Prof. Dr. André Brodocz

andre.brodocz@uni-erfurt.de

Holder of the professorship for political theory (Politische Theorie) (Faculty of Economics, Law and Social Sciences)

Contact

C03 – teaching building 1 / C03.01.60

Office hours

Dates are only given during the lecture period after registration (with specification of the reason for the lecture) by e-mail (christiane.pilz@uni-erfurt.de).

Visiting address


Faculty of Economics, Law and Social Sciences
C03 – teaching building 1
Hieranaplatz 1
99089 Erfurt

Mailing address

Universität Erfurt
Faculty of Economics, Law and Social Sciences
Postfach 90 02 21
99105 Erfurt

Vice President for Research and Academic Careers (Presidium)

Contact

C03 – teaching building 1 / 0160

Visiting address


Presidium
C03 – teaching building 1
Hieranaplatz 1
99089 Erfurt

Mailing address

Universität Erfurt
Presidium
Postfach 90 02 21
99105 Erfurt

Prof. Dr. André Brodocz

Curriculum Vitae

Short biography

Short biography

André Brodocz completed his degree in Political Science, Sociology and Modern German Literature at the Philipps University of Marburg in 1996 "with distinction". His diploma thesis on "Strukturelle Kopplung durch Verbände" was published in an abridged version in the journal "Soziale Systeme". In 2001, he received his doctorate at the TU Dresden with "summa cum laude". His dissertation on "The symbolic dimension of the constitution", supervised by Hans Vorländer, was awarded the prize for best dissertation in 2001 by the Faculty of Philosophy at TU Dresden. He habilitated there in 2007 in the subject "Political Science" with his thesis on "The Power of the Judiciary". André Brodocz has been Professor of Political Theory at the University of Erfurt since 2009. He was Dean of the Faculty of Political Science from 2011 to 2015 and 2018 to 2021. Since February 1, 2024, he has been Vice President for Research and Academic Careers. He regularly analyzes and comments on current political events in Thuringia for various media outlets.

Curriculum Vitae

Curriculum Vitae

  • since 2/2024 Vice President for Research and Academic Career at the University of Erfurt
  • 2011 - 2015 and 2018 - 2021 Dean of the Faculty of Political Science at the University of Erfurt
  • 2016 - 2018 Member of the University Council of the University of Erfurt
  • 2011 - 2016 Member of the Senate of the University of Erfurt
  • 9/2014 Guest lecturer at the Inter-University Center Dubrovnik
  • Since 2010 Associate member of the Center for Constitutional and Democratic Research
  • 2010- 2011 Vice Dean of the Faculty of Political Science at the University of Erfurt
  • 2010 Founded the "Journal for Political Theory" (together with Prof. Dr. Marcus Llanque and Prof. Dr. Gary Schaal)
  • 2009-2023 Liaison lecturer at the Heinrich Böll Foundation
  • since 2009 Professor of Political Theory at the University of Erfurt
  • 2007: Habilitation in political science with a paper on "Die Macht der Judikative" (reviewers: Hans Vorländer, Hubertus Buchstein and Gerhard Göhler)
  • Winter term 2007/2008 and winter term 2008/09 Deputy Chair of Political Theory and History of Ideas at the TU Dresden
  • 2007 - 2010 Member of the DFG-funded network "Constructivist Conflict Research" (NeKoKo)
  • 2003-2009 Founding board member of the DVPW thematic group "Constitution and Politics" (together with Marcus Llanque)
  • 2003-2011 Member of the board of the DVPW section "Political Theories and History of Ideas" (2008-2011 as spokesperson)
  • 2003-2008 Speaker of the wiss. Staff member and member of the board of the Collaborative Research Center 537 "Institutionality and Historicity"
  • 2001 Awarded the graduate prize for the best dissertation in 2001 by the Faculty of Philosophy of the TU Dresden
  • 2001-2008 Research assistant in the project "Constitution as an institutional order of the political" at the Collaborative Research Center 537 "Institutionality and Historicity" at the TU Dresden
  • 2001: Doctorate (Dr. phil.) with a dissertation on "The symbolic dimension of the constitution. A contribution to institutional theory" at the Faculty of Philosophy of the TU Dresden with "summa cum laude" (supervisor: Hans Vorländer, other reviewers: Karl-Siegbert Rehberg and Rainer Schmalz-Bruns)
  • 1997-2001 Research assistant at the Chair of Political Theory and History of Ideas at the TU Dresden.
  • 1991-1996 Studied political science, sociology and modern German literature at the Philipps University of Marburg, graduated "with distinction"
  • born 1969

Research

Research

In theoretical terms, André Brodocz's research interests lie in the further development of agonistic theories of democracy and systems theory as well as in the reconceptualization of the concept of power. In empirical terms, he is currently concentrating on political practices in pandemic times of exception, on claims to representation in ecological conflicts and on struggles for interpretative power and crisis narratives in democracies.

