Georg-Simmel Center for Metropolitan Studies

Georg-Simmel Center for Metropolitan Studies


One of the key aims of the Georg-Simmel Center for Metropolitan Studies is to foster an international network of academic departments and other institutes that are active in metropolitan researches. Currently, the Geography Department, the Institute of European Ethnology and the Institute of Sociology are the foundation of the Georg-Simmel Center. The center is also intended to refer to current issues of metropolitan politics, planning and to contribute to these in multiple ways, for example, through the organization of academic events or publication of specialized papers.

 

News

During the GSZ Days, the Georg Simmel Prize will be awarded to students who have completed their Bachelor's, Master's, Magister or Diploma degree in 2021/2022.
Further information can be found here.
 
The Hartmut Häußermann Prize "Social City". will also be awarded again this year.
Further information is available here.
 
New episode of Urban Political Podcast online
A collection of reports on the "Women Life Freedom" movement in Iran and its impact on cities and their inhabitants. Activists and urban scholars describe their experiences and analyses of the ongoing protests against the repressive regime in Iran. The audio recordings from Tehran discuss the symbolic function of the hijab, the historical and geographical context of the protests, as well as the challenges of the struggle for freedom and equality.
 
New episode here

 


Urban sociologist on New Year's Eve: "No surprise that it's banging now".

Talja Blokland talks about the New Year's Eve incidents in Berlin in an interview with the Berliner Zeitung. Click here for the interview.
 

UrbanOpen: Digital database for outstanding theses in the field of urban research online!
 
Our digital database for theses UrbanOpen has recently gone online. Outstanding theses in the field of urban research written at the GSZ's supporting institutes are published there.
The collection is primarily aimed at students who would like to be inspired about topics, questions and methods in the context of their own final thesis.
The database was created as part of a GSZ project funded by the HU Academic Senate's programme for digital media in research, teaching and studies.
UrbanOpen can be found under the following link.


Interview by the rbb with Prof. Dr Talja Blokland on the pandemics consequences on Berlin and its inhabitants

Where many people live close together, the virus spreads particularly quickly, they say. The rbb asked: What is it like to live under these conditions in a Neukölln social housing neighborhood? Urban sociologist Talja Blokland says: We should definitely not get used to empty streets.
The interview can be heard here.


Scientific Advisory Board

The Council of the GSZ has decided to establish a scientific advisory board, which is responsible for our Centre in the near future. 


GSZ goes Twitter
The Georg-Simmel-Center is now on Twitter! Visit our new account and follow to always stay up to date with our work.


Urban sociological voices on the Corona crisis
In an interview for the Berliner Zeitung ("Großsiedlungen: Hier treffen Ausgangsbeschränkungen die  Berliners besonders hart") and in the Urban Political Podcast ("Inequalities of the Lockdown"), Prof. Dr. Talja Blokland spoke about the effects of the Corona crisis in the city. 

Events

Think and Drink Series

Check our weekly Think and Drink Lectures every semester, organized in cooperation with the Urban and Regional Sociology Department. 

 

The current programme and Covid regulations can be found here.


Institute Colloquium European Ethnology

Every tuesday, members of the department of European Ethnology present and discuss their current projects.

 

The current programme can be found here.