This paper investigates the transnational history of the feminist self-help handbook Our Bodies, Ourselves in the 1970s and 1980s. It follows sociologist Kathy Davis’s approach of investigating feminism as an epistemological project and examines from a history of knowledge perspective how concepts of feminist self-help travelled across the Atlantic.
By taking the chapters on birth control as case studies, this paper will compare the German adaptions and translations of Our Bodies, Ourselves to the American versions and examine how different themes evolved regarding the handbooks’ position towards scientific knowledge, physicians as experts and the pharmaceutical industry.

• Author: Claudia Roesch, German Historical Institute (Web)
• Comment: Jennifer Nelson, University of Redlands

This semiar is a hybrid event, and you can choose to attend online or in-person at the MHS. The virtual program will be hosted on the video conference platform Zoom. Link to the registration online or in person (Web). Registrants will receive a confirmation message with attendance information.
The History of Women, Gender, & Sexuality Seminar-Series (Web)
The History of Women, Gender, & Sexuality Seminar-series ist hosted by the Massachusetts Historical Society.
It invites you to join the conversation. The seminar brings together a diverse group of scholars and interested members of the public to workshop pre-circulated papers. After brief remarks from the author and an assigned commentator, the discussion is opened to the floor. All are encouraged to ask questions, provide feedback on the circulated essay, and discuss the topic at hand. The session is free and open to everyone.