Sociologist David Kretschmer Has Been Awarded the 2024 Lorenz-von-Stein Prize

Sociologist David Kretschmer has been awaeded this year’s Lorenz von Stein Prize for his outstanding thesis titled “Gender(ed) Segregation? Gender, Gender-Related Norms, and the Interreligious and Cross-Gender Friendships of Muslim Youth in Germany.”

In his dissertation Kretschmer investigates the social dynamics affecting friendships of Muslim youth in Germany. It explores how gender and religious norms shape the formation of interreligious and cross-gender friendships. Through a detailed analysis of social interaction patterns, the author identifies significant (gender) disparities influenced by cultural and religious factors. The research highlights the challenges Muslim youth face in forming diverse social networks and suggests that entrenched norms significantly impact their social integration and the broader intercultural dialogue in German society.

“David’s dissertation makes an important contribution to the research area on migration and integration in modern societies,” said Prof. Thomas Gschwend, Ph.D. in his laudatio.

David Kretschmer not only completed his bachelor's and master's degrees at the University of Mannheim, but also remained with the University as a research associate at the Mannheim Centre for European Social Research (MZES). Since 2023, he has been working as a Postdoctoral Prize Research Fellow at Nuffield College, University of Oxford.

The Lorenz von Stein Foundation annually honors the best dissertation from the School of Social Sciences at the University of Mannheim. The prize money is 1,000 euros.