Christian Volk

Prof. Dr. Christian Volk is a Professor of Political Theory at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin's Department of Social Sciences since 2020. Previously, he led the 'Politics and Law' research area at Freie Universität Berlin (2016–2020). His research focuses on democratic theory, legal and constitutional frameworks, and civil disobedience in modern democracies. He leads an ERC-funded project ('Protest and Order') exploring protest dynamics in Western democracies.

Education: RWTH Aachen University (Political Science/Economics/Economic History), with a doctorate (2010) on Hannah Arendt's legal theory. Postdoctoral roles included managing DFG-funded projects on sovereignty concepts and coordinating research on international dissidence.

Research Interests:

• Political Theory & Philosophy
• Democratic/Social Theory
• Legal/Constitutional Theory
• Civil Disobedience & Protest Movements
• Transnational Governance

His work bridges classical thinkers like Arendt with contemporary issues like postcolonial critique and global order challenges.

Publications Highlight: Over 30 peer-reviewed articles and monographs, including Arendtian Constitutionalism (2015) and Die Ordnung der Freiheit (2010). Recent work examines protest's democratic gestus and transnational civil society partnerships.

Awards: Summa Cum Laude PhD (2010), 2013 'Outstanding Work' award for thesis. Active in academic leadership roles, including editorial boards for Democratic Theory and Zeitschrift für Politische Philosophie.

Teaching: Offers courses on political terminology, Hannah Arendt's thought, and migration/postcolonial theory. Supervises doctoral candidates and maintains a public blog analyzing protest movements.