Forum Transregionale Studien | Veranstaltungen

Unpacking the Politics of Constitutional Law Advice-Giving: The Venice Commission and Legal Change in Central and Eastern Europe

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 14:00:00 +0100

What has the influence of the Venice Commission’s legal advice been on the quality of democratic governance and legal change in Central and Eastern Europe? Constitutional law scholars argue the crucial role of the Commission’s advice in fostering democratic reforms and legal change in the region with thorough legal advice - it being a ‘guardian of democracy’ and ‘transnational legal order’-maker that ensures the quality of democratic governance in the region (Khan et al., 2023; Miklasová and Nußberger, 2023). Surprisingly and unlike with the reception of ECtHR case law, there is a lack of empirical scholarship examining cross-country variations in the reception of Venice Commission decision-making or tracing the socio-legal impacts of the politics of legal advice-giving. This project fills the lacuna and offers empirical analysis framework for operationalizing and measuring the politics of legal advice-giving in Eastern Europe in 2010s-2020s. The project is a purview of a wider research agenda about the varieties of legal governance of democracies in the region.

Black Box Berlaymont: Administrative Coordination within the European Commission and the Nexus between the Rule of Law and the Single Market

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 14:00:00 +0200

In recent years, academic, political and public debates about the EU’s rule of law crisis focused mostly on violations of judicial independence, institutional capture or fundamental rights violations by illiberal parties in government. Much less attention has been given to how their economic policies relate to the rule of law. Since 2025, the European Commission in its annual reporting pays special attention to the effect of rule of law violations on the single market. The research project critically analyzes the implementation of and findings on the single market dimension by opening the “black box” of the European Commission. First, the project conceptually addresses a research gap on the economic drivers and effects of rule of law regression in the EU. Second, by applying an administrative science perspective, it studies how interdepartmental coordination and cooperation processes affect policy output in the field of the rule of law. Third, by doing so, it contributes to a better understanding of the Commission’s working methods, more generally.

Narrating Faith Across the Straits: Morisco Manuals of Faith in Tunis and the Early Modern Mediterranean

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 17:00:00 +0200

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Pleaser register in advance via eume(at)trafo-berlin.de. Depending on approval by the speaker(s), the Berliner Seminar will be recorded. All audio recordings of the Berliner Seminar are available on SoundCloud.

Friendship in Revolution: Politics of Life in Kurdish Mobilisation

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 17:00:00 +0200

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Gendered Retirement - Women in the Shadows of Illiberal Constitutionalism

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 14:00:00 +0200

This project investigates how the constitutional value of gender equality is strategically reinterpreted in illiberal contexts within the EU, using a comparative analysis of Austria and Poland. While equality, democracy, and the rule of law are nominally co-equal under Article 2 TEU, equality often receives less substantive attention in EU governance and scholarship. Drawing on constitutional theory and empirical fieldwork, the project conceptualizes “instrumentalized equality discourse” – a phenomenon in which illiberal actors invoke gender equality rhetorically to justify regressive reforms, especially in family and labor law, while simultaneously hollowing out its emancipatory meaning. Focusing on retirement age regulation, a policy area both gendered and constitutionally significant, the study reveals how formal equality rhetoric may in practice reinforce structural inequality and hinder women’s democratic agency. The project employs a mixed-methods approach, combining doctrinal legal analysis, qualitative discourse analysis, and semi-structured interviews with stakeholders in Poland and Austria. By connecting legal norms to their implementation and effects on the ground, this research advances a more context-sensitive, substantive reading of equality. My goal is to generate empirically informed, legally grounded insights that respond to the selective enforcement of EU equality norms and contribute to more inclusive democratic and constitutional frameworks within the EU.

