Welcome to the research and teaching unit for Political Theory in Trier!

Political Theory is occupied with the conceptual, normative and philosophical foundations of political science. It reflects historical and contemporary accounts of fundamental political values and rights such as freedom, equality and justice, as well as the justification and legitimation of political rule.

Trier’s focus lies in modern democratic theory. We study how contested transformation processes such as digitalisation and post-democratisation challenge the institutional and normative foundations of democracies. In our work, the mediation between theoretical and empirical research is a strong interest.