Professor Wollner’s work centers on issues of political philosophy, social philosophy, and ethics. He places particular emphasis on topics at the intersection of philosophy, political science, and economics.

His main point of reference here is Anglo-Saxon analytical Marxism, which Wollner links to approaches from early critical theory. In his current book project, “Socialist Action” (“Sozialistische Aktion”,) he develops a conception of socialism that has been neglected in contemporary debates: The idea that socialism means tackling the question “What is to be done?” collectively rather than individually. A form of socialism that aims to enable reasonable forms of cooperation can redefine the central concerns of a non-orthodox Marxist tradition. It also provides liberal, institutional alternatives to state-centered models of socialism.

Gabriel Wollner studied philosophy, political science, and economics at the universities of Oxford and Harvard. He completed his doctorate in philosophy at University College London and has taught as an assistant professor at the London School of Economics and at the Humboldt-Universit?t zu Berlin. Most recently, he held the chair of political and social philosophy at the University of Bayreuth. In Bremen, he hopes to encounter the living legacy of the reform university and its associated tradition of theory.