Aleksandra Barjaktarevic (EN)

Aleksandra Barjaktarević is a sociologist and art historian specializing in sociological theory, cultural sociology, the sociology of the arts and architecture, as well as artistic research. Since 2021, she has been working as a researcher at the Max Weber Institute of Sociology at Heidelberg University. Also, she has been since August 2024 a research affiliate at the Center for Cultural Sociology at Yale University. She holds a B.A. in Art History and Sociology, as well as two M.A. degrees in Art History and Sociology, both from Heidelberg University. Her current PhD project, Kunstwollen—Between Style and Society. Max Weber’s “Sociology of Cultural Contents (Art, Literature, Worldview)”, focuses on interpreting and situating Max Weber’s unwritten theory of the arts. In her research and teaching, she frequently collaborates with art institutions, festivals, and artists. One such collaboration resulted in the ongoing project Music as a “Toolkit” of Action for Displaced Persons’ Rights with Berlin rap artist PTK. Using artistic research, the project reconstructs the history of the music project Antinational Embassy and examines the role of music in political action. This project emerged from a joint theorizing seminar on German rap, for which both received two teaching awards—for the most innovative teaching approach and for the best course.

Research interests

Sociological Theory
Cultural Sociology
Sociology of Arts and Architecture
Artistic research
Comparative Institutional Analysis
Qualitative methods

Research Projects

PhD project: Kunstwollen – Between Style and Society. Max Weber’s “Sociology of Cultural Contents (Art, Literature, Worldview)”
Artistic Research Project: Music as a “Toolkit” of Action for Displaced Persons’ Rights (collaboration with PTK)
Project on Creative Methods in Teaching: Theorizing Society: Discovering New Sociological Theories With, Through, and About German Rap (collaboration with PTK)

Recent publications

Buckermann, P., & Barjaktarević, A. (2026). Theories of art biennials and globalization: Symptom, driving force, world event. In P. Kompatsiaris (Ed.), The Routledge companion to art biennials. Routledge.
Sigmund, S., & Barjaktarević, A. (2022). Präsentation auf Zeit – Wirkung auf Dauer. Zur Institutionalisierung einer Idee. In P. Buckermann (Ed.), Die Welten der documenta. Wissen und Geltung eines Großereignisses der Kunst (pp. 207–223). Velbrück Wissenschaft.

Conferences

04.–10.04.2026: “What Does the Soundtrack of Class Warfare Sound Like?”: The Role of Music in Political Action for Refugee Rights, We Want More: Music/Sociology!, Erasmus University Rotterdam (together with PTK)
09.–12.09.2025: On Harmonizing Sociological and Arts-Based Research: The Role of Music in Political Action for Refugee Rights, Creative Methods as Research, University of Warwick (together with PTK)
08.–22.08.2025: Music as “Tool Kit” of Action for Refugee Rights, From Migration to Postmigrant Society: Memory, Identity and Social Inclusion, Lund University (together with PTK)
11.–06.11.2022: documenta and its Charismatic Power to Reinvent itself, „Reinvent Yourself“. Alignment and Resistance in the Arts and Culture Amidst Societal Claims for Change, University of Lucerne

Teaching

Current courses: winter 2025/26

Seminar (B.A.): Visual Sociology of Architecture
Seminar (M.A.): Controversies and Scandals in Art (together with Steffen Sigmund)

- For further information, see: heiCO

Past courses:

German Rap as a Heuristic: Between Sociological and Artistic Research with PTK, together with PTK (summer 2025)
Seminar (B.A.): Neue Heimat and 'good living': A Visual Sociology of Architectural Styles between Politics, Ethics and Utopia with Zara Pfeifer, together with Zara Pfeifer (winter 2024/25)
- - Teaching Award for Innovative Teaching in the Academic Year 2025
Seminar (B.A.): Theorizing German Rap with PTK: A Subculture Between Social Inequality, Distinction, and Commerce, together with PTK (summer 2024)
- - Teaching Award for the Best Course in the Academic Year 2024
  - Teaching Award for Innovative Teaching in the Academic Year 2024
  - Nomination by the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences for the State Teaching Award, Baden-Württemberg
Reading course (B.A.): Theories of Social Differentiation (winter 2023/24)
Research Seminar (B.A.): Art Between the State (Museums), Civil Society (Art Associations), and the Market (Galleries, Fairs), together with Steffen Sigmund (winter 2022/23 and summer 2023)
Seminar (B.A.): Introduction to Cultural Sociology (summer 2023)
Reading course (B.A.): Introduction to Max Weber's Methodology (summer 2023)
Reading course (B.A.): Sociology of the Arts (summer 2023)
Seminar (B.A.): Social Inequality (winter 2022/23)
Reading course (B.A.): Niklas Luhmann (winter 2022/23)
Seminar (B.A.): Welcome to the Science (winter 2022/23)
Research seminar (B.A.): Cultural Re-evaluations, together with Steffen Sigmund (winter 2021/22 and summer 2022)
Seminar (B.A.): Fundamentals of Sociology (winter 2019/20, 2020/21, and 2021/22)

Lectures

06.2026: Theorizing Society: Discovering New Sociological Theories With, Through, and About German Rap Music, Meet2Talk, Heidelberg University (together with PTK)
12.2025: “Demolition in Advance” – Fragility of Architecture, History, and Memories, Heidelberger Kunstverein
12.2022: The Worlds of documenta: Controversies Surrounding a Major Cultural Event, Heidelberger Kunstverein

About the person

since 08/2024: Research Affiliate at Center for Cultural Sociology, Yale University
since 10/2022: Researcher at the Chair of Sociological Theory, Max-Weber-Institute of Sociology, Heidelberg University
03/2022: Master of Arts, Sociology, Heidelberg University
10/2021–10/2022: Researcher at the Chair of Organizational Sociology, Max-Weber-Institute of Sociolog, Heidelberg University
- Misconduct in Organizations: How to Improve Speak-Up Cultures? (until October 2022)
- Main Research Area: Rule-Breaking and Preventive Action Settings (until March 2022)
07/2021: Master of Arts, European Art History, Heidelberg University
10/2019–10/2021: Student research assistant at the Max Weber Institute of Sociology, Heidelberg University
10/2016–07/2020: Student research assistant at the Institute for European Art History, Heidelberg University
10/2018: Bachelor of Arts, European Art History and Sociology, Heidelberg University
2007–2008: Danube scholarship Baden-Württemberg from the "Landesstiftung Baden-Württemberg"