Research on gender issues has historically been entangled with political struggles. In Germany, women’s studies emerged at the universities in the context of a political women’s movement in the 1970s. The theoretical maturation of gender studies included some distance to societal impact. The institutionalization of gender studies has partly led to a de-politicization of the academic programme. In Egypt, the history of the Egyptian women’s movement and the efforts of individual female activists notwithstanding, gender research remains a highly sensitive issue, as discussions about the position of women in society involve debates about modernity and tradition, social change, national independence and cultural identity. The 8th CTTC examines differences and similarities of the academic approach to gender issues and addresses the challenges of gender research in transition periods. Which kind of role does gender analysis play in current politics and society? How does gender theory change by travelling across borders? How does the on-going transformation process in Egypt affect academic research on sensitive topics like gender issues?

Prof. Dr. Inas Abou-Youssef is Associate Professor at the Journalism Department, Faculty of Mass Communication, Cairo University. Since 2010 she was head of the Women and Media Research Center at Cairo University.

PD Dr. Martha Zapata Galindo is researcher and lecturer on Gender Studies and political Sociology and coordinator of the EU-Alfa III-Project “Development of Policies to Promote Widening Participation and Equal Opportunities in Higher Education Institutions in Latin America” (MISEAL) at the Institute for Latin American Studies of Freie Universität Berlin.

The discussion will be chaired by Prof. Dr. Margreth Lünenborg, Professor of Journalism Studies and Program Director of the Center for the Promotion of Women's and Gender Studies at Freie Universität Berlin.

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