Gender differences, gender orders, gender regimes and gender relations are scientifically challenging and socio-politically hotly contested fields of debate. Worldwide, gender relations are in a process of change characterized by ambivalent and contradictory observations and developments. On the one hand, the erosion of traditional gender orders and the 'female' and 'male' gender images based on them is a widely acknowledged fact. On the other hand, anti-feminist backlash movements contest and fight this fact and advocate a retraditionalization of the gender order.
Central to the analysis of gender relations in the context of current challenges are intersectional perspectives, i.e. the systematic inclusion of different inequalities and their entanglement, transdisciplinary approaches as well as globalization and transnationalization processes, which today in many ways have a decisive influence on the structures and dynamics of gender orders and gender regimes. The GRADE Center Gender addresses this broad range of issues and aims to advance the analysis of these questions through a combination of theoretical and empirical research. With workshops, lecture series, field trips and other activities, GRADE Gender offers a wide range of opportunities to deepen theoretical and methodological competencies in the field of gender studies and gives its members the opportunity to discuss current problems and new research approaches with renowned experts.
Research areas in the field of gender studies include historical and local issues as well as international comparative and postcolonial perspectives. Core areas of gender studies are: Feminist Theory, Queer Theory, Sexuality Studies, Men's and Masculinity Studies, Intersectionality and Diversity Studies, Gender Justice and Equality/Equality, Transnational Migrations and Social Movements, Care/Care and Caring, Critical Media Studies and Transdisciplinary Methods, and Feminist Critique of Science and Technology. GRADE Gender's research program focuses on the study of the category 'gender' in relation to other social categories such as 'race'/ethnicity, social origin, age, and gender. Currently, the following disciplines are represented in GRADE Gender: Education, Film Studies, Human Geography, Jewish Studies, Korean Studies, Art Education, Political Science, Law, Sociology, and Theatre Studies. GRADE Gender is open for further collaborations.