Research Programme
In the second funding period, the doing transitions approach of analysing transitions in the life course from a processual and performative perspective analysis is further developed. Now, the interplay of discursive, institutional and individually ascribed modes of shaping transitions, is complemented by cross-cutting dimensions contributing to the constituting of transitions: interpersonal relationships, temporalities and materialities (i.e. bodies, spaces and things). In their studies, fellows focus on one of these dimensions. The research foci and the relations under investigation are specified and documented at the beginning in order to make the individual contribution to the analysis of the complexity of transitional relations visible.
In a comprehensive view of the two funding periods, the research programme can be characterized as the scientific work towards a relational model regarding the constitution of transitions in the life course. Different research questions, designs and methods contribute in specific ways and are integrated on a theoretical meta-level. The research training group by organising multiple formats of events for scientific exchange provides a space of reciprocal reference.
Research Programme of the first funding period (2017-2021)
research programme download (pdf)
The research programme is structured by three levels on which transitions are formed across the different life ages: discourses, institutions, and individuals. These levels provide different entries into the analysis of the production and formation of transitions. In a way, these levels serve as different research foci. At the same time, the focus is not only on the different levels as such but also on how transitions are formed in the interplay between these levels. PhD students conduct empirical research on one of these levels, while Postdocs aim at integrating data analysis on all three levels. Together, the research training group provides a space in which different approaches can be related to each other.
Training Programme
The overarching goal of the research training group is to establish a research and training platform for young researchers who are interested in the formation and production of transitions in the life course. Doing Transitions is conceived of as a cross-cutting and transdisciplinary thematic perspective. The training programme consists of five competence areas; some elements are compulsory while others can be chosen according to own needs and interest. Apart from supporting the research fellows with the completion of the PhD and Postdoc projects, it is also meant to assist them in their career planning. A key principle is cooperation with the infrastructure and programmes that are already available at the two universities, such as the Goethe Graduate Academy GRADE, the Graduate Academy of the University of Tübingen, the German Institute for International Educational Research (DIPF), the DFG-funded graduate school LEAD (Learning, Educational Achievement, and Life Course Development) as well as the networks “QualiNet WiSO” and “QuantiNet WISO” of the University of Tübingen’s Faculty for Economics and Social Sciences.
Doctoral and Postdoctoral Projects
The research programme of Doing Transitions comprises PhD and Postdoc projects completed by research fellows. While PhD projects primarily address one life age and one level of formation and production of transitions, Postdoc projects aim at a more integrative perspective across levels.
1rst cohort (2017-2019)
| wdt_ID | Titel | Autor*in |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | „I would not have been able to talk like this earlier“ – reconstructing the way of speaking about experiences of sexual abuse in childhood and youth as biographical transitions | Dipl.-Päd. Andrea Pohling |
| 2 | Doing “Youth Initiations” - The Social Constitution and Arrangement of a Transition(-ritual) | Dipl.-Päd. Julia Prescher |
| 3 | Passing the high school diploma in adulthood in the context of biographical transition practices | Noreen Eberle, M.A. |
| 4 | „Governance und Übergänge in die stationäre Pflege – Eine international vergleichende Studie zur Steuerung und Regulierung von Übergängen in die stationäre Pflege im höheren Alter zwischen Milwaukee (Wisconsin) und Frankfurt (Hessen)“ | Miriam Lehnert, M.A. |
| 5 | "I am still on it, finding myself politically left" - A biographical study on politicisation in the the adolescence | Jessica Lütgens, M.A. |
| 6 | Growing up in an individualized society – modern childhood as a space of possibilities in the dialectical understanding of socialization and individuation | Deborah Nägler, M.A. |
| 7 | Der Übergang vom Mitarbeiter zur Führungskraft: Eine Analyse aus erziehungswissenschaftlicher Perspektive | Simone Anton, M.A. |
| 8 | The relevance of socio-pedagogical support for the creation and formation of transitions in the context of unequal educational background | Heidi Hirschfeld, M.A. |
| 9 | Die richtige Hilfe!? Passungsverhältnisse aus der Perspektive junger Menschen im Jugendjobcenter | Dipl.-Sozialwiss. Bianca Lenz |
| 10 | Doing Retiring - The Social Practices of Transiting into Retirement and the Distribution of Transitional Risks | Dr.in Anna Wanka |
2nd cohort (2020-2022)
The overview of the PhD and postdoc projects of the 2nd cohort is currently under construction. Thank you for your understanding.