It is now almost impossible to imagine research in the humanities without perspectives on gender history. Nevertheless, pregnancy, childbirth and care work in particular remain somewhat marginalised as subjects within historical scholarship. The situation is similar with regard to cultures of motherhood, fatherhood and parenthood, which have only received increased attention in comprehensive studies and empirical case studies over the last decade. This doctoral project aims to examine pregnancy advice guides more closely as a platform for the negotiation of gender-, role- and body-specific normative ideas. In particular, the aim is to use advisory text formats to highlight how pregnancy, birth and parenthood are embedded in diverse political, economic and socio-cultural contexts, and to demonstrate, through key areas of tension guiding the analysis, that what was considered acceptable at various points in time repeatedly became the subject of renewed negotiation. Adopting a methodological approach to self-help books – a source genre that has tended to be neglected, particularly in contemporary historical research – whilst focusing on the rather loosely defined ‘long’ 1960s, appears sensible for several reasons. The period from the late 1950s into the early 1970s was one of upheaval and transformation, characterised by political and socio-cultural dynamics of change, increasing trends towards democratisation and apparent effects of liberalisation. The rise in female labour force participation, greater reproductive freedoms and increasingly vocal demands for greater emancipatory self-determination had, during these years, brought about lasting changes to the prevailing (gender) relations and also vehemently challenged traditional role models. At the same time, in the 1960s, popular cultural offerings and consumption practices began to gradually diversify. This applies to self-help formats as well as to other media ensembles. The project therefore also focuses on the processes of transformation within the genre itself and, in particular, on the question of the extent to which the boundaries of what could be said and shown shifted in relation to the representation and interpretation of pregnancy.

Sarah Alyssa May (she/her, Research Assistant at the Chair of 19th and 20th Century German and European History (Department: History of the 19th–21st Centuries) at the University of Oldenburg; Master’s degree in History from a European Perspective; Bachelor’s degree in History-Oriented Cultural Studies (minor: British and American Cultural Studies); Main research focuses: European contemporary history, women’s and gender history, history of popular culture, history of the body, history of European integration, transnational history.

STEFANIE BEINERT, Health Services Research (OL): Fighting the Gender Leadership Gap: An Approach to Localising Gender-Transformative Leadership in German Hospitals

INTRODUCTION: The relative absence of women from decision-making and leadership roles represents a significant barrier to gender equity within the healthcare workforce. The causes of these obstacles and inequalities are well established, but research lacks recommendations for action by public health leaders. Therefore, the study aimed to describe the lived experiences of the gender leadership gap in German hospitals and explore how leaders can advance gender equity. The research also examined whether Gender Transformative Leadership is applicable in the German hospital setting.

METHODS: This phenomenological qualitative study involved fourteen leaders and staff members, including both women and men. Purposeful sampling techniques and individual in-depth qualitative interviews were used. The interviews were analysed using content analysis in MAXQDA.

RESULTS: The overarching societal relevance and power imbalances became apparent, and the managerial operational field continues to be skewed in favour of men and behaviours associated with the masculine gender stereotype. Action is required at various levels and should be implemented through top-down measures. Bottom-up approaches are equally relevant, as personal attitudes must change. Participatory approaches are key, not only to include women. The study identified the influential role of leaders as agents of change and the potential of Gender Transformative Leadership. Difficulties arise in translating the concept into everyday practice, but it serves as a starting point. DISCUSSION: Gender equity appears to be caught between individual responsibility and institutionalised disadvantages. The driving force for change lies in recognising women in the health sector not only as service providers but as equally important decision-makers. Hospitals must build on and develop the potential of all individuals and create conditions in which leaders of all genders are afforded equal opportunities for success. In addition to structural barriers, this entails adopting different selection criteria for leadership positions to combat bias. Educational requirements should be redesigned and made more flexible to enable women to attain leadership positions. A focus on the relationship between leaders and followers is needed to enhance shared responsibility, and the gender mainstreaming process begins with gender training for as many people as possible. Gender Transformative Leadership serves as a tool to pave the way for the full-scale implementation of gender equity and hospitals’ ability to respond to the workforce shortage.
KEYWORDS: Gender equity, gender equality, women, leadership, hospitals, Gender Transformative Leadership

