Discussions honour the work of the constitutional lawyer, political thinker and Hertie School Professor Emeritus of Law and Politics.
On 6 December academic colleagues and friends celebrated the 80th birthday of Ulrich K. Preuß with a symposium on the theoretical and political arc of his work.
The symposium entitled "The people - a "problem" of democracy?" examined the question of just who "the people" are and how political will and legitimate political decisions come about. Participants discussed current populist movements and the specific relationship between plurality and unity.
Discussions included:
"On the transformation of the party system" with Sebastian Bukow (Heinrich Böll Foundation), Max Steinbeis (Verfassungsblog), Katharina Hamberger (Deutschlandradio) and Tim Wihl (FU Berlin), moderated by Claudio Franzius (University of Bremen).
"Pluralism and Representation" with Jelena von Achenbach (University of Gießen), Verena Frick (University of Göttingen), Florian Meinel (University of Würzburg) and Dana Schmalz (Columbia Law School), moderated by Isabelle Ley (District Court Berlin-Mitte).
"The crisis and the promise of democracy in the longue durée of the 20th century" with David Abraham (University of Miami), Dieter Grimm (HU Berlin), Christine Landfried (University of Hamburg) and Claus Offe (Hertie School), moderated by Tine Stein (University of Göttingen).
