Assistant Professor Ivan Perkov, PhD, from the Department of Sociology at the Faculty of Croatian Studies, University of Zagreb, will serve as the course convenor in the summer semester of 2026 at the prestigious German university Katholische Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt (KU).

The course, titled “Culture Wars: Challenges for Contemporary Sociology”, is offered within the module Advanced Sociological Theories (Fortgeschrittene Soziologische Theorien) in the Master’s programme in Sociology.

The module is co-taught by Professor Joost van Loon, PhD, a long-standing external associate of the Faculty of Croatian Studies and an internationally recognised and highly cited scholar in the fields of the sociology of risk, cultural sociology, and media sociology.

The course Culture Wars focuses on the analysis of cultural and ideological conflicts that characterise contemporary democratic societies, particularly in the context of rising political polarisation, extremism, and the fragility of democratic institutions.

Special emphasis is placed on debates surrounding identity, migration, nationalism, and belonging, as well as on the role of media and public discourse in shaping social divisions.

An important component of the course is dedicated to examining the role and position of contemporary sociology in society, including its theoretical and public functions, as well as the responsibilities of sociological scholarship in the context of culture wars, social conflicts, and ideological polarisation.