Stefanie Beinert (she/her) is a research assistant at Oldenburg University Hospital in the field of healthcare research. She is involved in the Interreg project ‘xPEDition Schmerz’, which focuses on cross-border approaches to pain prevention. Her research focus is on gender and diversity issues in the healthcare sector, particularly the operationalisation of gender perspectives in health interventions. She is currently working on her PhD on the topic of the gender pain gap and how participatory approaches can strengthen diversity perspectives within the campaign. She previously worked in the ambulance service before going on to study for a Bachelor’s degree in Public Health in Bremen. In her Bachelor’s thesis, she examined the gender data gap in the diagnosis and treatment of coronary heart disease in women. After completing a dual Master’s degree in Health Economics and Management (University of Bremen) and European Public Health (Maastricht University), Stefanie focused her Master’s thesis on gender-transformative leadership in German hospitals. In her previous role, she worked as a project manager for health projects in development policy, where she designed gender mainstreaming concepts for the projects and, together with the Gender Working Group, developed initiatives, concepts and tips for practical implementation in line with feminist foreign policy. Stefanie brings extensive experience from intercultural and gender-equitable projects, including teaching on diversity and inclusion in the healthcare sector, and is committed to gender-equitable healthcare.

DAYLINE MARTHA WITTJE, Education (OL): Gender differences in ADHD? A literature-based analysis

This document presents a preliminary abstract of Dayline Martha Wittje’s Bachelor’s thesis in the subject of Education, entitled ‘Gender differences in ADHD? A literature-based analysis’. The thesis is due at the end of February, which is why a presentation would only cover the current status of the process and the findings. This content focuses on the fundamentals of ADHD and the current research findings and discourse regarding gender differences in ADHD.

Problem and research question: Until the 1990s, ADHD was regarded as a condition affecting only boys (cf. Konrad & Günther, 2007, p. 237). Today, boys are still diagnosed much more frequently, although the prevalence among adult men and women is converging (cf. Neuy-Lobkowicz, 2023b, pp. 21ff.; Schmid et al., 2020, p. 6). The first appearance of symptoms in childhood is a diagnostic criterion (see WHO, 2024), which is why women who were diagnosed in adulthood remained undiagnosed during childhood. This circumstance has serious consequences for many of those affected. One of many factors that contributes to gender bias is described by Hörsting (2019) as follows: “ADHD symptoms that are more commonly regarded as typical in boys (high levels of motor activity, being loud, causing friction, acting impulsively) are more readily perceived as inappropriate and disruptive in girls and are subject to external structuring and regulation at an earlier stage.” (p. 10) This raises the following question: What gender differences does ADHD research highlight, and what implications might gender-specific socialisation processes have on the manifestation of ADHD symptoms? Contents: Overall, this bachelor’s thesis focuses on three main areas: the fundamentals of ADHD, studies on gender differences, and socialisation processes as an explanatory framework for behavioural differences. The thesis begins with an examination of the fundamentals of ADHD. Key terms at this stage are: definition, classification, symptoms, prevalence and contributing factors. Subsequently, (in some cases contradictory) study findings on gender differences in ADHD are compiled. Varying gender dynamics, differences in diagnostic criteria and variations in symptom severity are discussed. A key aspect will also be the comparison of comorbid secondary disorders across genders. The third focus area deals with socialisation theories and processes that influence (often gender-typical) learned behaviours. Internalised and externalised patterns appear to contribute to the (in)visibility of ADHD. Furthermore, the core symptoms of ADHD will be analysed in relation to stereotypical gender roles. In addition to these key areas, the importance of gender medicine will be highlighted at the outset, and terms such as sex and gender will be defined. Finally, the educational relevance of the entire content will be explained. Note: Due to the current state of research, this analysis can only take the binary gender system into account; consequently, only female and male genders are referred to.

References:
Hörsting, A.-K. (2019). ADHD in women. Similar prevalence, but often a late diagnosis. HAUSARZT PRAXIS, 14(12), 8–13.
Konrad, K. & Günther, T. (2007). Causes of gender differences in the prevalence of attention
deficit/hyperactivity disorder. In Lautenbacher, Stefan, Güntürkün, Onur & M. Hausmann (Eds.),
Brain and Gender. Neuroscience of the Small Difference between Women and Men (pp. 223–240).
Heidelberg: Springer Medizin.
Neuy-Lobkowicz, A. (2023b). Gender differences in adults with ADHD. neuro aktuell, 3, 20–24. WHO:
World Health Organisation. (2024). ICD-11 for Mortality and Morbidity Statistics. 6A05 Attention deficit hyper
activity disorder. Available at: icd.who.int/browse/2024-01/mms/en [last acc
essed on 1 June 2024].

