Boris Nieswand

Boris Nieswand is Professor of Sociology with a focus on Migration and Diversity at the University of Tübingen, where he has served since September 2017, and became Deputy Director of the Institute in 2024. Previously, he was Junior Professor of Sociology at the same institution from April 2012 to September 2017. His academic journey includes significant research positions at the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology in Halle/Saale and the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity in Göttingen.

His research focuses on migration and diversity research, urban studies, cultural sociology, and the sociology of morals. He has conducted extensive ethnographic research projects across Europe, Africa, and Latin America. Nieswand's work is characterized by a reflexive approach to migration studies and an interest in moral dimensions of social life in diverse societies.

Nieswand's recent publications reflect his ongoing interest in moral dynamics, urban diversity, and crisis research. His work often examines how threat perceptions shape social boundaries and how moral frameworks influence migration discourse. The articles show a consistent trajectory examining the intersection of migration, diversity, and moral ordering in contemporary societies.

• Thomas A. Herz Prize for Qualitative Social Research of the German Sociological Association (2016)

Nieswand has been actively involved in the Collaborative Research Center SFB 923 "Threatened Orders" since 2011, working on projects examining urban diversity in the Global South. He has supervised numerous PhD students and contributed significantly to theoretical developments in migration research, particularly through his work on the "reflexive turn" in migration studies.

His book "Keplerstrasse 2: Innenansichten geisteswissenschaftlicher Forschung" (2024), co-authored with historian Ewald Frie, provides insights into humanities research practices and the dynamics of academic collaboration.