Ungleichheiten und Umbrüche in ländlichen Gesellschaften

Rural societies are often idealized as a harmonious alternative to urban life or classified as socially dependent and politically backward. In reality, however, rural areas were and are highly dynamic and characterized by specific inequalities.

How did people in rural areas experience and shape the (economic) transformation processes of modernity, such as the upheavals in the agricultural economy, technological innovations and cultural and lifeworld changes? What continuities shaped coexistence, how were village societies and small communities organized, what self-images were created? And how are current challenges such as migration, climate change and digitalization negotiated?

At our panel discussion, we would like to bring together people who deal intensively with these inequalities and upheavals in rural societies. The public evening event will take place as part of a symposium on Rural Societies in Transition, organized by the journal Archiv für Sozialgeschichte.

On the podium

Dr. Heinrich Becker (former Thünen Institute, Braunschweig)

Prof. Dr. Ewald Frie (University of Tübingen)

Lilly Schnell (German Institute of Urban Affairs, Berlin)

Moderation: Prof. Dr. Kirsten Heinsohn (Research Centre for Contemporary History in Hamburg)

Thursday, June 25, 2026, 18:00-19:30 hrs
Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Godesberger Allee 149, 53175 Bonn, Elisabeth-Selbert-Saal

The event is free of charge. Please register here. If you have any questions regarding the accessibility of the event, please contact us in advance(public.history@fes.de).