Profile
Abstract
Thomas Mehlhausen is a research associate at the Department of Political Theory and Democracy Studies. He researches and teaches on European integration, contemporary politics in Central Eastern Europe and populism as a challenge for our democracy.
Since June 2021, he has been leading the research project "Germany and Poland in a differentiated European Union". He has been a lecturer at the FernUniversität in Hagen since 2019. From 2008 to 2020, Thomas Mehlhausen had been a research assistant at the Chair of Political Theory at the University of Potsdam and wrote his doctorate on the enlargements of the European Union. He completed a research stay at the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies (John Hopkins University) and has given numerous guest lectures at universities in France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Poland and Russia. He is author of various publications on European integration, German-Polish relations and the scenario technique.
Professional career
- since 06/2021
Research manager, University of Leipzig, research project "Germany and Poland in a differentiated European Union" - since 04/2019
Lecturer, FernUniversität in Hagen in the Department of Political Science I: State and Governance - 09/2009 - 05/2020
Assistant professor, Chair of Political Theory, University of Potsdam - 05/2016 - 03/2020
Guest lecturer at universities in France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Poland and Russia - 09/2003 - 03/2008
Research assistant, Chair of Political Theory, University of Potsdam
Education
- 10/2008 - 07/2014
PhD on "European Union Enlargement. Material interests, community norms and anomie" (2016, Routledge) - 09/2001 - 03/2008
Magister Artium in Political Science (HF), Economics (NF) and Eastern European Studies (NF) - 04/2006 - 09/2006
Semester abroad at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow (International Relations) - 04/2005 - 09/2005
Semester abroad at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow (International Relations) - 04/2003 - 09/2003
Semester abroad at the Moscow Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) (International Relations)
Dr Thomas Mehlhausen researches on the deepening, widening and differentiation of the European Union. He inquires into the causes and the democratic legitimacy of European integration. His regional focus is on Central and Eastern Europe, particularly on Poland. Moreover, he has been working for years with the scenario technique, i.e. as author of future analyses, facilitator of future studies or moderator of future workshops.
In his teaching, Dr Thomas Mehlhausen has focused on the constitutional structure of the European Union, the democratic legitimacy of European integration and the EU's Eastern Partnership. He has taught introductory courses on political theory, on scientific research in political science as well as on democratic change in transformation regimes. He also regularly applies the scenario technique in his teaching.