Search

Personal papers such as diaries or memoirs are established sources for historical, cultural and literary research. Special archival collections have been built up over the past decades. Depending on the focus of the content, these collections are composed very differently. With an intersectional approach, some of these differences are presented in this article: Are women and men documented differently in collections of personal papers from artists, scientists or politicians? How is the gender comparison in collections with an everyday history approach? Are women and men possibly represented here with different auto/biographical formats? And what about members of different social classes? Are there also diaries of workers or servants in the archives? The systematic comparison exposes structural inequalities in archival collections and thus shows the direct effects of documentation policies that have a lasting influence on which sources are ultimately available to research – and which are not. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The debate on gender-inclusive and discrimination-sensitive use of language, that has taken place in German-speaking universities for many years, raises fundamental ethical questions. This paper discusses the possibilities of acting in and with langu- age and examines the individual responsibility of language use. The paper argues for a reflexive and thoughtful approach to language preconditions, that leads to a deeper understanding of the importance of gender representations in language. It proclaims language as a central field of action for gender equality and antidiscrimination work at universities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]