After studying sociology, law, and psychology at the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg and the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU), I completed my PhD at LMU in 2011 with a dissertation on the sociology of political parties. Since then, LMU has been my home base, punctuated by visiting professorships and guest lectureships in Bielefeld, Erfurt, Vienna, and Paris, among other places.