Narratives of Female Criminality in Turkish Literature and the Press: A Comparative Analysis (1870-1935)

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 17:00:00 +0200

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Defending Democracy through EU Media Regulation: A Constitutional Appraisal

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 14:00:00 +0200

The EU faces growing threats to democracy, including the rise of far-right governments and foreign political interferences. The media sector is particularly vulnerable to global disinformation, and journalists have faced legal harassment, or even assassination, as seen in Malta, Slovakia or Greece. In response, the EU has taken an increasingly interventionist role, adopting media legislation aimed at defending the value of democracy enshrined in Article 2 TEU. The adoption of the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), the Political Advertising Regulation, and the Anti-SLAPP Directive epitomises this shift. This project examines whether these recent EU legislation on media can be conceptualised as “militant democracy”, broadly defined as democratic self-defence, and assesses the balance struck between the EU’s defence of democracy through media regulation and its constitutional principles. From a conceptual standpoint, this research would reassess the militant democracy applied to the EU by reflecting on the democratic self-defence nature of EU media legislation. Furthermore, it aims to highlight the specificity of these legislation, in comparison with the EU protection of the rule of law within Member States. Finally, this project aims at assessing the constitutional tensions surrounding EU media regulation.

Cultural Capital of a Minoritized Elite: The Intersection of Class and Ethnonational Identities of the Emerging Palestinian Elite in Israel

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 17:00:00 +0200

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Palestine in Berlin

Tue, 05 May 2026 17:00:00 +0200

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Defending EU Values Through Strategic Litigation: An Assessment of New Avenues for Enforcement

Wed, 13 May 2026 14:00:00 +0200

Over the past decade, values-related litigation before the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has emerged as a response to increasing threats to the rule of law within Member States. However, judicial avenues currently available – primarily preliminary ruling requests, infringement proceedings, and more marginally annulment actions - have proven structurally limited and often ineffective in providing redress. This research argues that strategic litigation faces serious obstacles due to the CJEU’s narrow interpretation of Treaty provisions, and limited access to judicial remedies. The project seeks to answer two core questions: why have existing remedies failed, and how can strategic litigation better enforce EU values? It explores two potential solutions: greater member state participation in infringement proceedings, and expanded legal standing for civil society actors in annulment actions. Drawing on recent developments in ECtHR jurisprudence and engagement with key advocacy groups such as Reclaim and the CEU Rule of Law Clinic, the project combines doctrinal analysis with practical insights. By advocating for a broader interpretation of EU legal instruments, this research contributes to debates on democratic participation, institutional accountability, and the future of rule of law enforcement in the EU.

“The Whole World Knows Our Struggle”: Music, Memory, and Palestinian Resistance in Berlin

Wed, 13 May 2026 17:00:00 +0200

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Digital Evidence and Advocacy of Human Rights-Based Arms and Technology Treaties

Wed, 20 May 2026 14:00:00 +0200

The growing availability of digital evidence has transformed the monitoring of arms transfers and the use of emerging military technologies. From conventional weapons and surveillance tools to artificial intelligence–driven systems and lethal autonomous weapons, today’s conflicts require new approaches to documentation and advocacy. From AI-driven surveillance and predictive policing to autonomous weapons and algorithmic targeting, these technologies raise profound legal and ethical concerns. Civil society, investigative journalists, and legal practitioners increasingly turn to open-source intelligence and digital forensics to expose violations, trace weapons flows, and demand accountability. This research examines how digital methodologies—capable of geolocating attacks, verifying weapons deployment, and detecting AI-enabled targeting or surveillance—can enhance treaty enforcement, bridge evidentiary gaps, and strengthen advocacy for human rights-centered arms and technology regulation. It considers both traditional arms and emerging technologies as subjects of governance, with particular attention to their implications for international humanitarian law. Using a mixed-methods approach—combining case studies, expert interviews, and methodological review—it assesses how cross-sector collaborations can translate complex technical findings into policy change, with a focus on strengthening European Union frameworks on arms control, AI governance, and the rule of law.