Lectures and conferences

Organization of meetings

Selection

  • Workshop "Democracies in time-out? Historical-conceptual and theoretical-analytical perspectives on the temporal dimensions of states of exception", 9-10 June 2022, Erfurt (together with Hagen Schölzel and Jan-Christoph Suntrup)
  • Workshop "Populism and Constitutional Crises in Europe and Latin America", 20-21.2.2020, Erfurt (together with Florian Hoffmann)
  • Symposium "The Future of Political Theory" on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Zeitschrift für Politische Theorie, 25.9.2019, Berlin (together with Marcus Llanque, Gary Schaal and Felix Wassermann)
  • Conference "Zum Staatsverständnis Bruno Latours und der Akteur-Netzwerk-Theorie", September 6-7, 2017, Erfurt (together with Hagen Schölzel)
  • Conference "The problem of foundation: Aporias of constitutionalization in political theory, historical comparison and political science analysis', 15-16 September 2016, Erfurt (together with Andreas Braune)
  • Academic colloquium "Die Konstitution des Politischen" on the occasion of Prof. Dr. Hans Vorländer's 60th birthday, September 26, 2014, Dresden (together with Dietrich Herrmann, Rainer Schmidt, Daniel Schulz and Julia Schulze Wessel)
  • Symposium "Challenges for the Constitutional State" of the Thuringian State Chancellery and the Faculty of Political Science of the University of Erfurt on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the constitution of the Free State of Thuringia, Thuringian State Chancellery, October 15, 2013 (together with Wito Schwanengel and the Thuringian State Chancellery)
  • Panel "Diffusion of Authority? The Politics of International Administration in Post-Conflict-States" at the ISA Annual Convention, San Francisco, April 3-6, 2013 (together with Thorsten Bonacker, Katrin de Boer and Werner Distler)
  • Conference "Struggle for Translation? The Local Politicization of Norms Claiming Global Validity" at the Max Weber College of the University of Erfurt, 25-26 October 2012 (with Florian Hoffmann, Antje Linkenbach-Fuchs and Andreas Pettenkofer)

List of lectures

Selection

  • Decolonization through representative practices - How conflicts over the renaming of street names and the wearing of dreadlocks arise and why they cannot always be resolved consensually. Decolonial Dialogues, 11.05.2023 - University of Erfurt
  • Ecological Conflicts - Representation Claims and Dynamics in the Dispute over the Coming Society. Workshop "Agonal Political Theories II" at the University of Greifswald, 29.6.-1.7.2022 (together with Vincent August)
  • Does everyone always have to talk to everyone in a democracy? On the challenges of right-wing populism at German universities. Online discussion series "Politik im Fokus" of the Heinrich Böll Foundation, 23.3.2022 (online)
  • Practices of agonalization: On the construction of asymmetric conflict parties in crisis narratives using the example of the so-called Corona crisis". Digital workshop "Agonal political theories: Contexts of emergence, characteristics and future challenges" at the Alfried Krupp Wissenschaftskolleg, Greifswald, 1-3.12.2021.
  • Stabilized disappointments. How self-disappointing normative expectations are maintained by populist parties. Workshop "Populism and Constitutional Crises in Europe and Latin America" at the University of Erfurt, 20-21.2.2022
  • Germany, a country of immigration - new challenges for democracy? Conference: "1919 - 1949 - 1989 - 2019: Democracy and the understanding of democracy. Conference of the Hellmuth-Loening-Zentrum für Staatswissenschaften e.V., the Forschungsstelle Weimarer Republik e.V. and the Landeszentrale für politische Bildung at the FSU Jena, 23-25.5.2019
  • Struggles of interpretation in the democratic constitutional state. Endogenous and exogenous destabilization of constitutional power of interpretation. Workshop "Constitutions in transnational solidarity crises. Constitutional Courts as Forums and Actors of Conflict Resolution" of the working group "Structural Change of Conflict Resolution in Europe" at the MPI for Comparative Public Law and International Law, Heidelberg, May 23-24, 2019
  • Stabilized disappointments. How self-disappointing normative expectations are maintained by populist parties. "Abolition of the law?" Fourth Congress of the German-speaking Sociology of Law Associations, University of Basel, 13-15.09.2018
  • Multiple politicizations. On the Dynamization of Democratic Orders through Cultural Practices. Panel "Kulturelle Grenzen der Politik - Politische Grenzen der Kultur" at the 27th Congress of the DVPW "Grenzen den Demokratie", Frankfurt, 25-28.9.2018
  • Explanations of disappointment for the disenchanted with politics. How crisis narratives stabilize dissatisfaction with democracy. Center for Conflict Research at the Philipps University of Marburg, May 7, 2018
  • Dis-integration through democracy. Conference "International Order - Political Economy of (Dis)Integration" of the Network for the Economics of Order and Social Philosophy, Ettersburg Castle near Weimar, April 27-29, 2017

