Dr. Sarah Rebecca Strömel
Assistant Professor
Office hours
From August to November 2025, Dr. Strömel was a visiting professor and visiting researcher at the Universidad Católica Argentina in Buenos Aires. From November 2025 to April 2026, she was a Visiting Research Fellow at Columbia University in New York City. From May 2026 to October 2026, she is a Visiting Scholar at the University of Oxford.
Main research interests:
- Life and work of Alexis de Tocqueville
- Theories of democracy
- Debate culture and debate regulation strategies in democratic theory
- Concepts of individualism
- Emotions in the context of the political
- Racism and intersectionality in political theory
- Populism in Brazil and Germany
Leadership functions outside the university:
- Since March 2025: Co-director on the management committee of the Bavarian Doctoral College of Political Theory and co-director on the board of the Bavarian Centre for Political Theory (cooperation network of the universities of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Erlangen-Nuremberg, Innsbruck (Austria), London (University College London/United Kingdom), Passau and Regensburg)
You can access the BayPol homepage here. - Since March 2025: Managing Director and Member of the Board of the German Society for the Study of Political Thought (DGEPD)
Click here for the DGEPD homepage. - Since March 2025: Co-editor of the journal Politisches Denken
Since September 2022: Member of the editorial board of the philosophy blog praefaktisch
Independently supervised and edited focus areas:Demokratie [Democracy] (from 01/2023)
(With contributions from Prof. Dr. Dr. Manfred Brocker, Prof. Dr.
André Brodocz, PD Dr. Dagmar Comtesse, Prof. Dr. Oliver Eberl,
Prof. Dr. Marie-Luisa Frick, Prof. Dr Lisa Herzog, Prof. Dr.
Oliver Hidalgo, Prof. Dr. Dirk Jörke, Dr. Michael Roseneck, Prof.
Dr. Dr. h.c. Julian Nida-Rümelin, Prof. Dr. Tine Stein, and Prof.
Dr. Barbara Zehnpfennig, partly in cooperation with the
theorieblog)Rassismus [Racism] (from 03/2023)
(With contributions from PD Dr. Brigitte Bargetz/Prof. Dr. Jana
Günther, Prof. Dr. Andrea Esser, Dr. Peggy Hetmank-
Breitenstein, Prof. Dr. Marina Martinez Mateo, Prof. Dr Birgit
Sauer, and Dr. Laura Soréna Tittel)On the Kant Year: Kant as a Political Philosopher [The relevance of
Kant's Political Philosophy in Kant Year] (from 09/2024)
(With contributions by Dr. Martin Brecher, Prof. Dr. Andrea Esser,
Prof. Dr. Tamara Jugov and Dr. Martin Welsch) (in cooperation with theorieblog)
Conference organisations:
- International Conference on: Social Media and the Internet as Challenges to Democracy: Latin America and Europe in Comparison, 20 - 21 October 2025, (Together with Susanne Käss, Director of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation Argentina, Buenos Aires, with guests from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Germany, Ecuador and Spain).
- Workshop for master's and doctoral students on the topic: Philosophy in the public sphere: How to write for philosophical blogs, 23 - 25 July 2025, (workshop co-chaired with Lars Weisbrod (DIE ZEIT) and Dr. Gottfried Schweiger (University of Salzburg), conference management: Prof. Dr. Eva Weber-Guskar (Ruhr-Universität Bochum) and Laura Martena (Akademie für Politische Bildung Tutzing) in cooperation with PhilPublica.
- International conference on the topic: Democracy in crisis: Tocqueville's theory of democracy and it's relevance in the age of (global) de-democratisation, 28 May - 30 May 2025, University of Regensburg (together with Prof. Dr. Eva Helene Odzuck)
- International conference on the topic: How to dis/agree like friends: Historical insights, philosophical roots, and fresh perspectives on the current state of debate culture, 12 June - 14 June 2024, Universität Regensburg (together with Prof. Dr. Dr. Manfred Brocker, Prof. Dr. Daniel Eggers, Prof. Dr. Eva Helene Odzuck and Ricarda Wünsch)
- International conference on the topic: Duties of civility? Rawls's theory of deliberative democracy and its relevance in the digital age, 11 March - 13 March 2024, University of Regensburg (together with Prof. Dr. Daniel Eggers and Prof. Dr. Eva Helene Odzuck)
- 31. Conference of the Bavarian Doctoral College on the topic: Current challenges of democracy in digitalisation, 8 March - 10 March 2023, Bildungszentrum Kloster Banz (together with Prof. Dr. Eva Odzuck)
- Day of Young Researchers organised by the Regensburg Doctoral College of the Faculties of Philosophy (PUR), 30 September 2020, University of Regensburg (together with Verena Bayer, M.A. and Lisa Finn-Hampel, M.A.)
