Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Heitmeyer

Wilhelm Heitmeyer, Ph. D. habil., born 1945, is Professor of Socialization at the University of Bielefeld. From 1982 he headed various research associations on right-wing extremism, violence, xenophobia, and ethnic-cultural conflicts. These include the projects in the scope of Collaborative Research Center 227.

Since 1996 he has chaired the Interdisciplinary Institute for Conflict and Violence Research.

Wilhelm Heitmeyer is a consultant for various institutions that promote research, including the Volkswagen Foundation, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, German-Israeli Foundation, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Thyssen Foundation, and Hans Böckler Foundation. Until 2002 he was board member of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Soziologie [German Sociological Association] and is a member of the society’s »Soziologische Theorie« [Sociological Theories] section.

His editorial activities include membership of the editorial board of the series »International Studies of Childhood and Adolescence« (de Gruyter Verlag). He is also co-editor of the series »Jugendforschung« [Youth Research] (Juventa Verlag) and managing editor of the series »Kultur und Konflikt« [Culture and Conflict] (Suhrkamp Verlag), »Konflikt und Gewaltforschung« [Conflict and Violence Research] (Juventa Verlag) and »Deutsche Zustände« [German Conditions] (Suhrkamp Verlag).

Publications (selection)

Rechtsextremistische Orientierungen bei Jugendlichen, Weinheim/Munich 1987 [Right-Wing Extremism Among Young People] (5th edition 1995); (together with a research team): Die Bielefelder Rechtsextremismusstudie. Erste Langzeituntersuchung [The Bielefeld Study on Right-Wing Extremism: A First Longitudinal Study], Weinheim/Munich 1992 (2nd edition 1995);

(ed.): Das Gewalt-Dilemma. Gesellschaftliche Reaktionen und fremdenfeindliche Gewalt und Rechtsextremismus [The Dilemma of Violence: Society’s Reactions to Xenophobic Violence and Right-Wing Extremism], Frankfurt/Main 1994 (3rd edition 1996);

(together with a research team): Gewalt. Schattenseiten von Individualisierungsprozessen bei Jugendlichen aus unterschiedlichen Milieus [Violence: The Dark Side of Individualization Processes with Youths from Different Milieus], Weinheim/Munich 1995 (3rd edition 1998);

(ed. together with R. Dollase): Die bedrängte Toleranz: Ethnisch-kulturelle Konflikte, religiöse Differenzen und die Gefahren politisierter Gewalt [Tolerance Besieged: Ethnic-Cultural Conflicts, Religious Differences and the Dangers of Politicized Violence], Frankfurt/Main 1996 (2nd edition 1998);

(ed.): Die Bundesrepublik Deutschland auf dem Weg von der Konsens- zur Konfliktgesellschaft [Germany’s Drift from a Consensus to a Conflict Society]. Vol. 1: Was treibt die Gesellschaft auseinander? [What Is Driving Society Apart?]; vol. 2: Was hält die Gesellschaft zusammen? [What Holds Society Together?], Frankfurt/Main 1997 (2nd edition 1997);

(together with J. Müller/H. Schröder): Verlockender Fundamentalismus. Türkische Jugendliche in Deutschland [The Allure of Fundamentalism: Turkish Youths in Germany], Frankfurt/Main 1997 (2nd edition 1997);

(ed. together with H. Bielefeldt): Politisierte Religion. Ursachen und Erscheinungsformen des modernen Fundamentalismus [Politicized Religion: Causes and Manifestations of Modern Fundamentalism], Frankfurt/Main 1998;

(ed.): Krise der Städte. Analysen zu den Folgen desintegrativer Stadtentwicklung für das ethnisch-kulturelle Zusammenleben [The Crisis of Cities: Analyses of the Consequences of Disintegrative Urban Development for Ethnic-Cultural Co-Existence]. Frankfurt/Main 1998;

(ed. together with R. Anhut): Bedrohte Stadtgesellschaften. Soziale Desintegrationsprozesse und ethnisch-kulturelle Konfliktkonstellationen [Urban Societies under Threat: Social Disintegration Processes and Ethnic-Cultural Conflict Constellations], Weinheim/Munich 2000;

(ed. together with D. Loch): Schattenseiten der Globalisierung. Rechtsradikalismus, Rechtspopulismus und Regionalismus in Westeuropa [The Dark Side of Globalization: Right-Wing Radicalism, Right-Wing Populism and Regionalism in Western Europe], Frankfurt/Main 2001;

(ed. together with John Hagan): Internationales Handbuch der Gewaltforschung [International Handbook of Research on Violence], Wiesbaden 2002 (English edition 2003).