News

Barcelona–New York–Berlin–Frankfurt. Perspectives on a City of Solidarity

On November 25 at 7 p.m. in the foyer of Frankfurt’s Gallus Theater, Silke van Dyk will join human geographer Bernd Belina and Daniela Mehler-Würzbach, the parliamentary group leader of the party “Die Linke im Römer,” to discuss the growing resistance to gentrification, the housing crisis, and the commercialization of city centers.

Programming Focus "Property and Inheritance" at Humboldt Forum

Starting in late November 2026, the Humboldt Forum will dedicate a two-year program focus to the topic of property and heritage, with the SFB participating as a collaborating partner. The programming focus will open on November 28–29 with an opening weekend featuring discussions, workshops, guided tours, and the opening of three exhibitions on the regions of South America, Asia, and Africa. Silke van Dyk and Tilo Wesche will each lead a World Café on “Heritage and Property—Who Owns What?”

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New quarterly source

Drawing on the collected materials relating to the debate on the German Civil Code of 1900, Niclas Jucknischke examines the legal and political debates surrounding property during this period, particularly with regard to the institution of foundations. The source illustrates the “genuine property paradox: the law on foundations extends the owner’s rights to virtually no limit – and thereby simultaneously restricts the property rights of future generations.”

New publication!

Under the title "Living in Berlin. Between Commercialisation and Socialisation”, Lisa Vollmer, together with Andrej Holm and Matthias Bernt, has edited an anthology published by transcript Verlag. The contributions provide an overview of the key players and areas of activity in Berlin’s housing provision, housing policy developments over the last 30 years, and current challenges.

Summary report of the Germany Monitor 2026 published

At the end of September, Marion Reiser, together with the Federal Government Commissioner for Eastern Germany, Minister of State Elisabeth Kaiser, presented the summary report of the Deutschland-Monitor 2026. This year’s focus is on ‘How achievement-oriented is Germany?’, with the topics of property and wealth also playing a role: ‘Many respondents see wealth, connections and social background as genuinely important factors influencing opportunities for social advancement, even though, in their view, these factors should be given significantly less weight.’ 

New blog post online!

A new blog post entitled “The Austrian Fundamental Right to Property in the Climate and Biodiversity Crisis” has just been published. In it, Paul Hahnenkamp explains how, in Austrian case law, private utility has become central to the fundamental right to property, and raises the question of whether, in times of pressing crises, an alternative understanding of the fundamental right to property is possible.

New Dossier: Property and Democracy

A new dossier on the topic of property and democracy has just been published. The dossiers bring together relevant media appearances and a wide range of publications from the SFB, with a focus on easily accessible formats such as blog posts, newspaper articles, interviews, and podcasts. The new dossier contains contributions on the current crisis of democracy and the distribution of property and wealth. They aim to illustrate how patterns of ownership shape political participation, social power relations and the scope for democratic action.

Job advertisement for a student assistant at the SFB

A position as a student assistant is available in project A01 "Ambiguous Property:From Late Antiquity to the Middle Ages", starting January 1, 2027. The application deadline is November 2, 2026.

Sylka Scholz receives René-König-Lehrbuchpreis

Sylka Scholz received the award for her introductory work "Männlichkeitsforschung" (2025). In it, she demonstrates that the social construction of masculinity has traditionally been underpinned by access to resources, the labor market, and property. Processes of precariousness resulting from structural change threaten these material foundations of male identity.

Event information

On 1 October, Marion Reiser will give a presentation at the DVPW conference of the Working Group on Comparative Parliamentary Research in Greifswald, entitled: ‘Between intra-parliamentary work and societal embeddedness: Members of Parliament’s time budgets and the factors determining them’.

The SFB at the DGS Congress

At this year’s 43rd DGS Congress in Mainz (28 September–2 October 26), several SFB members will also be presenting their research, including Ute Tellmann, Isabell Stamm, Marco Sonnberger, Marion Reiser and Robert Jende. Maria Pfeiffer will speak on 29 September 26 (2.00–5.00 pm) about how land ownership structures act as a brake on the expansion of wind energy. Anne Tittor will give a talk on 30 September 26 (2.00–5.00 pm) on the contradictory global energy policies in post-fossil extractivism. On the same day (9 am–12 noon), Malte Janzing will address algorithmic recommendation systems in music streaming within the context of the sociology of global relations. Here is the full programme.