- 27. Conference of the Bavarian Doctoral Programme for Political Theory on the topic: Gefahr im Vollzug. Current challenges to democracy, 22 January - 24 January 2020, Frankenakademie Schloss Schney near Bamberg
Multimedia:
- From 09/2022: Editorial member of the philosophy blog praefaktisch
Radio interview in the programme "Morgenecho" on WDR 5:
"Polarisation - impact on voter turnout" (22/02/2025)
You can access the interview here
Various radio interviews on BR24:
"Why can't you vote for the CDU in Bavaria?" (20.01.2025)
Click here for the interview
"How does polarisation affect voter turnout?" (17.01.2025)
Click here (external link, opens in a new window) for the interview
- Various radio interviews on the station "Gong fm":
"Bundestag and chancellor candidates" (25/09/2024)
"The results of the US election 2024" (06/11/2024)
"The end of the traffic light coalition" (07.11.2024) - Newspaper interview "Out of the ivory tower" in the Regensburger
Newspaper (05/04/2024) Various interviews (including with Prof. Dr. Peter Niesen, Prof. Dr. Barbara Zehnpfennig, Prof. Dr. Ulrike Ackerman, Prof. Dr. Michael Festl, Prof. Dr. Tine Stein und Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Otfried Höffe, Prof. Dr. Lisa Herzog, Prof. Dr. Philip Manow, Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Heiner Bielefeldt) as part of the series "Pillars of Democracy" (Third Mission Project).
You can access the YouTube channel of the series here.
Interview with Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Julian Nida-Rümelin: Democracy in danger, as part of the series "Pillars of Democracy" and the thematic focus "Democracy" on praefaktisch (31 October 2023)
You can access the interview here.
Interview on WDR ZeitZeichen: 29.07.1805 - Alexis de Tocqueville's birthday (29 July 2020, together with Prof. Dr. Karlfriedrich Herb)
You can listen to the 14-minute radio programme here.
Between beacons of hope and popular seducers. Populism in Brazil and Germany (24 January 2020, Science Café on the topic: Populism in Latin America and Germany, organised by the Central Institute for Latin American Studies (ZILAS) at the Catholic University of Eichstätt, Eichstätt)
You can watch a video about this evening here.
Lonely hearts. Tocqueville's speculations on the future of democracy (21 November 2018, together with Prof. Dr. Karlfriedrich Herb, as part of the lecture series "Demokratie - die beste Form der Herrschaft?", University of Regensburg).
You can watch a video of the lecture here.
Awards:
- 11/2025: Nomination of the Faculty of Philosophy, Art History, History, History and Humanities (PKGG) of the University of Regensburg for the Prize for Good Teaching 2025 of the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts
- Inclusion in the 9th season of the Mentoring. UR programme of the University of Regensburg for outstanding female academics in early career stages. Mentors: Prof. Dr. Peter Niesen (University of Hamburg) and Prof. Dr. Tine Stein (University of Göttingen); Click here for the Mentoring.UR programme.
- The seminar Class - Race - Mass: Does Democracy base on Exclusion? (WS 2020/21) was included in the DVPW's Outstanding Teaching in German Political Science series in 2021. You can find the projects in the series and a brief outline of Dr. Strömel's project here.
Reviewer activities:
- Reviewer for the journal American Political Thought (University of Chicago Press) in the double blind peer review process
- Reviewer for the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service)
- Reviewer for the journal Zeitschrift für Praktische Philosophie (ZfPP) in a double blind peer review process
- Reviewer in the double blind peer review process for the series Politik und Religion published by Springer VS Verlag
- Reviewer for the Working Paper of the German Junior Research Association for Political and Social Science (DNGPS) in the double blind peer review process
Academic self-administration, memberships and offices:
- Since 06/2025 member of the working group "Science Communication in Political Theory and History of Ideas" of the DVPW (German Political Science Association)
- From 10/2024 - 08/2025: First Deputy Representative for the Equality of Women in Academia and the Arts at the Faculty of Philosophy, Art, History, History and Humanities (PKGG) at the University of Regensburg
- From 10/2023 - 10/2025: Representative of the mid-level faculty in the management of the Institute of Political Science, University of Regensburg
- July 2021- December 2023: Spokesperson of the Bavarian Doctoral College Political Theory (cooperation network of the Universities of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Erlangen-Nuremberg, Innsbruck (Austria), Passau and Regensburg and UCL London (GB))(https://baypol.eu/promotionskolleg).