Dayline Martha Wittje (no/she) completed an apprenticeship as a nursery teacher after leaving school and immediately went on to study for a Bachelor’s degree in the subject of Education. Alongside her studies, she worked in a crèche and a residential care home for young people.

LISA-MARIA HERMES, Art and Media Studies (OL): Textile Media and Strategies of Crafting & Queering in Ben Cueva’s performance piece ‘Jockstrap’ (2014)

When discussing textile media and aspects of crafting in the context of art and visual culture, gender attributions play a decisive role, which is why these techniques were long dismissed as staid, decorative or kitsch. (In German, ‘craft’ is often translated as ‘Handarbeit’ or ‘Handwerk’, and is thus understood as an artistic or craft-based practice characterised by specific materials and techniques.) However, recent research highlights the potential inherent in crafting strategies not only for feminist but also for queer approaches, and demonstrates how artistic works can subvert notions of craft and the associated norms of gender, sexuality, class and race. Focusing precisely on these points of connection and their ‘productive reciprocity’ (Sandahl), the planned lecture will discuss the relevance of craft in the context of queering art by examining a work by the artist Ben Cuevas. The performance piece *Jockstrap* (2014), which has been staged at venues including the Queer Biennial in Miami, shows Cuevas naked in the process of knitting a so-called jockstrap in a men’s changing room. Through this ‘moment of disruption’, Cuevas opens up reflections on the performativity of gender, the gendering of bodies, places and actions, as well as on the processual nature and ‘craftiness’ of conceptions of identity. These and other aspects will be analysed in the lecture – following a brief introduction to the concepts of ‘queer’/‘queering’ and ‘craft’/‘crafting’ – using an interdisciplinary methodological approach drawing, amongst other things, on methods from queer theory and performance art. The lecture thus aims to bring precisely those thematic areas and artistic positions into the discourse surrounding gender and queer theory which have hitherto received little attention due to their historical links to notions of femininity and ‘low art’. This will then be used to explore both the diverse connections between approaches to queering and crafting and alternative modes of visibility and representation.

Lisa-Maria Hermes ( she/her) I began my studies at the University of Oldenburg with a dual-subject Bachelor’s degree in German and English in the winter semester of 2015/16. In the winter semester of 2016/17, I changed my subject combination and continued my studies with a dual-subject Bachelor’s degree in Art & Media and History. As a sort of ‘further study semester’, I undertook a dual-degree programme in 2017, spending a semester studying Art History and Ancient & Oriental Studies at LMU Munich to deepen my knowledge of art history. I obtained my Bachelor’s degree in the winter semester of 2020/2021 at the University of Oldenburg, having written my Bachelor’s thesis on the topic ‘“Stitching a feminist art meme” – An analysis of the multimedia elements in Hannah Hill’s The Arthur Meme (2016)’.Originally, this course was geared towards a teaching qualification for upper secondary schools; however, I decided to pursue the non-teaching Master’s in Art and Media Studies at the University of Oldenburg in the summer semester of 2021. I am currently in the process of completing this Master’s degree and am writing my Master’s thesis entitled “Queering the Craft & Crafting the Queer. Ben Cuevas: Textile Media and Strategies of Queering & Crafting in Contemporary Art”. Alongside my studies, I have been working as a tutor since 2018 on both the Bachelor’s programme in Art & Media and the Master’s programme in Art and Media Studies, and have also been working as a student assistant to Prof. Dr Barbara Paul since 2021. Outside the university, I have been giving courses and lectures on handicraft techniques and historical clothing as a lecturer at the Wilhelmshaven Adult Education Centre (VHS) since 2023; as part of this, I was also involved in the ‘Theaterfabrik’ project in collaboration with the Wilhelmshaven Theatre, serving as head of the costume workshop.

