Thematic Areas

Social and cultural anthropology studies the diversity of human ways of life, practices, ideas and forms of organisation regarding their local expressions and global links. Based on ethnographic research in many places all over the world, it develops theoretical, comparative and historical perspectives on complex social problems such as migration, digitalisation, politics, economy, climate change, health, religion, gender relations and intersectionality. Specific attention is paid to the analysis of different forms of inequality, discrimination and exclusion in the Global South and North. In the multiple theoretical and methodological approaches of social and cultural anthropology, one particular focus is on the interactions between global transformations and local processes.

In sociology, the focus is on analyses of current societal challenges and developments in Austria and Europe. Research is oriented towards current societal problems, has a strong empirical orientation and is closely related to contexts of application. It is integrated into international discourses and develops sociological theories on the basis of relevant social diagnoses. The current focuses are (1) work, organisation and gender relations; (2) family, generations, life course and health; (3) migration, cities, social policy and social inequality; as well as (4) knowledge, culture and visual worlds.

The area of Political science and government empirically and theoretically addresses questions of politics and governance, state and democracy, and their developments and changes in different regions of the world and different policy fields. Four main areas are covered: (1) political theory (research into the history of ideas and the normative foundations of political order, and into the transformation of gender relations and political culture); (2) comparative politics (comparison of political systems in different world regions and study of democratic representation, of public opinion, political institutions and organisations, as well as different policy fields and policy instruments); (3) Austrian politics (research into political institutions and stakeholders, political competition, migration and diversity, as well as public policy) and Europeanisation; and (4) international politics (analysis of globalisation, studies of sustainability and resource policies) and European studies. The activities in each of the above areas are characterised by problem-oriented perspectives in research and teaching, a plurality of approaches to research, as well as interdisciplinary cooperation. One common denominator in research is the analysis of processes of political and societal transformation.

Research in the area of communication focuses on the empirical and theoretical examination of private and public communication processes through media and technology, as well as their infrastructural conditions. The analyses in this field concern changes – driven by digitalisation – in the forms of mediatisation and mediated contents and the resulting effects on individuals, society, politics and organisations. The ‘communicators’ studied are traditional multipliers such as journalists as well as politicians or entrepreneurs and private individuals. The main research topics currently include (1) journalism, (2) political communication research and media policy, (3) advertising and public relations, (4) interactive digital media and media change, (5) media entertainment research, (6) health communication, and (7) method development, in particular with regard to computational communication science.

In science and technology studies, the focus is on the increasingly closer links between change in science and technology on the one hand, and social change on the other. Analyses in this field are of great relevance today as innovation in science and technology is regarded as both a means for overcoming major societal challenges and a driver of the economy. However, new knowledge and new technologies often give rise to controversial socio-political questions, as is apparent in the current example of digitalisation. With regard to topics, the focus is on analysing how knowledge and innovation are generated, what role science and technology play in the organisation of societies at global and local levels, and how this is discussed and influenced in democracies. Across different topics, the role of values and evaluations in science and society, as well as questions of responsibility in research and innovation are studied. The interdisciplinary cooperation with natural sciences and technoscientific fields is of great relevance for science and technology studies at the Faculty.

In nursing science, the focus is on questions of nursing as a field of action. It covers both formal and informal nursing along a chain of care services throughout the whole lifespan of human beings. Its analyses encompass various levels from individuals to families, institutional contexts, care communities, as well as social and political structures. Links between medical and social science perspectives on nursing are currently established within four focal areas: gerontological nursing, family-related nursing, palliative care and community care, as well as oncological nursing. In addition to basic research and evaluation of interventions, the focus is on health services research and implementation research, evidence-based approaches, as well as framework conditions for professional nursing.

Research in the area of development studies is oriented towards a transdisciplinary analysis and reflection of global inequalities, a critical discussion of development cooperation, as well as methodological questions of development research. This integration of different perspectives into the analysis of problem areas is necessary to enable a profound understanding of political, economic, social and cultural processes, dynamics and power structures at the global and local levels. Transdisciplinary development research therefore incorporates the perspectives of different areas of knowledge and practice and is aimed at linking theory and practice.

Demography focuses on an analysis of changes in population sizes and population structures in terms of age, gender, place of residence, qualification, labour force participation rate, and other relevant individual characteristics. Formal demography analyses these changes with the aid of mathematical models that also permit forecasts over several decades based on assumptions on future fertility, mortality and migration. This also includes a substantial analysis of the determinants of these components of demographic change. Another important question relates to the consequences of demographic changes on society, the economy and the environment in all parts of the world.

The Faculty's research profile is complemented by interdisciplinary collaboration. The individual disciplines cooperate in five key research areas. As different methodological and theoretical approaches are combined, it is possible to examine complex societal challenges in a collaborative research effort, and to make them accessible to social stakeholders.