing with different data formats, and interpreting data in the context of discourse research are among the gaps in methodological training.

© Universität Augsburg

The Spring School on Sociological Discourse Analysis (WDA) is aimed at researchers from various social science and humanities disciplines who are working or wish to work on qualification projects or research projects using the discourse-theoretical and discourse-analytical perspectives of WDA. It offers an introduction to the theoretical and conceptual foundations of WDA, an introduction to methodological implementations and their exemplary testing in joint analyses of data provided by the organizers, the opportunity to discuss questions and research designs in WDA-based discourse and dispositif research, and the chance to bring questions from your own ongoing projects or project plans into the discussions.

In addition, two optional specializations are offered:

Specialization A: Specific questions on discourse research in the sociology of knowledge

Specialization B: Analysis of modes of subjectivation

More Information: 

The Spring School will be held in German and in person at the University of Augsburg. It will begin on March 25, 2026, at 3 p.m. and end on March 27 at 3:30 p.m. The number of places is limited.

• Additional program: Open space for questions and discussions, joint dinners, city walk if applicable, etc.

• Venue: The Spring School will take place on the premises of the University of Augsburg. They are located on the university campus. 

Detailed information is available on the website www.diskurswissenschaft.de

New publication (in German): Anthology “Diskurssoziologie der Kritik” (Discourse Sociology of Criticism) published by Springer VS

Springer VS

https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-658-48278-7

Editors: Reiner Keller, Amira Malik, Natalie Schwarz, Christopher Schwitanski & Patricia Thomas

About the anthology:

• Current debates on freedom of science and art 
• Investigations into phenomena of “cancel culture” 
• On the possibilities of a sociological discourse analysis of criticism

For some time now, there has been heated public debate about events surrounding so-called ‘cancel culture’. Different scientific and political positions argue about whether academic freedom, artistic freedom, and ultimately freedom of expression are under threat or not. Such debates are predominantly conducted along fundamental philosophical, intellectual, and political lines, or on a case-by-case basis. Systematic empirical studies are rather rare. This is where the present volume comes in. It introduces the concept of a sociological discourse analysis of criticism and, based on four case studies, explores its analytical potential in relation to phenomena of what can be said and shown in ‘cancel culture’. At the same time, it lays the foundations for further research.