The 2nd PhD Forum of the Hannah Arendt Institute will focus on the question of the individual and organization in authoritarian and democratic social orders. There are many ways to approach this relationship.
For example, under both National Socialism and the GDR, everyday life under rule was characterized by membership in several organizations, or rather, the extension of the respective worldviews reached down to the lowest levels of already established organizations. National Socialist organizations were supposed to determine the lives of the "Volksgenossen" at home, at work and in their leisure activities.
But the various organizations under state socialism, in and outside the ruling party in the home or in the workplace, are also significant with regard to the topic.
Continuities and ruptures
Following on from the interdisciplinary sociology of organization, as conducted for example by Stefan Kühl in the context of Nazi perpetrator research, we want to start and discuss the following aspects in a circle of young scholars from the various disciplines of the humanities:
At historical rupture points, interactions between individuals and organizations can be observed - What is decisive in dictatorship enforcement or democratization? To what extent did the shaping of individuals influence the reshaping of organizations in changing societies? Or, on the contrary, could new organizations also shape individuals and their views with regard to newly emerging forms of society? This aspect cannot be limited to the field of state organizations but, on the contrary, can also be extended to political parties, business, leisure sectors, and cultural and sports organizations.
Differences and similarities between city and country, province and metropolis
The influence of organizations on the lives of the population can vary considerably between urban and rural areas. Achieving equal importance in both spaces poses significant challenges for organizations. Do governmental or partisan organizations reach rural areas, or do local organizations, such as associations, have greater influence in the province? Or does the anonymous urban space offer individuals more opportunities to escape the grasp of organizations?
Relationship between leadership and subordinates
What makes an organization and its operations effective and functioning? Here, different leadership styles of the management level can be considered as well as the sub-organization of the "subordinates". What role does gender play in this? This can be applied to economic organizations, such as companies, businesses, etc., and their management levels as well as the employees and their possible affiliation to trade unions or attachment to works councils. But of course, other organizations such as political parties, with their management level and the "grassroots", as well as large sports clubs with their club or management and the members and fan groups also come into consideration here.
International perspective
The questions and complexities that have been raised so far are explicitly not to be limited to the German area, but international topics are also welcome. The various state-socialist societies of Eastern Europe are a good example, but of course also fascist Italy and Francoist Spain. Here, the organizations and the individuals working in them can be considered both in the transition from democracy to dictatorship and vice versa. Consideration of non-European society are also encouraged.
How did/do individuals shape/shape the organizations in which they were/are active, what leeway did/do they have? And in what ways did/do organizations shape/form the individuals active in them? Can self-serving actions of the various actors be discerned or, on the other hand, resistances to influences and practices of domination?
The 2nd Doctoral Forum of HAIT is also an interdisciplinary conference. We therefore invite doctoral students from the fields of history and political science as well as their neighboring disciplines to present their research projects dealing with these questions or aspects.
May 16–17, 2022, planned as a hybrid event.