 "Disappoint yourselves!" How crisis narratives block a normative change in the form of democracy. Conference "Formwandel der Demokratie" of the DVPW section Political Theory and History of Ideas, University of Trier, March 29-31, 2017

  • Tabula rasa as interpretative power politics: Symbolic conditions, structures, practices. "Mythos und Tabula Rasa - absoluter Anfang und totale Auslöschung als Denkform", Symposium of the GRK Deutungsmacht, University of Rostock, 29-31.01.2016
  • Power and Authority. Institute for Political Science at the University of Leipzig, 04.11.2015
  • Multiple Politicization - Political Science Perspectives. Workshop: Politicization at the Max Weber College of the University of Erfurt, 30.10.2015
  • Beware the trap! Two warnings to the construction of freedom and security. Panel "Caution contingency! Freedom and Security in the Constructivist Turn" of the thematic group "Constructivist Theories of Politics" at the DVPW Congress in Duisburg, 21-25.09.2015
  • Power - Basic features of a general concept. Institute for Political Science at the HSU Hamburg, 1.06.2015
  • Power and authority. Conference "Autorität(en) im Konflikt" of the Center for Conflict Research at Phillips University Marburg, 29.-31.10.2014
  • The conservative rhetoric of an egalitarian social democrat: Colin Crouch (commentary on Harald Bluhm: "Rhetoric of Reaction" revisited). Workshop: "Conservatism - Rhetoric and Ideology". Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 19.06.2014
  • A general concept of power. Interdisciplinary conference "Perspectives on Power" of the Hochschule für Politik, Carl Friedrich von Siemens Stiftung, Munich, October 28-29, 2013
  • Daring more deliberation? On the future of democracy. Symposium "Challenges for the Constitutional State" of the Thuringian State Chancellery and the Faculty of Political Science of the University of Erfurt on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Constitution of the Free State of Thuringia, Thuringian State Chancellery, 15.10.2013
  •  A General Theory of Judicial Power. 5th CEE Forum for Young Legal, Political and Social Theorists, May 3-4, 2013, Greifswald
  • Constitution-making in consolidated democracies and in post-conflict societies. Perspectives on a theory of interpretative power. International conference "Constitution-making in consolidated democracies: New Beginning or Decay of a System?" of the Danube Institute of Andrássy University Budapest on the occasion of the Hungarian Basic Law adopted in April 2011, April 15-16, 2013.