- July 2019 - November 2021: Member of the Board of Directors and doctoral candidate representative in the Doctoral College of the Faculties of Philosophy (PUR) at the University of Regensburg
- October 2020 - October 2021: Doctoral candidate representative of all doctoral candidates at the University of Regensburg on the governing body of WIN (Center for Graduate & Postgraduate Researchers) and doctoral candidate representative of doctoral candidates in structured doctoral programmes on the WIN advisory board
Ongoing:
Member of the DGEPD - German Society for the
Research into Political ThoughtMember of the DVPW - German Political Science Association
Political scienceMember of the DGPhil - German Society for
Fundamental philosophical issues in theologyMember of the EHS - European Hobbes Society
Member of the ADLAF - Arbeitsgemeinschaft Deutsche
Latin American Studies
CV
Sarah Rebecca Strömel was born in Roding in 1993. In the winter semester of 2012/2013, she began studying political science and philosophy at the University of Regensburg, which she successfully completed in the summer semester of 2016 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Following her Bachelor's degree, she enrolled in the consecutive Master's programme in democracy studies from winter semester 2016/17 to summer semester 2018, which she completed with an overall grade of 1.0.
From October 2015 to August 2016, Dr. Strömel worked as a research assistant for a member of the Bavarian state parliament in Nuremberg and Munich. From January 2016 to March 2022, she worked at the Chair of Political Philosophy and History of Ideas (Prof. Dr. Dr. Karlfriedrich Herb) at the University of Regensburg, first as a student assistant and then as a research assistant. After completing her Master's degree, Dr. Strömel began teaching there in the 2018/19 winter semester. From May 2019 to March 2021, she worked at the Chair of Political Philosophy and History of Ideas, initially as a part-time research assistant (50%) and from April 2021 to March 2022 as a full-time research assistant (100%). Since April 2022, Dr. Strömel has been working as a Full-time (100%) assistant professor at the Chair of Political Philosophy, Theory and History of Ideas (focus on theories of democracy) at the University of Regensburg, which has been held by Prof. Dr. Eva Odzuck since April 2023. From March 2022, Dr. Strömel also took up a teaching position at the Hochschule Döpfer (HSD) in Regensburg and Cologne, where she teaches on the Social Work degree program. In December 2022, she was awarded the Bavarian University Teaching Certificate after successfully completing a series of university didactic workshops and further training courses. Since November 2023, she has been employed as Assistant Professor at the Chair of Political Philosophy, Theory and History of Ideas (focus on democratic theories) at the University of Regensburg and is pursuing her 2nd book on various democratic theoretical perspectives on freedom of expression and debate culture in the public sphere.
From January 2019, Dr. Strömel pursued her dissertation project on "Tocqueville and individualism in democracy". She submitted her dissertation on 19 April 2023. The disputatio took place on 13/09/2023 and was completed by Dr. Strömel with summa cum laude .
From August to November 2025, Dr. Strömel was a visiting professor and visiting researcher at the Universidad Católica Argentina in Buenos Aires. From November 2025 to April 2026, she was a Visiting Research Fellow at Columbia University in New York City. From May 2026 to October 2026, she was a Visiting Scholar at the University of Oxford.
