Democracy without protests? In parts of Europe, that’s unimaginable. Protest is not an isolated episode – it has shaped the political order for almost four decades through recurring cycles of crisis, mobilization, and renewal. I call it protest democracy. Read it here in @zois.bsky.social Spotlight👇

Our new article is out in Social Movement Studies! We compare workers’ protests in Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy & Romania – from protest tactics to building alliances after Covid-19. It presents the first comparative data of workers’ protests since Covid-19, based on local sources.

Discuss Data in Bremen and Göttingen provides a ‘safe haven’ for research data on and from the countries in Eastern Europe thus establishing an interactive, community-led platform for like-minded researchers. Eduard Klein tells more about Discuss Data’s history and activities.

In the last issue of the Swiss Forum RGOW – Religion & Society in East and West, I examine the repeating cycles of anti-corruption protests in Bulgaria (available in German).

In 2013, we rose against the oligarchic model in Bulgaria and demanded morality in politics — what dreamers we were! For months we occupied universities and filled the streets. The Balkans carry a long tradition of student movements. An interview for the Bulgarian National Radio.

The protests against the way the judicial system is being weaponised are a part of a new protest cycle – but won’t be the peak of it,” predicted Ivaylo Dinev, a researcher at the Centre for East European and International Studies in Berlin.

Gave an interview to Bulgarian National Radio on the ongoing anti-corruption protests and the previous in 2013 and 2020. In summary: Bulgaria is stuck in a repeating cycle—political crisis, protests, new formations, new crisis, more protests. This has continued since the transition.

Students and citizens in #Serbia are being arrested, beaten, and declared enemies of the state for opposing Vučić's authoritarian regime. Academic colleagues anywhere in the world, please sign this petition in solidarity with them & spread the message.

New publication in the DataLab Blog by Guenola Inizan!

Our new publication by Gaëlle Le Pavic (Ghent University and United Nations University – CRIS).

My analysis of the presidential election in Romania: Simion's high results in the first round are a signal for further restructuring of the political landscape across the region. The multiple crisis creates an opportunity for anti-establishment parties.

How many people protested? It's not just a matter of numbers—it’s a question of legitimacy and power. 🎙️ New episode of Roundtable Osteuropa with Kerstin Bischl, Felix Herrmann (DiscussData), and me — on the goals, opportunities, and challenges of researching Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

#KoDaNetOst, a new project by @centremarcbloch.bsky.social, @ecmiflensburg.bsky.social & ZOiS, was launched with a workshop & website. Its aims: making #data for social sciences & humanities accessible & discussing means for sustainable collaboration with partners in Eastern Europe: bit.ly/4liXXor

Link for registration: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

The people' - the use of this term is often a signifier of one's political position. Researcher Bojidar Kolov scrutinises how this reference can have several political implications. Read more in his text for the #KonKoop DataLabBLOG👇

📢 New publication! Constructing ‘the people’ often signals a political stance. Bojidar Kolov examines how this reference carries different political implications—illustrated through the migration debate in Europe and the political theology of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Reminder for the #CfA for our very first #DiscussDataLab on „Challenges of Data Collection, Re-use, and Analysis: Public Opinion, Political Debates, and Protests in the Context of the Russo-Ukrainian War“ that will take place in Bremen from 25-27.08.2025. Info & application: discuss-data.net#datalab

I'm glad to contribute to this new blog, which aims to explore Eastern and Central Europe, as well as the Balkans, from a scientific perspective. My first essay focuses on the recent developments in Serbia. views-from-central-and-balkan-countries.eu/the-largest-...

Protests in #Serbia are more than political demonstrations; they fuel a ‘cultural explosion’. Symbols like #Pumpaj and #Ćaci have evolved from peripheral phenomena to central political symbols, shaping collective memory & the political landscape, @katarina-damcevic.bsky.social writes on our blog. ⬇️

📢 New public research resource! Looking for data on conflict & cooperation in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the South Caucasus? I compile key datasets and platforms on armed conflicts, public opinion, elections and more. Explore now: konkoop.de/index.php/da...

New book out! "Handbook of Progressive Politics", ed. by Alice Mattoni. What does progressive politics look like across Central & Eastern Europe? In our chapter with Julia Rone, we explore the Baltic states, the Visegrád Group, the Western Balkans, Bulgaria and Romania. doi.org/10.4337/9781...

Very proud to be in this cool new collection. link.springer.com/book/10.1007...

