Jan Simon Karstens, Eva Seemann, and Hannah Tulay, German Historical Institute Paris (Web)
Time: 29.05.2026
Venue: Paris – and virtuel space
Proposals by: 31.01.2026
It is indisputable that experiences of mobility and migration have been part of the reality of life for many women and girls – not only in recent history. The mobility of women, whether as daughters, wives, or widows, as workers, nuns, entrepreneurs, or activists, was associated not only with gender-specific expectations, but often also with specific experiences that varied depending on factors such as social and geographical origin, status, age, religious, ethnic, and family affiliation.
The planned workshop at the German Historical Institute in Paris picks up on this and asks how historical actors reflected on, interpreted, and communicated experiences of mobility that contradicted previous expectations. We want to engage in a trans-epochal dialogue and therefore invite contributions from the early modern period to contemporary history.
The history of gender-specific mobility, especially female mobility, has become an established topic of historical research over the past twenty years. In contrast to older assumptions, recent research has not only revealed the extensive extent of female mobility but has also highlighted the wide range of different experiences of women and girls. The spectrum ranges from female educational and marital mobility, to urban-rural migration of female servants and other forms of labor mobility, to mobility in the context of family migration or political activism, whether in local or cross-border settings. Recent work has mostly emphasized female agency and the opportunities and possibilities associated with mobility, such as securing a livelihood, social advancement, and self-determination. However, women’s mobility often came with particular constraints, challenges, and disappointments that influenced their experiences and decision-making processes and, in turn, shaped future expectations and retrospective memories. Explicit forms of forced mobility (e.g., expulsion, flight, slavery) are not to be included here.
The tension that arises between individual and societal expectations and contradictory experiences will be explored in greater depth during the workshop. The expectations and experiences of Continue reading

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