Teaching
Visiting Professor UCA, Buenos Aires (08/2025 - 11/2025):
- 2nd year Students-Seminar: Tocqueville and Mill (in English)
- 4th year Students-Lecture: Democratic Theories (in English)
Summer term 2025
- Main seminar: "Tocqueville and the future of democracy" (in English)
- Seminar: "Race and Gender in Political Theory"
Winter term 2024/25:
- Lecture: Introduction to political philosophy, theory and the history of ideas
- Seminar: Michael Sandel: Vom Ende des Gemeinwohls (Together with Dr. Dietrich Schotte; interdisciplinary seminar in cooperation with the Chair of History of Philosophy, Institute of Philosophy)
- Seminar: On the demise of democracy? Current crisis diagnoses and counter-strategies (block seminar) (together with Laura Martena, M.A.; interdisciplinary seminar in cooperation with the Academy for Political Education in Tutzing am Starnberger See)
Summer term 2024
- Seminar: "Public sphere" as an object of democratic theory
- Seminar: Surely you can still say that? Cancel Culture, Political Correctness and Debate Culture
Winter term 2023/24
- Seminar: Women's issues: Female political philosophy and feminist democratic theory
- Seminar: Democracy in the digital age: opportunities and challenges
Summer term 2023
- Module: Fundamentals of academic work (lecture and seminar) in the subject Social Work at the HSD (Hochschule Döpfer)
- Seminar: Alexis de Tocqueville and the ambivalence of democracy
- Seminar: On the concept of democracy: Ancient, modern and postmodern definitions in the field of tension of contemporary theories of democracy
- Seminar: Introduction to political philosophy and the history of ideas: Plato - Rousseau - Rawls
Winter term 2022/23
- Seminar: Introduction to political philosophy and the history of ideas: Aristotle - Hobbes - Arendt
- Seminar: Radical theories of democracy
Summer term 2022
- Module: Fundamentals of academic work (lecture and seminar) in the subject Social Work at the HSD (Hochschule Döpfer)
- Seminar: Between loneliness, conspiracy theory and Querdenken-Bewegung. Corona and democracy
- Seminar: Class-Race-Mass: Does Democracy Live from Exclusion?
Winter term 2021/22
- Seminar: Democracy of white men? Race and gender in political theory
- Seminar: Introduction to political philosophy and the history of ideas: Plato - Tocqueville - Taylor
Summer term 2021
- Seminar: Does money rule the world? On the relationship between politics and economics in the history of ideas (together with Alfred Reichenberger, M.A.; interdisciplinary seminar in cooperation with the Chair of Economic and Social History, Institute of History)
Winter term 2020/21
- Seminar: Class - Race - Mass: Does Democracy Live from Exclusion? I
- Seminar: Class - Race - Mass: Does Democracy Live from Exclusion? II
(Due to high demand from students, the seminar was offered twice)
Dr. Strömel's seminar was included in the DVPW's Outstanding Teaching in German Political Science series. You can find the projects in the series and a brief outline of Dr. Strömel's project here (external link, opens in a new window))
Summer term 2020
- Seminar: In Search of the Individual: Individualism in Political Science, Philosophical Issues in theology, Sociology and Psychology (together with Prof Dr. Gerson Brea)
- Seminar: Introduction to political philosophy: Plato - Rousseau - Rawls
Winter term 2019/20
- Seminar: Politics and lethargy: Do we need new forms of political participation? (Together with William Funke, M.A.)
- Seminar: Introduction to political philosophy: Plato - Rousseau - Arendt
Summer semester 2019
- Seminar: Introduction to political philosophy: Plato - Rousseau - Rawls
Winter term 2018/19
- Seminar: Religion as the opium of the people? On the political dimension of the concept of religion in Marx and Tocqueville
- Tutorial for the lecture Introduction to political philosophy and the history of ideas
Winter term 2017/18
- Tutorial for the lecture Introduction to Political Philosophy and the History of Ideas
Winter term 2016/17
- Tutorial for the lecture Introduction to Political Philosophy and the History of Ideas
Publications
Monographs
- Strömel, Sarah Rebecca (2023): Tocqueville and Individualism in Democracy, Wiesbaden, Springer VS.
- reviewed in ZfP issue 4/2024 (Zeitschrift für Politik, Nomos Verlag) by Prof. Dr. Hans-Martin Schönherr- Mann (LMU Munich)
- reviewed in PhR issue 4/2024 (Philosophische Rundschau, Mohr Siebeck Verlag)
Editorships:
- Strömel, Sarah Rebecca and Brocker, Manfred (2026): Das politische Denken der Gegenwart: Ein Handbuch (in preparation at Suhrkamp).
- Strömel, Sarah Rebecca (2026): Special Issue "Democracy in Crisis:
Tocqueville's Theory of Democracy and Its Relevance in the Age of Global
De-Democratisation", in: The Tocqueville Review (scheduled for
Publication planned for November 2026 with Prof. Dr. Eva Helene Odzuck). - Strömel, Sarah Rebecca (2026): Yearbook of Political Thought, Volume 35
(2025/26), Berlin: Duncker & Humblot (with Prof. Dr. Dr. Manfred
Brocker, Prof. Dr. Jan-Werner Müller, Prof. Dr. Dr. Dr. h.c. Julian Nida-
Rümelin and Prof. Dr. Eva Helene Odzuck). - Strömel, Sarah Rebecca (2025): Special Issue "Public Reason and Rawlsian Citizens: Of Truth, Virtues, and Vices in the Digital Age", in: The Review of Politics, 87 (3) (with Prof. Dr. Daniel Eggers and Prof. Dr. Eva Helene Odzuck).
