To raise the profile of gender research at the University of Bonn, the Gender Equality Office awards the Gender Studies Prize once a year in recognition of exceptional theses and doctoral theses that tackle an issue taken from the fields of gender or queer studies. This year, the award plus €500 in prize money went to three bachelor’s graduates from the University of Bonn:
- Joline Kretschmer, for her Philosophy thesis entitled “Gender as deeply diverse. How to dissolve the gender category dilemma”
- Marina Krambrich, for her Philosophy thesis entitled “Das Spiel der Philosophie. Eine empirische Untersuchung geschlechtsspezifischer Narrative von der akademischen Philosophie unter Studierenden in Bonn” (“The Game of Philosophy. An Empirical Study of Gender-Specific Narratives of Academic Philosophy Among Students in Bonn”)
- Benedikt Johannes Gnosa, for his German Language and Literature thesis entitled “Vestimentärer Geschlechterwechsel – Die verkleidete Herzogin Alheyt und die Grenzen der Männlichkeit im Herzog Herpin” (“Sartorial Gender Switch – Duchess Alheyt in Disguise and the Limits of Masculinity in Herzog Herpin”)
A total of sixteen theses from seven departments were submitted to a jury comprising Professor Sabine Sielke (Department of English, American, and Celtic Studies at the University of Bonn), Professor Nadine Marquardt (Geography), Professor Andreas Krebs (Department of Old Catholic Studies), and AOR Dr. Silke Meyer (Department of English, American, and Celtic Studies at the University of Bonn).
First ever Maria von Linden Prize awarded
The Maria von Linden Prize was awarded for the first time this year. With nominations invited every two years, it rewards outstanding commitment to gender equality and can be given to groups as well as individuals.
This year’s prize went to Paula Heidemeyer, who organized a series of workshops in the Department of Psychology on opposing discrimination and promoting gender equality and diversity. These workshops were intended to raise awareness of gender equality and discrimination among members of the department.
The award takes its name from Maria Gräfin von Linden (1869–1936), who became the first woman in Germany to be awarded the title of “Scientiae Naturalis Doctor” in 1895 and was the University of Bonn’s first honorary professor. As well as being a pioneer in women’s studies and someone who still had to fight hard for her right to an academic career, she also spent her life campaigning for women’s rights and gender equality.
“Gender studies and gender equality policy have always enjoyed a close, symbiotic relationship,” explains Sandra Hanke, Central Gender Equality Commissioner at the University of Bonn. “With our two prizes, we’re raising the profile of those people who are committed to improving gender equality at the University of Bonn together with us, both in specific projects and in how they are enriching the theoretical foundations of our work.”
More information on the awards is available on the Gender Equality Office website: https://www.gleichstellung.uni-bonn.de/de/foerderung/gender-studies-prize-2021/gender-studies-prize-2021
Contact:
Natascha Compes
Gender Equality Office
Phone: +49 228 73-2965
Email: compes@zgb.uni-bonn.de