The SFB at the DGS Congress

Furthermore, at the 43rd DGS Congress, the ad hoc group led by Kathrin Leuze, Robin Saalfeld and Sylka Scholz will discuss issues relating to property and wealth inequalities in private life on 30 September 26 (9 am–12 noon). For example, Robin Saalfeld will speak on gendered inequalities in inheritance and wealth amongst couples, whilst Henrike Katzer will examine social negotiation processes in shared accommodation via Airbnb. Elsewhere, on 29 September 26 (2 pm–5 pm), Sylka Scholz will present findings on property arrangements against the backdrop of the logical contradiction between love and money. Here is the full programme.
 

New blog post online!

In her blog post "Who Owns Charleston? Tracing Property through an African American Family’s Memory", which has just been published, Lara Rössig traces the memories and history of an African American family in Charleston. It becomes clear that the significance of property is reflected not only in legal titles, but above all in the stories interwoven with them. 

New publication!

Marion Reiser, Jonathan Rinne and Lars Vogel from sub-project B04, ‘Economic Ownership and Political (In)equality’, have published a new article. In it, they examine the relationship between wealth and preferences regarding democratic representation amongst citizens and legislators. 

Event information

Who profits, who labours, and who is rendered dispensable in the global bioeconomy of reproduction? Under the title “Reproductive (In)Justice in an Unequal World”, Irina Herb is hosting a series of webinars organised by the Heinrich Böll Foundation, which explores these issues. The next webinars will take place online on 15 and 29 September 2026, at 3 pm on both days. 

Event announcement

On 10 September 2026 at 4.30 pm, Florian Peters will give a lecture entitled ‘Children of Liberal Populism? Reconsidering the Rise of Postsocialist Oligarchy’ in Berlin. The lecture is part of the interdisciplinary workshop “The Return of Oligarchy: Conceptual and Historical Dimensions of a Powerful Phenomenon” at the Leibniz Centre for Literary and Cultural Research.

New blog post online!

Against the backdrop of the current debate on pension reform, Silke van Dyk, in her new blog post ‘Pensions as Social Property? On the insurance company, the propertyless and expropriation in the social security system’, approaches the topic from a perspective that is often overlooked: that of the social rights of contributors. In doing so, she analyses the role that questions of ownership play here and discusses the extent to which political interventions in pension entitlements can be understood as an expropriation of the insured.

Job advertisement for a postdoctoral researcher at the SFB

A position as a postdoctoral researcher is available in subproject JRT04 "Decarbonization at the Expense of Others? Property Relations in the Hydrogen Economy in South America". The application deadline is September 11, 2026. Click here for the job advertisement in english.

Irina Herb appears on Phoenix and Jacobin

Surrogacy is once again at the centre of the political debate in Germany. Appearing as a guest on Phoenix and in Jacobin magazine, Irina Herb explains why surrogacy is linked to wealth inequality and unequal access to parenthood.

New podcast episode online!

The latest episode of our podcast, appropriate, focuses on the anthology „Umkämpfte Transformation: Konflikte um den digitalen und ökologischen Wandel“, published in 2025. Steffen Liebig, one of the editors, discusses the findings of sociological research on transformation conflicts in industry. He explains the Jena approach to “bottom-up” transformation research while also offering fascinating insights into the development of the DHL Group.

Event announcement

As part of the summer closing event of the “Beyond Private Property” series in Frankfurt am Main, Silke van Dyk will give a talk entitled “Common Property Instead of Community Capitalism” on 16 July 2026 at 6.00 pm. In it, she will explore alternative forms of ownership beyond private property, focusing in particular on common and social ownership.

New issue of our newsletter

Another issue of our newsletter was published at the end of June. As always, it provides an overview of the most important current events, publications and media coverage relating to the SFB. You can still subscribe to the newsletter here. 

Annual Conference "Problematic Objects of Property": Registration now open

From November 4-6, our annual conference will take place in Jena. Everyone is welcome. Admission is free.

Tilo Wesche at jung & naiv

As a guest on the well-known talk show "jung&naiv", Tilo Wesche talks not only about interesting milestones in his life, but discusses property and colonialism, current issues surrounding private property, and the rights of nature. His idea: Nature should be granted property rights over itself. 