The new book "Power and Protest in Central and Eastern Europe" takes a post-transition view on protest movements. With 11 case—incl. our chapter on Bulgaria—it covers Albania, Belarus, Czechia, Georgia, Hungary, N. Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia & Ukraine. doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-77888-9

New public opinion research by CRTA reveals new insights into the scale, support, and public perception of the #student protests in #Serbia. Here’s what you need to know: 🧵👇

Our new publication in the DataLab Blog is on data visualisation in conflict and peace studies by prof. Josip Glaurdić (University of Luxembourg). He reflects on five different aspects of integrating new approaches to visualisation.

How did #protests shape #Bulgaria’s party system? My colleague Dragomir Stoyanov & I explore this in "Power and Protest in Central and Eastern Europe", edited by Claudiu Crăciun & Henry P. Rammelt. The volume takes a ‘post-transition’ view on state, regime & economic change, with 11 cases from CEE.

I gave an interview for ARTE.tv @artefr.bsky.social on the Serbian protests, which is part of short documentary titled "Are Serbia’s Student Protests a Tipping Point?". I hope this video helps more people in Europe understand the significance of the movement for both Serbia and the region.

Srpski studenti se pojavljuju kao pokretačka snaga društvene transformacije, nudeći nadu ne samo za sadašnjost, već i za budućnost zemlje koja se bori sa demografskim padom i političkom stagnacijom. #SerbiaProtests #Blokada

The Azerbaijani military offensive caused a mass exodus of nearly all ethnic #Armenians from #Nagorno-Karabakh. We examine the displaced people's situation and then we look on the views, perceptions, and lived experiences of Karabakh Armenians, using unique survey data. @laenderanalysen.bsky.social

New issue of #Caucasus Analytical Digest, including a contribution on the future of #Karabakh Armenians by ZOiS researchers @ivodinev.bsky.social and Nadja Douglas ⤵️

Introducing the massive protests in Serbia. Now available in six languages. English - tinyurl.com/5d9xw6p2 German - tinyurl.com/nmy4ezau Serbian - tinyurl.com/ukt7ufy8 Romanian - tinyurl.com/45nyyuzr Greek - tinyurl.com/5bsy6msu Bulgarian - tinyurl.com/48a4aje6 Photo by IMAGO/Aleksandar Djorovic

Students in Serbia have formed the largest student movement in contemporary Europe, growing into a massive force with support from various social groups. In this text, I explore what is going on in Serbia. Please read & share, thank you! 🤝 #students #Serbia #protest

Footage from yesterday’s protest in Belgrade: a general strike, university blockades by students, and demonstrations by civil groups, farmers, industrial workers, and artists. Protests have taken place in over 100 cities so far, marking the largest mobilizations in Serbia’s recent history.

Magnificent general strike today in Serbia against corruption! The video from Novi Sad (about 300,000 people) shows that maybe 1/3 of the residents went to the streets. Students lead the protests, supported by teachers, farmers, civil groups, artists, industrial workers, and oppositional parties.

The student revolt in Serbia became Europe’s largest recent student movement, with 85 faculties occupied and demonstrations in 58 cities. On December 22, 2024, 100,000 people gathered at Slavija Square in the largest protest of the last three decades. (Photo: Mašina.)

Nikola Venkov amazing work (@kolio.bsky.social) is now in our DataLab blog at KonKoop!

Our new platform in #KonKoop presents 51 #protest datasets for Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia, covering countries, time, sources, event types, and publications. It aims to deepen understanding of societal dynamics while addressing methodological challenges. konkoop.de/index.php/pr...

Very important essay about ethics, reflexivity, and power sharing in research by Veronika Pfeilschifter in our DataLab blog!

How can researchers respond ethically to knowledge hierarchies in joint data collections? Doctoral researcher & ZOiS affiliate Veronika Pfeilschifter reflects on this question and political subjectivity in #research collaborations on the #KonKoop DataLab Blog: konkoop.de/index.php/bl...

Webinar about the political crisis in Bulgaria. Tomorrow! CEVIPOL (Université libre de Bruxelles), in collaboration with ZOiS, CSPPR (Leiden University), and the New Bulgarian University (Sofia). konkoop.de/index.php/ev...

How has being uprooted from their native land affected #Karabakh Armenians’ political & cultural identity? This #ZOiS_Spotlight by Nadja Douglas & @ivodinev.bsky.social explores the difficult process of integrating into Armenian society. www.zois-berlin.de/en/publicati...

Over the last two decades, the digital revolution has made it much easier to gather news on protest events, leading to a surge in studies. Whereas this type of research was rare in the 1980s and 1990s, in the last three to four years alone at least 14 data sets on protest events have been developed.

In the context of major protests in Tbilisi, data on political attitudes in #Georgia over the last years. Polarisation between two main parties, but also increasing fragmentation. In the "Others" section there were 12 parties with support between 0.5% and 4%.