Dennis Schmidt

How do people deal with information that is highly emotional, determined by a shortage of time, mentions concrete sources of threat, and pushes other communication topics into the background? How do they act when options for action seem unclear, routines questionable, and the reliability of their interaction partners uncertain? How do people experience threatening situations and event constellations? These questions are significant because historical processes become more malleable in 'threatened orders.' New actors emerge, new ideas gain importance, and new scripts for action are developed. People recognize seemingly fragile forms of previously unquestioned orders; they reassess and renegotiate causalities, hierarchies, and normalities. They see new horizons of possibility, some fearful, some confident. What frightens some gives hope to others. 'Threatened orders' have the potential for rapid social change.