New Dossier: Property, Media and the Public Sphere

The newly published dossier “Property, Media, and the Public Sphere” examines the structural transformation of property and the public sphere. The transformation of property relations undeniably has profound consequences for the public sphere and, by extension, for the functioning of democracy. Yet public sphere theory — including its critical variants — has largely neglected the question of property. With the texts collected here, the new dossier seeks to counter this neglect of property. 

New publication!

A new volume has just been published in the series “Structural Change in Ownership”: edited by Roman Birke, the essays in "Property Policy from the German Empire to the Weimar Republic" demonstrate how historical figures advanced their respective political agendas by putting forward arguments based on property rights.

New blog post online!

In his blog post ‘Im Dickicht der Skripte: Horizontale und vertikale Strukturen des Eigentums’, which has just been published, Veit Braun of the University of Augsburg seeks to clarify the complex forms and regimes of ownership when it comes to the ownership of plants. Amidst the complex intertwining of very different property rights, one thing becomes clear: “Apparently, property is not only the obvious answer to all manner of problems, but also the only conceivable one; even to those problems it itself creates.”

New Dossier: China's Property System in Transition

The newly published dossier "China's Property System in Transition: Tradition, Transformation, and the Realignment of Global Power Dynamics" brings together contributions from the SFB that illustrate how property in China is being reorganized amid profound social transformations, global shifts in power, and ecological crises. The dossier approaches the topic from three perspectives: property as a social practice, the transformation of the property order, and the geopolitical reorganization of property. 

New publication!

Whiteness as property: Felix Krämer and Grit Grigoleit-Richter have co-edited a special issue of the journal Ethnic and Racial Studies on this topic. Two articles and the introduction in the issue, entitled “Whiteness as property: re-assessing the convergence of race and property in US history”, are available via open access.  

Blood Oil: Fossil Curse and Political Violence

In an article for the Czech magazine kapitál, Petra Gümplová writes about the concept of “blood oil”: countries rich in natural resources are often ruled by autocratic regimes. As a result, local populations are excluded from the wealth generated by these resources. Instead, as the example of Russia shows, this wealth is used to finance wars abroad and authoritarian repression at home.

Event information

To mark the release of the “Map of Millionaires,” which shows where millionaires lived around 1900 and where wealth was concentrated, a panel discussion will take place on June 22, during which host Isabell Stamm will also deliver opening remarks. The digital map will be made available on June 22 at 6 p.m. 

Event information

On June 15, Marion Reiser will give a presentation at the European Conference on Politics and Gender in Newcastle. The presentation, developed in collaboration with Pauline Stockmann and titled “Gendered Inequalities in Campaign Financing: Evidence from Germany,” explores how financial resources and gender are intertwined in the context of election campaigns. 

New blog post online!

In Germany, money and influence are closely intertwined: who has access to political office and whose interests are represented depends on economic resources that are unevenly distributed. How do members of parliament view this problem? This question is explored in the recently published blog post “Money, Influence, and Political Equality: How Members of Parliament Assess the Role of Economic Resources in Political Competition” from Project B04, “Economic Property and Political (In)Equality: A Sociological Analysis of the Elite.” 

Event information

As part of the Monday Lectures series at the Max Weber Centre in Erfurt, Sofia Bianchi Mancini will give a lecture on “Questioning Divine Property and its Limits” on June 8, 2026, at 4:15 p.m. This will be followed by a total of three additional lectures by her on June 15 and 29, grouped under the theme “Property, Appropriation, and the Economy of Religion.” 

"Crisis and Transformation"

On 4 June 2026, Silke van Dyk will be a guest speaker at the ‘Crisis and Transformation’ conference in Berlin. Since the financial crisis of 2007/2008, there has been a relentless succession of crises perceived on a global scale. Consequently, there is widespread talk of crises, multiple crises and impending disasters across a wide range of contexts. Academic engagement with crisis as a concept and phenomenon has also gained new momentum. Despite this revival, the concept of crisis remains analytically vague to this day. Together with other guests, Silke van Dyk will speak at 2 pm on the topic of “Crisis and Society”.

New working paper online!

In the newly published working paper, “Sharing as Having,” Carsten Hermann-Pillath presents the integration of two theoretical frameworks developed within the SFB: "Weltbeziehungen" and HAVINGS. HAVINGS and "Weltbeziehungen" influence one another, thereby giving rise to a variety of forms of sharing. 