MARIE LEUTHOLD, Museum and Exhibition (OL): Honour, Home, and Heart’s Dole: A corpus-linguistics-based analysis of the portrayal of interpersonal relationships and gendered agency across the works of Tolkien and the historical works that inspired them.

(EN) Tolkien’s works have been extensively researched, but not to the same extent as the historical works that inspired them. This analysis compares a corpus of the works published by Tolkien himself (as well as the posthumous *Silmarillion*) with a corpus compiled from (early) medieval works that are known to have influenced him. The focus of this dialectical analysis is on interpersonal relationships, particularly in times of war or social conflict, and the agency of characters as determined by gender ascriptions. The methodological approach therefore relies on corpus-assisted discourse analysis and frame semantics to examine the most frequent roles of family members in honour-based conflicts. Overall, character agency according to gender varied greatly, as did the assigned roles in times of conflict. Tolkien’s characters typically adhere more closely to (what is now termed) ‘traditional’ gender roles than those in the medieval corpus. However, particularly in times of (lethal) conflict, the characters in the historical corpus display a code of honour linked to the corpus-specific concept of masculinity, which is rather rarely found in Tolkien’s works. Arguably, societal structures – and consequently gender roles, with their codes of honour and conduct – permeate fictional literature, making it a reflection of the author’s historical context.

(DE) J.R.R. Tolkien’s works are heavily based on his interest in (early) medieval works. In order to analyse the influence and differences of these works on the relationship structures and gender roles in Tolkien’s published works, two diachronic corpora were compiled. These consist of works published during Tolkien’s lifetime and medieval epics that are known to have influenced his works. The analysis focuses on social conflicts and the characters’ scope for action based on ascribed gender roles. Methodologically, Critical Discourse Analysis, underpinned by a quantitative corpus-linguistic analysis, is therefore appropriate for understanding the roles of various social actors in the context of conflicts, particularly in relation to their respective codes of honour. Generally speaking, there were significant variations in individual agency between the corpora and the groups of actors. Tolkien’s characters generally exhibited a more restrictive understanding of gender roles than those from the medieval corpus. The latter, by contrast, exhibited—particularly during periods of physical conflict—a rigid code of honour that is closely interwoven with the corpus-specific concept of masculinity and rarely appears in Tolkien’s works. Overall, the emergence of codes of honour and conduct, as well as social structures – particularly gender roles – from the period in which they originated, is evident in Tolkien’s literary works, even though these appear to be deliberately modelled on historical sources.

Marie Leuthold (she/her) is a third-semester student on the Master’s programme in Museum and Exhibition Studies at the University of Oldenburg. Her research interests include linguistic analysis, digital humanities and the study of everyday history. The combination of these interests gave rise to a quantitative and qualitative analysis of J.R.R. Tolkien’s life’s work in comparison with his historical influences, with particular attention paid to the characters’ agency based on their assigned gender.

Dating back to Aristotle, melancholia has often been associated with both insanity and sublime artistic creation. However, it has primarily been male writers who have been acknowledged for transforming the burden of this melancholic state into poetry and prose, and therefore recognised as great artists. In contrast, women’s literary expressions, such as those of Sylvia Plath — whose work is frequently linked to depression — are often interpreted more as expressions of their psychiatric conditions rather than as autonomous works of art. My presentation aims to demonstrate how Plath, by embracing melancholic themes in her poetry, positions herself within a previously male-dominated literary tradition. In Plath scholarship, her reduction to a clinical case and the question of her suicide seem to overshadow an analysis of her poetry as a literary testimony. By reading Plath as a melancholic writer – and perhaps a theorist of melancholia and loss – an alternative interpretation will be presented in opposition to the aforementioned trend in the reception of her body of work. Sylvia Plath is recognised as part of the confessional poetry genre, which emerged in the 1950s and features deeply personal experiences. However, these experiences cannot be divorced from the broader cultural context, especially for female poets who were largely excluded from the artistic sphere. To illustrate how Plath claims her place as a writer of melancholia within this male-dominated tradition, I shall adopt a dialectical approach to her biographical details. This will enable an exploration of how she uses personal and unconscious fantasies to subvert the cultural context in which she writes. By contrasting Sigmund Freud’s influential psychoanalytic theory of melancholia with Plath’s poetic treatment of the subject, I will critically evaluate how Freud, along with the wider culture, constructs the concept of melancholia in a gendered manner, and thus reinforces the dichotomy that views melancholia in men as revealing universal truths, whilst melancholia in women is often regarded as mere clinical depression. Following a brief overview of the patriarchal cultural climate, I will analyse Plath’s poem *The Colossus* through the lens of the psychoanalytic concept of melancholia, demonstrating how the speaker’s ego is overshadowed by melancholic darkness whilst metaphorically carrying out grief work. Following this close reading, I will explore what is ultimately lost in Plath’s work and how her writing engages with cultural traditions, claiming a space historically reserved for male writers. Building on Freud’s idea that melancholia results from a failure to properly mourn a lost person or thing, I will argue that, if collective memory and mourning are closely intertwined, one must consider the historical and political dimensions of poetry alongside autobiographical elements. In doing so, I will show that the failure of narrative memory in *The Colossus* implies a failure in the work of mourning, for this work cannot be effectively carried out under the constraints of patriarchal culture. As a result, it transforms into melancholia, since the act of mourning in writing has not been designated for the female poet.

