Dr. Kerstin Wolff Will Become an Honorary Professor in Department 05, Social Sciences

Dr. Kerstin Wolff (born 1967) heads the research department of the Archive of the German Women’s Movement (AddF). There, she conducts research on key figures, organizations, theories, and ideas of the German women’s movement between 1848 and 1970. Wolff has been a lecturer at the University of Kassel for many years; since 2018, she has held a permanent position in the Department of Modern and Contemporary History under Prof. Dr. Hubertus Büschel.

Wolff’s professional career began at the Gesamtschule Kassel (now the University of Kassel), where she studied history, political science, and art history. Her thesis , “We Want the Recognition of Housework as a Profession.” The Kassel Housewives’ Association, 1915–1935 was self-published by the AddF in 1995. Between 1995 and 1998, she served as a research assistant to the renowned historian Prof. Dr. Heide Wunder on the research project“Denomination, Religiosity, and Political Action by Women from the Late 16th to the Early 19th Century”at the University of Kassel.

Since 2000, she has been a regular editor of one of the oldest journals on gender history in the Federal Republic of Germany: “Ariadne – Forum for Women’s and Gender History.” Her dissertation,“Stadtmütter.” Bourgeois Women and Their Influence on Local Politics in the 19th Century” was awarded the Elisabeth Selbert Prize by the State of Hesse in 2003.

Wolff has also published numerous monographs. The 2017 publication co-edited with Hedwig Richter,“Women’s Suffrage: The Democratization of Democracy in Germany and Europe”— which served as the basis for the exhibition “Ladies’ Choice! 100 Years of Women’s Suffrage in Germany” at the Frankfurt Historical Museum. Wolff is also active outside the university, including as vice-chair of the Working Group on Historical Women’s and Gender Studies, on the advisory board of the Cemetery of the March Martyrs in Berlin, and on the scholarly advisory board of Hambach Castle.

Background: 

Archive of the German Women’s Movement (AddF) – Research Institute and Documentation Center

The Archive of the German Women’s Movement collects the history of women and women’s movements of the 19th and 20th centuries and makes it available for use by scholars and the interested public. Through its own research projects and dedicated outreach efforts, this important emancipation movement is brought to the public’s attention.

Since 2021, the AddF has been recognized as a “Site of Democratic History” for its commitment. The AddF places special emphasis on the history of the fight for gender equality in the early Federal Republic of Germany led by Elisabeth Selbert, whose estate it preserves.

Contact:

Christina Soose 
AddF – Archive of the German Women’s Movement
Outreach and Public Relations
Tel.: +49 561 989 3670 
Email: soose@addf-kassel.de