Articles in specialist journals/collective volumes and other publications
- Strömel, Sarah Rebecca (2026): 4th John S. Dryzek, Deliberative Democracy
and Beyond: Liberals, Critics, Contestations (2000), in: Brocker, M. and
Strömel, S.R.: Das politische Denken der Gegenwart. A Handbook, Berlin:
Suhrkamp (forthcoming). - Strömel, Sarah Rebecca (2025): Introduction to Special Issue "Public Reason and Rawlsian Citizens: Of Truth, Virtues, and Vices in the Digital Age", in: The Review of Politics, 87 (3), p. 315-320 (with Prof. Dr. Daniel Eggers and Prof. Dr. Eva Helene Odzuck).
- Strömel, Sarah Rebecca (2026): Tocqueville's Individualistic Democracy in
the Age of Social Media: Lessons for Today, in Special Issue "Democracy in
Crisis: Tocqueville's Theory of Democracy and Its Relevance in the Age of
Global De-Democratisation", in: The Tocqueville Review (planned for
November 2026). - Strömel, Sarah Rebecca (2026): Constitutionalism, in: Schröder, Peter:
Handbook of Early Modern European History of Political Thought (in
Preparation as a handbook contribution at Oxford University Press). - Strömel, Sarah Rebecca (2026): "Feelings/Passions" in Campagna, N.,
Hidalgo, O., and Krause, S.: Tocqueville Handbook: Life - Work - Influence
Influence, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan (forthcoming). - Strömel, Sarah Rebecca and Seidenthal, Sven (2026): "Individualism" in:
Campagna, N., Hidalgo, O., and Krause, S.: Tocqueville Handbook: Life -
Work - Influence, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan (forthcoming). - Strömel, Sarah Rebecca (2026): "Intersectionality" in Campagna, N.,
Hidalgo, O., and Krause, S.: Tocqueville Handbook: Life - Work - Influence
Influence, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan (forthcoming). - Strömel, Sarah Rebecca (2026): "Private/Public" in Campagna, N., Hidalgo,
O., and Krause, S.: Tocqueville Handbook: Life - Work - Influence,
Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan (forthcoming). - Strömel, Sarah Rebecca and Watzinger, Lea (2025): Transparency and Deplatforming as Strategies of Debate in the Digital Public Space, in Global Media Journal - German Edition, 15 (2), p. 1-21.
- Strömel, Sarah Rebecca (2025): Tocqueville and his ambivalent position on racism in the intersectional field of tension, in: Dübgen, F., Martinez Mateo, M. and Sonderegger, R.: Philosophie und Rassismus: Debatten und Kontroversen, Weilerswist-Metternich, Velbrück Wissenschaft, pp. 79-95.
- Strömel, Sarah Rebecca and Funke, William (2024): Learning about discrimination: race, gender, intersectionality and the simulation game as a method in school-based political education, in: Bechtel, Theresa et al: Why focus on gender? Gender and intersectional perspectives in political education, Frankfurt a.M., Wochenschauverlag, pp. 99-121.
- Strömel, Sarah Rebecca (2024): Gefühle/Leidenschaften, in: Campagna, N., Hidalgo, O. and Krause, S.: Tocqueville Handbuch. Life - Work - Impact, Stuttgart, J.B. Metzler Verlag.
- Strömel, Sarah Rebecca and Seidenthal, Sven (2024): Individualism, in: Campagna, N., Hidalgo, O. and Krause, S.: Tocqueville Handbuch. Life - Work - Impact, Stuttgart, J.B. Metzler Verlag.
- Strömel, Sarah Rebecca (2024): Intersectionality, in: Campagna, N., Hidalgo, O. and Krause, S.: Tocqueville Handbuch. Life - Work - Impact, Stuttgart, J.B. Metzler Verlag.
- Strömel, Sarah Rebecca (2024): Privates/Öffentliches, in: Campagna, N., Hidalgo, O. and Krause, S.: Tocqueville Handbuch. Life - Work - Impact, Stuttgart, J.B. Metzler Verlag.
