Deze serie duikt in de complexe geschiedenis en het hedendaagse landschap van genderstudies in de Duitstalige wereld. Het onderzoekt hoe genderrollen, identiteiten en seksualiteiten zijn en blijven gevormd, waarbij zowel literaire representaties als bredere maatschappelijke contexten worden belicht. De collectie biedt diepgaande inzichten in kritische debatten en theoretische benaderingen die ons begrip van gender in de Duitse cultuur vormgeven. Het is een essentiële bron voor iedereen die geïnteresseerd is in feministische theorie, queer studies en de Duitse cultuurgeschiedenis.
Exploring the concept of "becoming woman" within neoliberalism and postfeminism, this analysis delves into contemporary representations of girls and young women in literature. It highlights critical themes such as agency, beauty standards, sisterhood, and sexual desire, drawing from works by authors like Helene Hegemann and Caitlin Moran. The text emphasizes the roles of failure, refusal, and anger in female identity formation, while also considering willfulness as a key aspect of female agency. It appeals to scholars in various fields, including feminist and gender studies.
The Western tradition of excluding women from leadership and disparaging their ability to lead has persisted for centuries, not least in Germany. Even today, resistance to women holding power is embedded in literary, cultural, and historical values that presume a fundamental opposition between the adjective "female" and the substantive "leader." Women who do achieve positions of leadership are faced with a panoply of prejudicial misconceptions: either considered incapable of leadership (conceived of as alpha-male behavior), or pigeon-holed as suited only to particular forms of leadership (nurturing, cooperative, egalitarian, communicative, etc.). Focusing on the German-speaking countries, this volume works to dismantle the prevailing disassociation of women and leadership across a range of disciplines. Contributions discuss literary works involving women's political authority and cultivation of community from Maria Antonia of Saxony to Elfriede Jelinek; women's social activism, as embodied by figures from Hedwig Dohm to Rosa Luxemburg; women in political film, environmentalism, neoliberalism, and the media from Leni Riefenstahl to Petra Kelly to Maren Ade; and political leaders Hillary Clinton and Angela Merkel. The essays achieve a deeper understanding of the historical roots and theoretical assumptions that inform ideas and realities of German female leadership