Gaza’s Children Write Back: Child-Authored Writing, War, and Political Agency

Wed, 20 May 2026 17:00:00 +0200

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Rules Under Pressure: How Radical Right Populists Are Reshaping Europe’s Parliaments

Wed, 27 May 2026 14:00:00 +0200

Europe’s legislatures are under increasing pressure from radical right populist parties that claim to embody the unfiltered “will of the people” and challenge the legitimacy of parliamentary institutions. Historically, once in office, mainstream parties have relied on procedural mechanisms, many dating to the 19th century, that favour swift government business. This project examines whether the entry of radical right populist parties in European parliaments prompts systematic alterations to these procedures, thereby either restricting or expanding individual MPs’ rights to speak, propose legislation, and scrutinise the executive. Methodologically, the project will integrate quantitative and qualitative approaches within a comparative framework. First, it adopts the ParlRulesData method to track textual amendments in parliamentary rules of procedure over time, capturing macro-level (broad textual shifts), meso-level (specific policy areas), and micro-level (individual rule clauses) changes. Second, it draws on archival materials, semi-structured interviews with MPs and parliamentary staff, and direct observations of parliamentary sessions to clarify how radical right party entry interacts with legislative reform.

One Thousand and One Nightmares: Colonial Conspiracies and Their Afterlives in Modern Middle Eastern Media

Wed, 27 May 2026 17:00:00 +0200

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Schools and Positive Obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights: What Implications for Democracy in Europe?

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 14:00:00 +0200

Schools are crucial institutions in democracy. They are hubs of community togetherness, often the first place where children experience the power of the state, and crucial places of academic learning and socialisation vital for downstream rights and the ability to participate in democratic society. Equally, positive obligations have long been considered the “hallmark” of the European Court of Human Rights, which defines minimum obligations to comply with the ECHR, including what Council of Europe member states must do to secure respect for human rights in schools. Yet, no scholars have looked comprehensively at what positive obligations exist in relation to schooling in the member states of the Council of Europe. This is surprising as a brief survey of the case-law indicates that positive obligations actually play a significant role in defining the rights and obligations that exist vis-à-vis schools in a number of diverse areas, from keeping children safe in school to undoing histories of racial discrimination in schools to reasonably accommodating schoolchildren with disabilities. In line with this, this project seeks to typologise, conceptualise and theorise regarding the link between positive obligations and schools under the ECHR, utilising Amy Guttman’s pioneering book Democratic Education as a frame.

Indigenous Affinities: Toward Solidarity Across the Global South

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 17:30:00 +0200

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Constitutional Democracy and Its Capacity for Self-Preservation in a Multipolar World: The Concept of Defensive Democracy in Germany, Ukraine, and the Broader European Experience

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 14:00:00 +0200

After the full-scale invasion, the Constitutional Court of Ukraine characterized Ukraine as a "self-defending democracy." This notion, close to militant democracy, means that despite martial law, restrictions on human rights must remain proportionate and justified to ensure the preservation of statehood. Germany was the first European country to embed the idea of a democracy capable of defending itself against anti-democratic forces. Drawing on the Basic Law of 1949, the German model rests on a commitment to democratic values, defensive capacity, and the promotion of democracy’s protection. Yet a fundamental concern follows: are these mechanisms enough? What if a party that complies with the constitution gains total control over the state? For Ukraine, the preservation of statehood should not be understood narrowly or instrumentally, and the limits of militant democracy’s toolbox must be carefully studied. As democratic states increasingly rely on national legal frameworks, Ukraine must harmonize its constitutional doctrine with the jurisprudence and constitutional principles of the European Union—while ensuring that defensive democracy does not become a threat itself. The research asks how democracies can defend themselves without undermining fundamental rights—and whether Ukraine’s constitutional framework is ready for this challenge under and after martial law.

Translate and Rule: Justice, Arabic Literature, and the Colonial Archive

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 17:00:00 +0200

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Feminist Comics in Arab and Latin American Protest Cultures

Wed, 24 Jun 2026 17:00:00 +0200

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Global Hijra: A Modern History of Muslim Refugee Migration

Thu, 09 Jul 2026 17:00:00 +0200

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Something is Passing in the Night: Iranian Hyphenates in the World

Wed, 15 Jul 2026 17:00:00 +0200

More information follows.