- Strömel, Sarah Rebecca (ed.): Themenschwerpunkt Demokratie, on: praefaktisch.de, 2023 (With contributions from Prof Dr. Dr. Manfred Brocker, Prof Dr. André Brodocz, PD Dr. Dagmar Comtesse, PD Dr. Oliver Eberl, Prof Dr. Marie-Luisa Frick, Prof Dr. Lisa Herzog, Prof Dr. Oliver Hidalgo, Prof Dr. Dirk Jörke, Prof Dr. Dr. Dr. h.c. Julian Nida-Rümelin, Prof. Dr. Tine Stein and
Prof Dr. Barbara Zehnpfennig). - Strömel, Sarah Rebecca (ed.): Themenschwerpunkt Rassismus, on praefaktisch.de, 2023 (With contributions from PD Dr. Brigitte Bargetz/Prof. Dr. Jana Günther, Prof. Dr. Andrea Esser, Dr. Peggy Hetmank-Breitenstein, Prof. Dr. Marina Martinez Mateo, Prof. Dr. Birgit Sauer and Dr. Laura Soréna Tittel, among others).
- Strömel, Sarah Rebecca and Herb, Karlfriedrich (2022): Lonely Hearts. Tocqueville and Democratic Individualism, in: Latin American Human Rights Studies (LAHRS), 2: pp. 1-25.
- Strömel, Sarah Rebecca and Herb, Karlfriedrich (2021): Democracy as a closed society? Tocqueville and Racism in America, in Haus, M., Jörke, D., Traußneck, M. et al: Debate: Racism and the History of Political Ideas. Politische Vierteljahresschrift (PVS), 62 (4): pp. 671 - 694, Springer VS.
- Strömel, Sarah Rebecca (2021): Querfühlen statt Querdenken? Tocqueville on solidarity, public spirit and individualism in times of Corona, on: praefaktisch.de, link to article
- Strömel, Sarah Rebecca (2021): A question of feeling. Alexis de Tocqueville and the emotionalisation of politics, in: Helfritzsch, Paul and Müller Hipper, Jörg: Die Emotionalisierung des Politischen, Bielefeld, transcript Verlag, pp. 19-42.
- Strömel, Sarah Rebecca and Herb, Karlfriedrich (2020): Tocqueville's speculations on the future of democracy, in: Blick in die Wissenschaft 41 (29): pp. 30-34, Universitätsverlag Regensburg.
- Strömel, Sarah Rebecca and Herb, Karlfriedrich (2019): Lonely hearts. Tocqueville and democracy, in: Zeitschrift für Politik (ZfP), 66 (4): pp. 365-383, Nomos.
Projects
Second Book (Habilitationsprojekt)
The limits of what can be said publicly: Democratic-theoretical perspectives on the relationship between freedom of speech and the protection of democracy in the (digital) public sphere
In her habilitation project, Dr. Strömel examines the relationship between freedom of speech and the protection of democracy, i.e. the question of where the boundaries of what can be said publicly should be drawn on a societal-normative level, from various perspectives of democratic theory (liberal, republican, deliberative and radical/agonal). In a second step, various debate regulation strategies (e.g. cancel culture, de-platforming or counter speech) are categorised in terms of democratic theory.
First Book (Dissertation)
Tocqueville and individualism in democracy
Dr. Strömel's doctoral project is dedicated to the phenomenon of individualism in Alexis de Tocqueville. The project will analyse individualism in Tocqueville's writings from a textual perspective, looking at all of Tocqueville's works and examining the extent to which Tocqueville's analysis of individualism provides a new reading of his theory of democracy. In addition, autobiographical references to Tocqueville are established in order to illuminate the phenomenon of individualism as comprehensively and differentiatedly as possible.
The dissertation is thus intended both as a contribution to Tocqueville research and as a supplement to the interdisciplinary debate on individualism.
The dissertation was submitted to the Faculty of Philosophy, Art History, History, History and Humanities at the University of Regensburg on 19/04/2023. The disputatio took place on 13/09/2023, which Dr. Strömel completed summa cum laude.
