Gender and Diversity Research Network
The university-wide Gender and Diversity Research Network is an inter- and trans-disciplinary academic and political network of scholars. It has the following goals:
- Make gender and diversity related research and teaching visible at Leuphana
- Support dialogue and cooperation among academic disciplines at Leuphana University of Lüneburg
- Step up research and teaching on gender and diversity
- Improve the gender and diversity sensitive training of students and early career researchers through the pooling of expertise in these areas
- Network, coordinate and implement inter- and trans-disciplinary research within and beyond Leuphana University of Lüneburg
- Support and develop networking within and beyond the university
- Host guest lectures; conceptualise and implement events, conferences, and colloquia for junior academics
- Introduce issues of gender and diversity to different publics
Current Events
"Unlikely Allies: Middle-Aged Women and the Trans Camera" - Jennifer Evans
Tuesday June 24 (6:15 - 7:45 pm), C 40.704
This paper takes up the parallel lives of two Jewish middle-aged women photographers, one in Italy, the other in Brazil, and the role of their photographs of the Genoa and Sao Paolo trans scenes for the way they presaged the visibility politics of the gay, lesbian, and feminist social movements of the 1970s and 80s. Lisetta Carmi and Madalena Schwartz, refugees who fled the Nazis in the 1930s before working their way into photography late in life, built relationships of intimacy and trust with the trans sex workers and performers they photographed in Italy and Brazil. In the process, they created a new visual language and emotional register for how to think about gender non-conformism long before Robert Mapplethorpe or Nan Goldin turned the camera on their own worlds. Working in the shadow of neo fascism in Italy and dictatorship in Brazil, these stories of kinship and solidarity ask us to consider the connections between the afterlives of the Holocaust and the Sexual Revolution. They unveil new points of contact, new sources of trust and allyship, and new visual and emotional regimes of ethnography and truth telling in a moment of resurgent authoritarianism. Most compellingly, they cast light on new and different actors - on both sides of the lens - whose stories have been undervalued or perhaps, never been told, stories that are all the more vital for us today.
Jennifer Evans is Professor of European History at Carleton University in Ottawa Canada, where she teaches about the history of sexuality, photography, and memory. Her books include Life Among the Ruins: Cityscape and Sexuality in Cold War Berlin (2011) and The Queer Art of History: Queer Kinship After Fascism published in 2023 and recently awarded the German Studies Association Prize for Best Book in Literature and Cultural Studies. She has also co-written Holocaust Memory in the Digital Mediascape with former Carleton students Meghan Lundrigan and Erica Fagen. Her next book, Full Frontal: a New History of the Sexual Revolution, traces the role of image making in this period of social and legal change. In 2026, she will deliver the George Mosse lectures at the University of Wisconsin at Madison on the postwar history of German drag, which was funded by the Humboldt Foundation’s Adenauer Prize.
This public lecture is organised in the context of the Duke University - Leuphana University Gender, Queer and Transgender Studies Workshop for Doctoral Candidates. It is hosted by the Center for Critical Studies (CCS), the Gender and Diversity Research Network, and the DFG Cultures of Critique research training group.
Postsecular Reckonings: Spirituality and Religion in Contemporary Art History and Cultural Studies
Wednesday May 14 (5:00 - 8:00pm) - Thursday May 15 (9:30am - 7:30pm), Kunstraum.
Curated and organised by Sebastián Eduardo Dávila. Hosted by the Kunstraum in cooperation with LIAS and the Gender and Diversity Research Network.
Info: https://kunstraum.leuphana.de/en/events/postsaekulare-auseinandersetzungen
"Queer, Life, Freedom: Archive of Resilience" - Exhibition by Ashkan Shabani
16.04.25 - 10.05.25, Kunstraum
Exhibition opening with a performance by Felix Kindschuh on Weds. 16 April. 6:00 pm.
“Queer, Life, Freedom” is a deeply personal and politically charged exploration of identity, exile, and survival. Inspired by the artist’s own experiences, the exhibition is divided into three spaces—representing Iran, Turkey, and Germany—each reflecting a different phase of the journey from persecution to survival.
The story is an exploration of exile, identity, and survival. This series reflects the emotional and physical journey of a queer individual forced to flee from Iran to Turkey and eventually to Germany in search of safety and acceptance. Through photos, the project captures the raw vulnerability and quiet strength of navigating displacement and reclaiming identity. "Queer, Life, Freedom” is not just a reflection on exile—it is an act of defiance and survival. It challenges the audience to confront the cost of rejection and to imagine a future where acceptance and belonging are universal rights.
Ashkan Shabani is a multimedia journalist specializing in politics, human rights, and global affairs. His work focuses on political developments and LGBTQ+ rights, particularly in the Middle East, delivering compelling storytelling across multiple platforms. With numerous publications in major news outlets and international awards, he brings a deep investigative approach to his reporting. Currently based in Germany, he continues to cover global issues, blending investigative journalism with visual storytelling to engage diverse audiences. Instagram account @shabaniashkan and website here.
Felix Kindschuh is a contemporary artist whose work centers on queer rights, using visual storytelling to explore themes of identity, activism, and social justice. His art challenges societal norms, offering bold and expressive commentary on LGBTQ+ experiences through various mediums, including painting, mixed media, and installations. With a deeply personal yet politically charged approach, his work pushes boundaries, sparks critical conversations, and has been featured in exhibitions internationally.
Opening hours: Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays from 14:00 to 18:00. Visit for groups are possible by appointment at shk.kunstraum@leuphana.de.
The exhibition was curated by Susanne Leeb and Litha Sabelfeld with assistance from Jana Paim.
Language: English
Memberships
LAGEN (Working Group of Institutions for Women’s and Gender Studies in Lower Saxony): The LAGEN newsletter provides news and updates about research, events, calls for papers and job. You can subscribe here.
FG Gender(Gender Studies Association). The Gender Studies Association publishes news and updates here.
AT Gender (The European Association for Gender Research, Education and Documentation). News and updates here.
The Gender and Diversity Research Network is also a member of "Netzwerk deutschsprachige Diversitätsforschung" (Diversitätsforschung D-A-CH). The network facilitates interdisciplinary exchange among scholars of diversity. You can subscribe to the "Netzwerk deutschsprachige Diversitätsforschung" email list here.
GENDER AND DIVERSITY RESEARCH NETWORK SPOKESPEOPLE
Dr. Ben Trott (School of Culture and Society)
ben.trott@leuphana.de
Prof. Dr. Hannah Trittin-Ulbrich (School of Management and Technology)
hannah.trittin@leuphana.de