“Erben” – a podcast episode from the bpb featuring Silke van Dyk

Some people inherit nothing, while others inherit entire companies. Inheritances in Germany are distributed unevenly—just like wealth. Silke van Dyk and Reiner Eichenberger discuss whether a higher inheritance tax would lead to greater social equality. Anatol Dutta explains the fundamental principles underlying inheritance law. Hosted by Sarah Zerback. 

New podcast episode online!

The SFB podcast appropriate is starting its second season. The first episode is titled SFB Structural Change of Property - Looking Back and Ahead with Prof. Silke van Dyk. The hosts speak with Silke van Dyk about the significance of property, the origins of the SFB, and its research findings to date. 

“Contested Transformation: Conflicts Surrounding Digital and Environmental Change”

On May 21, 2026, at 7:00 p.m., several (former) SFB members will present the volume "Umkämpfte Transformation" at the Augustinian Monastery in Erfurt and discuss it with representatives from practice. The book compiles key findings from the now-completed subproject B05 on property, inequality, and class formation. Featuring Klaus Dörre, Steffen Liebig, Stefan Schmalz, and many others. 

“The New Municipalism in Barcelona—A Beacon for Progressive Urban Policy?”

Silke van Dyk and Markus Kip will present key findings of their research during the first funding phase on May 12, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Their presentation will focus on the question of whether the Barcelona en Comú coalition has succeeded during its eight years in office (2015–2023) in substantially democratizing urban infrastructure and local public services, thereby curbing the influence of private-sector interests in favor of a public policy of the commons.

New Working Paper online!

In their new working paper, “Beyond (Private) Property? Alternative Forms of Property and Alternatives to Property,” Stefanie Graefe, Mike Laufenberg, Susanne Lettow, Sebastian Sevignani, and Marco Sonnberger discuss the role that property (particularly private property) plays in capitalist societies, the problems associated with it, and where and how alternatives can be identified, conceived and discussed.

New: Dossier alternatives to private property

In this dossier, we have compiled contributions from the SFB that examine alternatives to private property from various perspectives. The aim is not only to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms and contradictions of capitalist private property. Many contributions also present concrete alternative models and explore both their potential and their failures: from the commons and municipal infrastructure to socialization and cooperatives, all the way to socialist or non-Western concepts of property.

New blog post online!

In her new blog post, “She thinks green”, Yuxuan Ren examines the role of women in putting sustainable living into practice in China. In Shenzhen, the use of rooftop terraces – which are both publicly and privately owned – is a particular starting point for green everyday practices. Through joint planning and maintenance, these rooftop terraces have been transformed into rooftop gardens, which thus serve both an ecological and a social purpose. 

New publication!

Silke van Dyk and Luzie Gerstenhöfer have published a new article on New Municipalism in Barcelona titled  "Remaking Public Politics? New Municipalism, participatory governance and urban welfare in Barcelona" (open access). They analyze the democratization of property ownership as well as the interaction between civil society, private-sector, and public actors in the field of local welfare policy.

New blog post online!

In his blog post "Making sense of land values" Alexander Dobeson examines land as an asset. Drawing on the situation in Copenhagen, where he lives and works, he explores the question of how the value of land is created.

New Working Paper online!

In her paper Exploring Identity and Belonging in Land Ownership Rights in Premodern China, Qian Zhao examines the multifaceted dimensions of land ownership in premodern China. She shows how deeply rooted Confucian values and local social structures were in the property relations of that era.

Workshop on Socialization. Democratization of the economy?

With the participation of SFB members Tilo Wesche and Niklas Angebauer, a workshop on socialization will take place in Tutzing from May 15 to 17. From housing, land, and energy to healthcare and digital platforms: Could socialization enable a fair, democratic, and sustainable reappropriation of our living conditions? What concrete forms are conceivable, what decolonial perspectives need to be considered, and what needs to be critically discussed in this context? What could a democratic property policy for the 21st century look like?
 

Stefan Schmalz on the works council elections at Tesla

In a Spiegel article on the campaign for the works council elections at Tesla, Stefan Schmalz, who has been researching labour relations at the Tesla plant since last year, shares his views. He laments the unequal opportunities in the elections and criticises the current functioning of the works council, which he says acts primarily in the interests of management.