TransformationsLABOR: Just how radical are the upheavals of our time?

On 13 July 2026, the fifth event organised by the TransformationsLABOR took place at the Sachsendorf Campus. Prof. Dr Raj Kollmorgen from Zittau-Görlitz University of Applied Sciences was invited as an expert to take part in our discussion series on the topic of ‘Transformation and Lusatia’. The aim of the series of events was to advance the social scientific and pedagogical examination of transformations and to explore the perspectives this offers for social work. This is because the current upheavals in the region can be characterised as fundamental transformations of various sectors of society, taking place at different levels and at varying speeds. Raj Kollmorgen, a sociologist specialising in transformation, contextualised these processes of change as complex and long-term processes of social reconfiguration, characterised by the simultaneous interplay of different historical trajectories, spatial contexts and generational spheres of experience. Social work, and community work in particular, plays a central role in supporting these transformations. The key focus here is on addressing the social tensions, uncertainties and risks of exclusion arising from transformation processes, without claiming to exercise targeted control over social transformations.

The TransformationsLABOR, a forum for discussion for students, staff and visitors to the Institute of Social Work, is set to continue in the 2026/2027 winter semester, covering topics such as structural change and rural areas, the systemic upheaval of 1989/90, transformation and right-wing extremism, and socio-ecological transformation.