Clara Schilling (she/her) studied social sciences from 2017 to 2022 and, since 2018, has been studying philosophy and North American Studies in Göttingen. Since 2018, she has been a scholarship holder at the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation and has been enrolled on the Master’s programme in Philosophy in Oldenburg since the winter semester of 2022. His research focus lies on the intersections of gender, psychoanalysis, literary studies and critical theory.

In recent years, developments in postcolonial theory within academia and society have led to calls for a state-sanctioned culture of remembrance of German colonialism. Michael Rothberg’s concept of multidirectional memory played a key role in this debate – also known as the ‘Historians’ Dispute 2.0’ – which aims to resolve the perceived competition between victim groups in contemporary memory culture and to enable different memories to influence one another productively. Multidirectional memory is intended to lead to the articulation of justice and representation for marginalised groups. In the planned lecture, Rothberg’s concept will be brought together with existing conflicts in the memory of the persecution of lesbian women* and trans* people under National Socialism, and its applicability and limitations will be examined. Through a critical analysis of queer Holocaust research, gaps will be identified that are crucial to understanding the debate surrounding the installation of a memorial sphere for lesbian prisoners at Ravensbrück. From an intersectional and gender-critical perspective, the construction of a rivalry between the memories of the persecution of various queer identities under National Socialism will be analysed. The subsequent critical reflection on the concept of multidirectionality and its application to the debate on queer memory culture aims to provide new impetus for this debate.

Celine Dosch (she/her) is studying for a Master’s degree in Sociology at Goethe University Frankfurt and the University of Bern, specialising in Gender Studies. Her particular interests include cultures of remembrance, (queer) Holocaust research, feminist theory and queer theory.

The city of Oldenburg currently has a number of issues to address at the level of cultural policy. Alongside the debates surrounding the namesake of the Edith Russ House, the artist Bernhard Winter – who was stripped of his honorary citizenship of Oldenburg this year – is also at the centre of the controversy. Both are the subject of criticism due to their activities during the Nazi era. Civil society groups are calling for a re-examination and critical reflection on the presentation of these artists and cultural figures in the city. This provides an opportunity to explore Bernhard Winter and his art from both the perspectives of remembrance policy and art history. One of the artist’s works draws on a historical theme that has shaped the Weser-Ems region: the Stedinger Peasants’ Wars. Alongside street names such as Stedinger Straße, the subject has returned to the public debate, particularly following the opening of the ‘Stedingsehre’ open-air stage documentation and information centre and a so-called ‘Stedinger walk’ organised by neo-Nazi groups. The series *Die Stedinger. Historical Account by Bernhard Winter tells the story of the Steding peasantry through a völkisch and National Socialist lens. According to this thesis, the peasants are portrayed as ‘their own Germanic ancestors’, who were destroyed by misguided Christianity and a manipulated Church. This ‘historical’ narrative thus serves as evidence and a forward-looking reminder of an anti-Semitic conspiracy seeking to destroy the ‘Aryan national soul’. My research, employing the method of critical representation, examines the gendered content of the series of images. Gender, as a social construct and performative practice, functions in this research as a category of analysis to examine the representation of femininity and, furthermore, to draw conclusions about völkisch-National Socialist ideologies that are established and conveyed through this representation. The series was first published in 1933 and reprinted a year later by the Ludendorff Verlag, a publisher known for its nationalist leanings. A third edition was published in 1986, some time after the end of the Nazi era. Apart from a High German explanation of the works by the artist himself, nothing was changed in the latest edition. The analysis examines the extent to which racial-biological anti-Semitism is evident even without such an explanation. Among other things, it addresses the conception of the female body as a ‘national body’, the representation of women as bearers of the identity of an ‘Aryan-Germanic race’, the links to völkisch religiosity, and the representation of women as a means of communication for hegemonic masculinity.