Lectures
- Workshop: Democracy's meanings (13 March 2026, Georgetown University, Washington D.C., USA, at the invitation of and together with Prof. Dr. Richard Boyd, Democracy Initiative)
- Colloquium: What is Populism? (11 February 2026, Indiana University Bloomington (IU), Bloomington near Indianapolis, USA, at the invitation of and together with Prof. Dr. Aurelian Crăiuţu)
- Democratic Theory Perspectives on the Vulgarisation of Public Debate (10 February 2026, Indiana University Bloomington (IU), Bloomington near Indianapolis, USA, at the invitation of Prof. Dr. Aurelian Crăiuţu)
- Allies, Populists, and Democracy: The Changing Political Relations between the United States and Germany from Trump I to Today (10 February 2026, Indiana University Bloomington (IU)Bloomington near Indianapolis, USA, at the invitation of Prof. Dr. Aurelian Crăiuţu)
- Can You Still Trust Your Feelings? On Emotions that Promote Democracy (27 January 2026, lecture as part of the lecture series "Passau Lectures on Political Emotions", University of Passau, at the invitation of Dr. Stefan Christoph and Dr. Diana Mistreanu)
- The Political Philosophy of the 19th Century: Alexis de Tocqueville and John Stuart Mill (27 October 2025, Universidad Católica Argentina (UCA), Buenos Aires, Argentina, at the invitation of Prof. Dr. Mario Leonardo Miceli)
- Fake it till you make it? Democratic Theories on Deepfakes (21 October 2025, Conference: Social Media and the Internet as Challenges to Democracy: Latin America and Europe in comparison, 20 - 21 October 2025, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, Buenos Aires, Argentina)
- Discussant on the panel with journalists and the general public: Desafíos para la democracia en tiempos de transformacíon digital (20 October 2025, Conference: Social Media and the Internet as Challenges to Democracy: Latin America and Europe in comparison, 20 - 21 October 2025, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, Buenos Aires, Argentina)
- Communitarianism, Multiculturalism and the German "Leitkultur" Debate: The Role of Identities in Democracies (14 October 2025, Universidad Católica Argentina (UCA), Buenos Aires, Argentina, at the invitation of Prof. Dr. Joaquín Migliore)
- The Limits of what can be said in Public: Democratic Theories on Debate Culture in the (digital) Public Sphere (30 September 2025, Colloquium Research Group Sciencias Sociales, Universidad Católica Argentina (UCA), Buenos Aires, Argentina)
- The Louder You Shout, the Better Your Arguments? Debate Culture in the Digital Age of Liberal Democracy (26 September 2025, Symposium: Liberal Democracy? Inherent tensions, external pressure and institutional re-arrangements, 25 September - 27 September 2025, University of Innsbruck, Austria, at the invitation of Prof. Dr. Marie-Luisa Frick)
- Deliberative or Radical Democracy? Habermas vs. Mouffe (08 September 2025, Universidad Católica Argentina (UCA), Buenos Aires, Argentina, at the invitation of Prof. Dr. Mauro Saiz)
- Blogs as a Medium of Public Philosophy: Overview and Discussion of Examples (23 July 2025, Workshop: Philosophy in the Public Sphere: How to Write for Philosophical Blogs, organised by PhilPublica and the Academy for Political Education, Tutzing, 23 July - 25 July 2025, Academy for Political Education, Tutzing).
- Tocqueville's Individualistic Democracy in the Age of Social Media: Lessons for Today (29 May 2025, Conference: Democracy in crisis: Tocqueville's theory of democracy and it's relevance in the age of (global) de-democratisation, 28 May - 30 May 2025, University of Regensburg)
- Transparency and de-platforming as strategies of debate in the digital
public space (21 March 2025, DVPW Theory Conference:
Political Public Sphere: Structures, 19 March - 21 March 2025, University of
Erfurt. - The crisis of democratic debate culture (01 March 2025, conference:
"And what good is an argument that doesn't move people?" Possibilities
and limits of argumentation in politics and society, 01 March -
02. March 2025, Academy for Political Education, Tutzing am Starnberger
Lake Starnberg. - Democratic-theoretical perspectives on the culture of debate in the
digitalised public sphere: opportunities and challenges (19.