Publikationen

Bücher

Book
Brodocz, A., & Schölzel, H. (2024). Demokratische Auszeit.
Brodocz, A., & Gary S. Schaal. (2016). Politische Theorien der Gegenwart I. https://doi.org/10.36198/9783838540818
Brodocz, A., & Gary S. Schaal. (2016). Politische Theorien der Gegenwart II. https://doi.org/10.36198/9783838540788
André Brodocz, & Gary S. Schaal. (2016). Politische Theorien der Gegenwart III. https://doi.org/10.36198/9783838538808
Brodocz, A., Dietrich Herrmann, Rainer Schmidt, Daniel Schulz, & Julia Schulze Wessel. (2014). Die Verfassung des Politischen. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-04784-9
Brodocz, A. (2013). Politische Theorien der Gegenwart.
Brodocz, A., & Stefanie Hammer. (2013). Variationen der Macht. https://doi.org/10.5771/9783845238418
Brodocz, A. (2008). Bedrohungen der Demokratie.
Brodocz, A. (2005). Institutionelle Macht.
André Brodocz. (2005). Wolfgang Ernst: Im Namen von Geschichte. Sammeln - Speichern - Er/zählen. https://doi.org/10.17192/ep2005.1.1667
André Brodocz. (2004). Michael Haller (Hg.): Das freie Wort und seine Feinde. Zur Pressefreiheit in den Zeiten der Globalisierung. https://doi.org/10.17192/ep2004.2.1816
André Brodocz, & Thorsten Bonacker. (1999). Claudia Rademacher. Gerhard Schweppenhäuser (Hg.): Postmoderne Kultur? Soziologische und philosophische Perspektiven. https://doi.org/10.17192/ep1999.1.3092
André Brodocz. (1999). Matthias W. Zehnder: Gefahr aus dem Cyberspace? Das Internet zwischen Freiheit und Zensur. https://doi.org/10.17192/ep1999.3.2946
André Brodocz. (1998). Slavoj Žižek : Die Pest der Phantasmen: Die Effizienz des Phantasmatischen in den neuen Medien. https://doi.org/10.17192/ep1998.2.3387
Dissertation/thesis
Brodocz, A. (2009). Die Macht der Judikative. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-531-91656-9
Brodocz, A. (2003). Die symbolische Dimension der Verfassung.

Buchkapitel

Book chapter
André Brodocz, & Hannah Vermaßen. (2026). The resonance capacity of the legal system. In Research Handbook on Law and Systems Theory. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035336494
André Brodocz, & Steven Schäller. (2025). Das Bundesverfassungsgericht und das Fernsehen in der Publikumsdemokratie. In Handbuch Bundesverfassungsgericht im politischen System. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-37528-7
André Brodocz, & Hannah Vermaßen. (2025). Klimaschutzpolitik vor dem Bundesverfassungsgericht. In Die Rettung des Planeten: Wie reagiert die Gesellschaft auf die Klimakatastrophe?
André Brodocz. (2025). Politische Soziologie und Politische Theorie. In Politische Soziologie. https://doi.org/10.5771/9783845290546
Brodocz, A. (2020). Georg Jellinik und die zwei Seiten der Verfassung. In Die normative Kraft des Faktischen: das Staatsverständnis Georg Jellineks.
André Brodocz. (2020). „Unkontrollierte Zuwanderung“. In Disorder: expressions of an amorphous phenomenon in human history : essays in honour of Gert Melville.
Brodocz, A. (2018). Tabula rasa in Polen. In Mythos und Tabula rasa: Narrationen und Denkformen der totalen Auslöschung und des absoluten Neuanfangs. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783839439845
André Brodocz. (2017). Deutungskämpfe vor den Augen des Volkes. In Okulare Demokratie: der Bürger als Zuschauer. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783839440049
André Brodocz, & Gary S. Schaal. (2016). Einleitung [zu: "Politische Theorien der Gegenwart : eine Einführung"]. In Politische Theorien der Gegenwart II: Eine Einführung. https://doi.org/10.36198/9783838540788
André Brodocz. (2015). Die Dynamisierung demokratischer Ordnungen. In Ordnungsbildung und Entgrenzung: Demokratie im Wandel. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-02718-6
André Brodocz. (2012). Mächtige Kommunikation. In Macht und Herrschaft: Sozialwissenschaftliche Theorien und Konzeptionen. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-531-93469-3
André Brodocz, & Hannes Schramm. (2012). Teilhabe am Politischen. In Europäische Erinnerungsorte ; Band 1: Mythen und Grundbegriffe des europäischen Selbstverständnisses. https://doi.org/10.1524/9783486704204
André Brodocz. (2011). Kampf um Deutungsmacht. In Demokratiekultur in Europa: politische Repräsentation im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert. https://doi.org/10.7788/boehlau.9783412214326
André Brodocz. (2010). Erfahrung mit Verfahren. In Herstellung und Darstellung von Entscheidungen: Verfahren, Verwalten und Verhandeln in der Vormoderne ; [Ergebnisse einer Tagung, die vom 20. bis 22. Februar 2008 an der Westfälischen Wilhelms-Universität Münster stattgefunden hat]. https://doi.org/10.3790/978-3-428-53366-4

