1958-1962

Attended primary school in Grünwinkel, Karslruhe

1962-1970

Attended Helmholtz Grammar School in Karlsruhe, passed Abitur (school-leaving exams) with specialisation in modern languages and natural sciences

1970-1975

Studied philosophy, political science, and sociology at Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, and University of Bielefeld

15.4.1975

Final diploma examination in sociology in the Faculty of Sociology, University      of Bielefeld (First examiner: Prof. Dr. Niklas Luhmann; Second examiner:    Prof. Dr. Johannes Berger)

1975-1980

Academic Assistant responsible for editorial work in fields of Social, Economic, Political, and Legal Philosophy for the Historischen Wörterbuchs der Philosophie, based at University of Bielefeld; simultaneously part-time lecturer in the Faculty of History and Philosophy, University of Bielefeld

11.6.1980

Completion of doctorate in Philosophy, Faculty of History and Philosophy, University of Bielefeld (First examiner: Prof. Dr. Jürgen Frese; Second examiner: Prof. Dr. Kurt Röttgers)

1981-1982

Recipient of research grant from the Fritz Thyssen Foundation, also part-time lecturer at University of Bielefeld

1982-1983

Teaching Assistant in the Faculty of History and Philosophy, University of Bielefeld

1984-1988

Editor of the journal Soziologische Revue, based in Department of Social Sciences, University of Kassel

1984-2016

Member of the German Sociological Association (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Soziologie)

1989-1995

Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Sciences, University of Kassel

1989-2015

Member of the Georg Simmel Society (Georg-Simmel-Gesellschaft e.V.), Bielefeld

1991-2000

Member of the Executive Board of section for Cultural Sociology (Kultursoziologie) of the German Sociological Association; external reviewer for the British Journal Theory, Culture & Society; founding member of the Research Committee on Social Theory of the International Sociological Association

1992-2005

Member of the Erfurt University Society (Universitätsgesellschaft Erfurt e.V.)

1994-2006

Member of the Ernst Troelsch Society (Ernst-Troelsch-Gesellschaft e.V.), Augsburg

16.12.1995

Elected to Executive Board of the Erfurt University Society (until December 1997)

14.2.1996

Completion of Habilitation (postdoctoral lecturing qualification) in Faculty of Sociology, University of Kassel (Examiners: Prof. Dr. Jens Flemming, Prof. Dr. Karl-Siegbert Rehberg, Prof. Dr. Johannes Weiß)

1996-1997

Temporary C4 Professor of General Sociology (deputising for Prof. Dr. Lars  Claussen), Institute for Sociology, Christian Albrecht University, Kiel

1996-2016

Member of the Ferdinand Tönnies Society (Ferdinand-Tönnies-Gesellschaft e.V.), Kiel

1998-2000

Temporary C4 Professor of Macrosociological Analysis of Modern Societies, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kassel

1998-2006

Collaboration on the development of the course of further study on Philosophy of Economics for the Fernuniversität Hagen (university for distance education); editor of the series “Cultural Studies” published by PHILO Verlagsgesellschaft, Berlin

2001-2004

Temporary C4 Professor of Sociological Theory and Cultural Sociology, Faculty of Sociology, University of Bielefeld

1.4.2004

Temporary C4 Professor of General Sociology with Focus on the Macrostructural Analysis of Society, Bergische University Wüppertal

16.12.2004

Appointment as C4 Professor of Sociology with Focus on the History and Systematics of the Formation of Social-Scientific Theories, Faculty of Social Sciences, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main 

Since 2004

Member of the Editorial Board of Max Weber Studies

2005-2016        

Member of the German Association of University Professors and Lecturers  (Deutscher Hochschulverband)

1.10.2006

Acting Director of the Institute for Research on Politics and Society, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main (until 30.9.2007)

Since 2006

Member of the Association of Friends and Patrons of the Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main

1.2.-31.3.2007  

Directeur d’études associé, Centre de Recherches Historiques, École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, Paris

Since 2008

Spokesperson for the local organising committee of the German Sociological Association’s Centenary Congress, took place in Frankfurt in October 2010; editor of the series “Classics of the Social Sciences” published by VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, Wiesbaden (since 2015 in combination with Stephan Moebius)

11.-15.10.2010

Representative of the Goethe University in Frankfurt at the German Association of Philosophy Faculties

Member of the jury to award the prize "Flight, Expulsion, Integration" of the Hessian state government, member of the commission to award the WISAG price of the Goethe University in Frankfurt

Director of the research project on "Life and work of Franz Oppenheimer (1864-1943)", funded by the Fritz Thyssen Foundation

2014-2016

Co-editor of the Yearbook of Theory and History of Sociology ZYKLOS

Since 2017

Retirement