Denis D. Haag M.A.
Research associate
Working area(s)
Urban and Spatial Sociology
Contact
haag@ifs.tu-...
work +49 6151/16-57332
fax Sprechstunde nach Vereinbarung (per Mail)
Work
S3|13 317
Residenzschloss 1
64283
Darmstadt
- Urban Segregation Studies
- Political Sociology and Governance
- Spatial Criminal Sociology
- Moral Panic Studies
- Sociological Theories of Space
In the summer of 2023, several public outdoor swimming pools in Berlin once again became the focus of public debate due to repeated disputes and police interventions. The debate centered on the issues of security and violence at Berlin's public outdoor swimming pools, as well as the teenagers and young adults who were held responsible for the unrest. Judging by the number of press articles published, the debate reached its peak in 2023.
This period of heightened social awareness serves my analysis as a lens through which I focus my investigation. Abstractly, I understand such moments as critical points in the ongoing discursive construction of social problems. In my dissertation project, I examine the interpretations, representations, and treatments that local, individual, collective, and cooperative actors—including political, administrative, and executive actors, outdoor pool staff, and civil society initiatives—undertook in dealing with the events, as well as the resulting dynamics and consequences.
The focal point of my research is the representation of the debate and its actors in regional and national daily and weekly newspapers. These are understood as a hub for public debates and the associated patterns of interpretation, lines of conflict, and social negotiations. Methodologically, I follow a discourse and spatial analysis approach in a mixed design of quantitative and qualitative social research. Theoretically, I draw on postmodern understandings of moral panic, which I combined with perspectives from spatial theory. The goal is to reconstruct the discursive constitution of public outdoor swimming pools in Berlin. My hypothesis is that this constitution has changed significantly in the course of the long-running debate, particularly with its climax in 2023.
- Website of the Department of Urban and Spatial Sociology
- Website and mailing list of the Interdisciplinary Working Group “Urban Research”
- Website of the Network Urban Research (NUR)
| Professional Experience | |
|---|---|
| Since 10/2022 | Research Assistant, Chair of Urban Sociology and Sociology of Space I TU Darmstadt |
| 04/2018 – 08/2022 | Student Assistant and Tutor, Chair of Urban Sociology and Sociology of Space I TU Darmstadt |
| 10/2019 – 04/2020 | Student Assistant, Chair of General Sociology I TU Darmstadt |
| 10/2016 – 06/2019 | Student Assistant, Chair of Organizational Sociology I TU Darmstadt |
| Academic Education | |
| 10/2019 – 07/2022 |
Master of Arts Sociology | TU Darmstadt Focus: Urban Sociology and Sociology of Space Minor: Political Sciences Thesis: “The crisis management of the COVID-19 pandemic in Darmstadt: governance of the unequal risks of infection and mortality from COVID-19 across urban population”, awarded the master's thesis prize of the interdisciplinary research focus of urban research at Faculty 2 of TU Darmstadt |
| 10/2015 – 09/2019 |
Bachelor of Arts Sociology | TU Darmstadt Minor: History Thesis: “Collective Identity, Space and the Intrinsic Logic of Cities – An integrative Comparison of Theories” |
| Term | Course |
|---|---|
| Summer term 2024 |
“Nobody intends to build a wall” – Introduction to the sociology of the border Course for B.A. Sociology – Urban and Spacial Sociology | TU Darmstadt |
| Winter term 23/24 |
Divided Cities – Social Inequality in Urban Research Course for B.A. Sociology – Urban and Spacial Sociology | TU Darmstadt |
| Winter term 23/24 |
Political Violence and Cities Course for B.A. Sociology – Urban and Spacial Sociology | TU Darmstadt |
| Summer term 2023 |
Private Cities Course for B.A. Sociology – Urban and Spacial Sociology | TU Darmstadt |
| Winter term 22/23 |
Urban Resilience Course for B.A. Sociology – Urban and Spacial Sociology | TU Darmstadt |
| Time period | Courses |
|---|---|
| Winter term 2025/26 |
Science Meets Policy Workshop at the Science Communication Centre of the Rhein-Main Universities |
| Summer term 2023 | Als Lehrperson mit Diversität arbeiten |
| Summer term 2023 | ChatGPT und KI in der Hochschullehre – Chancen und Möglichkeiten des Umgangs |
- German Sociological Association (DGS)
- Nework Urban Research (NUR) at the TU Darmstadt (Co-Founder and Coordination)
Interview – Highlights of digital teaching
