"Conflict Space Hamburg": Protest, Violence and Resentment in Urban Space

The focus of this qualitatively oriented research project is the question of how social tendencies toward polarization and escalation of political and social conflicts are also reflected in urban society. To examine the dynamics of conflict and cohesion in the Hanseatic city, the G20 confrontations in 2017 and anti-Semitism are taken as examples.

Based on group discussions with relevant groups of actors, different perspectives on political protest and the intensive debates in the recent history of Hamburg (e.g., at the G20 summit in 2017) are examined. Not only lines of conflict and negotiation processes in relation to political participation and protest but also everyday conflict experiences in the metropolis are to be understood from the perspective of private, civil society, and institutional actors. On the other hand, the study sheds light on the dynamics of discrimination and devaluation regarding the coexistence of social groups. Resentment and group-related devaluation are taken into account as a regressive way of dealing with conflicts in modern societies.

REFLECTING ON WHAT MAKES CONFLICT IN URBAN SOCIETY

Through research, conflicts in urban society, including their latent dynamics, should first be understood and made reflective. In a second step, the scientific findings can also encourage a practice that aims to strengthen progressive forms of negotiation and to contribute to a democratic conflict culture.

CRITICAL URBAN RESEARCH

The project “Conflict Space Hamburg” is one of the three critical urban research projects in which EFBI is involved, together with other research institutions. The aim of the research is to examine political attitudes, discrimination, and social cohesion in various German cities. In the other projects, EFBI researchers are investigating the struggles for recognition and participation within Berlin’s urban society in the research project “Berlin Monitor” and the attitudes of young people toward the topics of radical Islam and radical anti-Islam in the cities of Braunschweig, Duisburg, Leipzig, and Osnabrück in the research project “Radical Islam vs. Radical Anti-Islam”.

The project “Conflict Space Hamburg” is funded by the Hamburg Authority (State Ministry) for Labour, Social Affairs, Family and Integration (BASF).

Responsible: Clara Schliessler, Andre Schmidt, and Nele Hellweg

Link to the project homepage: www.konfliktraum-hamburg.de