September 2024, XI. Conference for Practical Philosophical Issues in theology, organised by
the University of Passau, 19-20 September 2024, Passau) - Discussant on the panel for the round table "Public Philosophy -
Philosophy in the Public Sphere" (19 September 2024, XI. Conference for Practical
Philosophy, organised by the University of Passau, 19-20 September
2024, Passau) - Comment on the paper "Rawls, Education, and the Digitized Public Sphere" by Prof. Dr. Julian Culp (American University of Paris) (13 March 2024, Conference: Duties of Civility: Rawl's theory of deliberative democracy and its relevance in the digital age, organised by the University of Regensburg, 11 March - 13 March 2024, Regensburg)
- Comment on the paper "Adam Ferguson, Thomas Hobbes and the Return to Politics" by Signy Gutnick Allen (University of Zurich) (10 August 2023, Conference: Hobbes and the Enlightenment, organised by the University of Regensburg, 08 August - 10 August 2023, Regensburg)
- In democratic disguise. Tyranny and Despotism in Rousseau and Tocqueville (08 August 2023, together with Prof. Dr. Karlfriedrich Herb, Conference: The Figure of the Tyrant, Summer Academy of the Academy for Political Education, 07 August - 10 August 2023, Tutzing am Starnberger See)
- Tocqueville and the ambivalence of racism in the intersectional field of tension (06 October 2022, Conference: Philosophical issues in theology and racism, organised by the University of Münster, 6 October - 10 October 2022, Münster)
- Workshop: The simulation game as a method in the field of race and gender (08 July 2022, together with William Funke M.A., conference: Why focus on gender? Gender and intersectional perspectives in political education, organised by the University of Potsdam in cooperation with the Forschungsinstitut Gesellschaftlicher Zusammenhalt in Bremen and the Gesellschaft für Politikdidaktik und politische Jugend- und Erwachsenenbildung (GPJE), 07 July - 08 July 2022, Potsdam)
- Class - Race - Gender. Tocqueville's democracy as a closed society (25 June 2020, advanced lecture "Race - Class - Gender. Shady sides of the Enlightenment", University of Regensburg)
- From Kant to Tocqueville: Inequality under equal conditions (18 June 2020, together with Prof. Dr. Karlfriedrich Herb, advanced lecture "Race - Class - Gender. Shady sides of the Enlightenment", University of Regensburg)
Between beacons of hope and popular seducers. Populism in Brazil and Germany (24 January 2020, Science Café on the topic: Populism in Latin America and Germany, organised by the Central Institute for Latin American Studies (ZILAS) at the Catholic University of Eichstätt, Eichstätt)
You can watch a video about this evening here
- How individualism drives Tocqueville's democracy into the abyss (23 January 2020, 27th conference of the Bavarian Doctoral College for Political Theory on the topic: Gefahr im Verzug. Current challenges to democracy, 22 January - 24 January 2020, Frankenakademie Schloss Schney near Bamberg)
- Wie das Volk die Demokratie das Fürchten lehrte (22 January 2020, together with Prof. Dr. Karlfriedrich Herb and William Funke, M.A., keynote speech at the 27th conference of the Bavarian Doctoral College for Political Theory on the topic: Gefahr im Verzug. Current Challenges to Democracy, 22 January - 24 January 2020, Frankenakademie Schloss Schney near Bamberg)
- Tocqueville. Gleichheit und Demokratie (19 December 2019, together with Prof. Dr. Karlfriedrich Herb, lecture "Einführung in die Politische Philosophie und Ideengeschichte", University of Regensburg)
- Alexis de Tocqueville and the emotionalisation of politics (23 November 2019, Conference: The Emotionalisation of Politics, organised by the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 21 November - 24 November 2019, Jena)
- Tocqueville and the individualism within democracies (11 October 2019, International and interdisciplinary doctoral workshop in cooperation with Masaryk University Brno, 11 October - 13 October 2019, Telč)
- Between populism, despotism and individualism. Alexis de Tocqueville on contemporary questions in Brazilian and German society (07 October 2019, Worskshop: From Bavaria/Germany to SãoPaulo/Brazil: The making of science, arts and knowledge in an entanglement perspective, 07 October - 11 October 2019, Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt)
- Tocqueville and Individualism in Democracy (25 July 2019, Day of Young Researchers, organised by the Doctoral College of the PUR Faculties of Philosophy, Haus der Begegnung Regensburg)
- Tour d'horizon (31 January 2019, together with Prof. Dr. Karlfriedrich Herb, lecture "Einführung in die Politische Philosophie und Ideengeschichte", University of Regensburg)
- Lonely hearts. Tocqueville's speculations on the future of democracy (21 November 2018, together with Prof. Dr. Karlfriedrich Herb, as part of the lecture series "Demokratie - die beste Form der Herrschaft?", University of Regensburg)
You can find a video of the lecture here and the programme of the lecture series here. - Tour d'horizon (5 July 2018, together with Prof. Dr. Karlfriedrich Herb, lecture "Freedom and Rule: Constellations of Political Modernity", University of Regensburg)
- Tour d'horizon (1 February 2018, together with Prof. Dr. Karlfriedrich Herb, lecture "Einführung in die Politische Philosophie und Ideengeschichte", University of Regensburg)
- Tour d'horizon (20 July 2017, together with Prof. Dr. Karlfriedrich Herb, lecture "Multikulti als Leitkultur?!", University of Regensburg)
- Tour d'horizon (2 February 2017, together with Prof. Dr. Karlfriedrich Herb, lecture "Einführung in die Politische Philosophie und Ideengeschichte", University of Regensburg)