Dr. Jana Priemer
Postdoctoral Researcher
Research Stream:
Civil Society Groups
Mail:
jana.priemer@wzb.eu
Short Vita
I am a political scientist with a focus on civil society, civic engagement, and education. My research primarily examines the relationship between civil society and the state, as well as the collaboration between civil society actors and public institutions. Another focus of my work is on engagement, volunteering, and their institutional frameworks.
Within the research network of the Einstein Research Unit, I work on the project “Dealing with Affective Polarization: How Civil Society Promotes Social Cohesion” in the research area “Civil Society Groups”. Against the backdrop of increasing societal polarization, I investigate the role of civil society actors in emotionally charged political conflict contexts.
My research is guided by the following questions:
- How does affective polarization shape the strategies of civil society actors?
- To what extent do civil society actors themselves reproduce or amplify affective boundaries toward political or societal out-groups?
- Under which institutional conditions can civil society actors contribute to the reduction of affective polarization?
- How do polarization dynamics affect engagement willingness, membership structures, and recruitment patterns?
The aim of my research is not to normatively assume the role of civil society in polarized societies, but to study it empirically: as a potentially stabilizing actor, but also as one embedded in conflictual dynamics within the interplay of state, public sphere, and interest representation.
Key publications
