Stephan Lessenich

Stephan Lessenich is a Professor and Principal Investigator at the FGZ (Frankfurt Institute for Social Cohesion) in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. His academic work centers on sociology, with key research areas including education and socialization, democracy, legitimacy, participation, and inequality.

His research employs qualitative methods and theory formation to investigate socioeconomic status, distribution orders, and reactions to marginalization. Current projects include B_05: "Experiences of marginalization and expectations of cohesion: Socio-spatial perspectives", which explores how spatial contexts shape experiences of exclusion and cohesion expectations across multiple locations.

Recent publications address migration and human rights, highlighting selective application of rights frameworks and implications for social cohesion. His work consistently examines the interplay between inequality, democratic participation, and legitimacy in contemporary societies, with a focus on socio-spatial dimensions of marginalization.

As a Principal Investigator at FGZ, Dr. Lessenich leads collaborative research efforts within the institute's framework, contributing to interdisciplinary projects on social cohesion through methodological rigor in qualitative analysis and theoretical development.