Artikel in Zeitschriften

Journal article
Franz Xavier Barrios-Suvelza, André Brodocz, & Hannah Vermaßen. (2026). Configuring the coupling and deparadoxization of law and politics: a framework for a systems-theoretical analysis of new Latin American constitutionalism. Frontiers in Sociology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2026.1886728
Marcus Beyer, & André Brodocz. (2024). Wie eine Parteidiktatur ihre Deutungsmacht verwaltet. Jahrbuch Extremismus & Demokratie (E & D)Jahrbuch Extremismus und Demokratie (E und D). https://doi.org/10.5771/9783748949503
Vincent August, Sebastian Barth, André Brodocz, & Patrick Smieskol. (2024). »Gewaltfreiheit« und »Gewalttäter«. Leviathan: Berliner Zeitschrift für Sozialwissenschaft. https://doi.org/10.5771/0340-0425
Brodocz, A., Hagen Schölzel, & Jan Christoph Suntrup. (2023). Sind wir auf dem Weg in ein Zeitalter der Ausnahmezustände? Zeitschrift für politische Theorie : ZPTh. https://doi.org/10.3224/zpth.v14i2.06
Brodocz, A., Schölzel, H., & Suntrup, J. C. (2023). Temporalstrukturen des Ausnahmezustands. Editorial der Gastherausgeber. Zeitschrift für politische Theorie : ZPTh. https://doi.org/10.3224/zpth.v14i2.01
Brodocz, A., & Kautz, M. (2021). Können Frauen nur von Frauen repräsentiert werden? Zeitschrift für politische Theorie : ZPTh. https://doi.org/10.3224/zpth.v12i1.07
André Brodocz. (2020). Kein Fenster zum Hof. Zeitschrift für politische Theorie : ZPTh. https://doi.org/10.3224/zpth.v11i1.10
André Brodocz, & Stefanie Hammer. (2017). Gegen-Demokratie auf Sächsisch. Sächsische Heimatblätter: Zeitschrift für sächsische Geschichte, Landeskunde, Natur und Umwelt. https://doi.org/10.52410/shb.Bd.63.2017.H.1.S.65-69
Bonacker, T., & André Brodocz. (2017). Introduction. Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding. https://doi.org/10.1080/17502977.2017.1384604
André Brodocz. (2016). Die Eigenzeit des Bundesverfassungsgerichts. Zeitschrift für Rechtssoziologie. https://doi.org/10.1515/zfrs-2003-0205
Thorsten Bonacker, André Brodocz, Werner Distler, & Katrin Travouillon. (2014). Deutungsmacht in Nachkriegsgesellschaften. Zeitschrift für internationale Beziehungen : ZIB. https://doi.org/10.5771/0946-7165
André Brodocz, Anna Geis, & Florian Grotz. (2013). Laudatio: Verleihung des DVPW-Förderpreises für Dissertationen 2013 an Sophia Schubert. Politische Vierteljahresschrift. https://doi.org/10.5771/0032-3470-2013-4-639
André Brodocz. (2008). Judikativer Minimalismus. Cass R. Sunstein und die Integration demokratischer Gesellschaften. Kritische Justiz. https://doi.org/10.5771/0023-4834-2008-2-178
André Brodocz. (2002). Institution als symbolische Form. Berliner Journal für Soziologie. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03204053
Thorsten Bonacker, & André Brodocz. (2001). Im Namen der Menschenrechte. Zur symbolischen Integration der internationalen Gemeinschaft durch Normen. Zeitschrift für Internationale Beziehungen. https://doi.org/10.5771/0946-7165-2001-2-179
Thorsten Bonacker, & André Brodocz. (2000). Albrecht Koschorke, Cornelia Vismann (Hg.): Widerstände der Systemtheorie. Kulturtheoretische Analysen zum Werk von Niklas Luhmann. Medienwissenschaft. https://doi.org/10.17192/ep2000.4.2633
André Brodocz. (1997). Niklas Luhmann: Die Gesellschaft der Gesellschaft. Medienwissenschaft. https://doi.org/10.17192/ep1997.4.3980

Teaching

Teaching

André Brodocz teaches on the BA courses "Political Science" and "International Relations". His regular courses include the lecture "Democratic Theory" as well as seminars on "Power", "Representative Theories of Democracy", "Theories on the Dark Side of Modern Statehood" and "Global Justice". He offers seminars on the theory and history of modern democracy as well as contemporary political theories in the Master's degree programs "Political Science" and "Democracy and Economics".

Please send questions about courses by André Brodocz to politische.theorie@uni-erfurt.de