What does it actually mean when politicians make radical shifts in their political stance - when liberals make a 180-degree turn during the Cold War, or when former members of the 1968 movement later align themselves with the New Right? Can such shifts reveal broader political trends? These are the questions that Professor Dr. Torben Lütjen aims to explore in his upcoming book, for which he has received funding from the Opus Magnum initiative.

The demands of research and teaching can leave scholars with little time to focus on publishing. To address this issue, the Opus Magnum initiative gives professors in the humanities and social sciences with the flexibility needed to dedicate themselves to intensive writing projects. The funding covers substitute professorships, thus allowing scholars to focus on making their research accessible to a broader audience while opening up new opportunities for early-career researchers.

Professor Dr. Torben Lütjen has received €210,000 from the Volkswagen Foundation's Opus Magnum program to support the completion of his monograph. "I am very pleased to receive this funding," Lütjen noted. "Thanks to the ‘Opus Magnum' support, I can retreat from my day-to-day university duties and dedicate my time to writing, which will make my research accessible to a wider audience." His book is explicitly aimed not only at an academic readership but also at the broader public.

"The Turncoats: Political Conversions in the Age of Ideologies," is Professor Lütjen's planned title for the book, which focuses on individuals who have undergone radical political shifts. Taking a broad historical perspective, Prof. Lütjen will examine five case studies spanning from the early 19th century to the present, analyzing the causes, contexts, and consequences of political conversions.

"I see converts as often underestimated figures in the age of ideologies. When they appear in a concentrated and collective manner, their shift in allegiance has often been a precursor to emerging political trends. This makes them particularly fascinating in light of current political developments," explains Lütjen.

Thanks to the support of the Volkswagen Foundation, Lütjen now has 18 months to complete his book project.

Professor Dr. Torben Lütjen is a political scientist and has been a professor of Participation and Democracy Research at Europa-Universität Flensburg since 2022. He is also responsible for the B.A. program in Social and Political Change.

His research focuses on the effects of populism and political polarization on the functioning of democratic systems.

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