Stephan Dahmen

Dr. Stephan Dahmen is an Academic Councillor for Social Pedagogy at Paderborn University, where he is affiliated with the Institute of Educational Science within the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. He leads the Working Group Social Pedagogy and maintains office hours for student consultations both during and outside the semester.

Dr. Dahmen's research focuses on ethnographic studies of professions and organizations in educational contexts, with particular emphasis on biographical transitions, normalization processes, and regulatory mechanisms in child and youth welfare systems. His work employs practice theory and subject-theoretical approaches to examine how education, upbringing, and socialization occur within institutional frameworks.

His recent publications (2023-2024) demonstrate a consistent focus on child protection systems, biographical transitions, and the politicization of youth. These works reveal his methodological expertise in ethnographic research and his theoretical contributions to understanding institutional regulation in social pedagogy.

• Call for professorship at University of Siegen (declined) - 2022-06-30
• Nomination for Karl Peter Grotemeyer Prize for outstanding teaching (2022 and 2019)
• Dissertation Prize from University Society of Bielefeld University - 2019
• Marie-Curie Fellow in FP7 EduWel training network - 2010

Dr. Dahmen actively contributes to the academic community through his review activities for numerous journals and the German Research Foundation (DFG). He is a member of the German Society for Educational Science (DGFE) and the German Sociological Association (DGS), where he participates in specialized sections related to his research interests. His current research projects continue his long-standing investigation into the institutionalization processes within educational and social welfare systems.