Anna Fruhstorfer

Dr. Anna Fruhstorfer serves as Head of the ERC-funded LOOPS research group (Logistics of Popular Uprisings in Competitive Authoritarian Regimes) at Freie Universität Berlin and holds a research affiliate position at the Center for Civil Society Research. Her institutional base operates through WZB Berlin Social Science Center, evidenced by her institutional email address.

Her research specializes in the mechanics of protest movements within authoritarian contexts, with particular focus on autocratic stability, constitutional frameworks, and minority rights protection. She examines how protest camps like those at Gezi Park, Maidan, and Tahrir Square function as organizational hubs under repressive regimes, analyzing logistical networks that sustain anti-regime demonstrations.

Dr. Fruhstorfer's ERC Starting Grant project represents a significant scholarly contribution to understanding the 'backstage' operations of popular uprisings. Her work bridges comparative politics with practical analyses of civil resistance infrastructure, challenging existing assumptions about protest camp autonomy and resource mobilization in dangerous political environments.

• ERC Starting Grant

As Principal Investigator of the LOOPS project, she directs comprehensive research into protest logistics across multiple authoritarian regimes. Her methodology combines field observations with comparative analysis of protest camp operations in competitive authoritarian settings worldwide.