Call for Abstract: "Analytische Perspektiven auf Transitionsprozesse: Muster und Mechanismen"

42. Kongress der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Soziologie (DGS) „Transitionen“
Universität Duisburg-Essen, 22. - 26. September 2025

Organisation:

• Marc Hannappel (Universität Koblenz)
• Knut Petzold (HSZG – University of Applied Sciences)
• Hawal Shamon (FZ Jülich)
• Sabine Zinn (DIW Berlin)

The aim of the session is to demonstrate the benefits and applications of simulations in the social sciences, particularly in describing and analysing social transitions. Simulations offer a unique opportunity to explore complex processes that occur at the individual level but generate emergent macro-phenomena that are often not directly evident from macro-social structures or aggregate data.

One focus is on showing how simulations can help to understand the dynamics of societal processes. These include, for example, the effects of political decisions, social norms or crisis situations. With the help of these models, complex interactions and feedback effects between individual actions and structural changes can be visualised.