Sabrina Mudrak (she/her) is currently completing her dual-subject Bachelor’s degree in Art and Media/Gender Studies at the University of Oldenburg. From this semester onwards, she is also enrolled on the Master’s programme in Museum and Exhibition Studies.

“Diversity holds as many treasures as those awaiting us on other worlds. We will find it impossible to fear diversity and to step into the future at the same time.”

– Gene Rodenberry, creator of Star Trek

The issue of gender and sexual diversity affects pupils directly or indirectly, both in their everyday lives and at school. According to a study by IPSOS (2024), around 17 per cent of 16–28-year-olds across 28 countries identify as gay, bisexual, pansexual or asexual, or as neither male nor female. This means that, statistically speaking, there are queer pupils (whether out or not) in every class. Furthermore, more than half of all queer children and young people report having been insulted, verbally abused or ridiculed in educational or work settings, and one in ten report having been physically attacked or beaten up (cf. Krell & Oldemeier, 2015, p. 22). Addressing gender and sexual diversity in the classroom can help to reduce this very discrimination through education (see Krell & Oldemeier, 2015, p. 31ff.). Both of these reasons are sufficient grounds for teachers to engage with the topics of gender and sexual diversity and to discuss them with their pupils. Furthermore, the core curriculum on values and norms aims to enable pupils to “develop a stable sense of self that affirms their own personality and is capable of meeting interpersonal and societal demands, both now and in the future” (Core Curriculum on Values and Norms, Secondary Level I, 2017, p. 6). The development of a stable sense of self that affirms one’s own personality also involves addressing gender and sexual diversity, as highlighting different realities of life contributes to the formation of one’s own identity (cf. Federal Centre for Health Education, 2011, p. 24). In terms of content, the topic of gender and sexual diversity should also be addressed in every two-year cohort from Year 7 through to upper secondary level (cf. Core Curriculum: Values and Norms, Lower Secondary Level, 2017; Core Curriculum: Values and Norms, Secondary Level II, 2018). Philosophising through films (and TV series) brings abstract philosophical issues to life and offers opportunities to engage with problems through fictional characters, thereby making different perspectives more accessible. The science fiction series *Star Trek* depicts a world set in the future – and thus somewhat distant – yet one that remains within the realm of the conceivable (see Hansemann, 2013, p. 7). The 17th episode of the fifth season, ‘Forbidden Love’, from *Star Trek: The Next Generation*, for example, offers the opportunity to experience the theme of gender and sexual diversity in a practical way whilst getting to know oneself better, and is therefore more relevant today than ever. In the episode, the crew of the starship Enterprise help members of an androgynous species, the J’naii, to find a missing shuttle. In the process, Riker, the Enterprise’s first officer, works alongside Soren, a member of the J’naii, and a romantic relationship develops between the two. It becomes clear that Soren identifies as female and is attracted to Riker. However, the J’naii regard identification with a binary gender as an illness that must be cured. The rest of the episode raises fascinating questions about gender stereotyping, sexual orientation, conversion therapy, the distinction between sex, gender and gender expression, (internal and external) coming out, life in a ‘genderless’ world, and much more. The aim of this project will be to design two teaching modules that address some of these topics, thereby facilitating a dialogue with pupils about gender and sexual diversity. The talk will include a brief introduction to philosophising with Star Trek, as well as an (interactive) presentation of these modules and their pedagogical background, and, where appropriate, further fascinating insights into the theme of gender in Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Marvin Laesecke ( he/him) 2018–2024: volunteered in children’s and youth education with the Association of Christian Scouts, including in the Federal Working Group on Queer Scouting. Since 2020, a dual-subject Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Philosophy, aiming to become a teacher at the University of Oldenburg