Completed projects

In good company

Doing exclusivity as a mode of reproducing social inequalities, using the example of service clubs and aristocratic associations

As part of this DFG project, Dr. Käthe von Bose examined clubs and associations that are not accessible to everyone and are considered "elitist." The ethnographic project investigated how belonging is established in these contexts and what role exclusivity plays in this process. The aim was to find out whether and how the "doing exclusivity" of clubs and associations contributes to the creation and maintenance of social inequalities and the construction of social "elites."

ForGenderCare

Against the backdrop of intense social dynamics such as demographic change and globalization processes, the issue of care is increasingly becoming a key socio-political challenge. Particularly in light of changing gender relations, the question of who provides care for whom and in what way is increasingly becoming the focus of social debate.

The ForGenderCare research network addresses the complexity of Bavaria's regions and social structures. The analyses will always focus on Bavaria in order to explore specific Bavarian needs, characteristics, and development potential.

A total of 12 research projects at universities and colleges throughout Bavaria received over €3 million in funding for a period of four years; the disciplines ranged from medicine, technology, and engineering to business administration/management, education, social work, media studies, history, sociology, and philosophy.

Subproject TP12, entitled "Not today, and if so, then in the countryside—young adults' (in Bavaria) ideas about the organization of care," was led by Prof. Dr. Paula-Irene Villa Braslavsky.

"A new maid culture is emerging"
LMU Newsroom interviews Prof. Dr. Paula-Irene Villa Baslavsky

ForGenderCare was part of LMU Munich. Dr. Susanne Schmitt took over as managing director of the research network. Prof. Dr. Paula-Irene Villa Braslavsky was spokesperson together with Prof. Dr. Thiessen (HAW Landshut).

Women in architecture

A preliminary study for the development of a third-party funded research project on gender-equitable changes in architecture that are relevant to the discipline (gender equity in architecture)

The study "Gender Equality in Architecture" examined where female architects are headed and whether there is a structural drop-out that, due to exclusion mechanisms rooted in the culture of the profession, prevents women from establishing themselves in their profession or advancing to leadership positions. Existing data and statistics were analyzed and interpreted for this purpose. Expert interviews were used to gain a deeper insight into the professional culture. Female and male architects from different employment situations were interviewed, as well as people who studied architecture but do not work in the profession. The multitude and diversity of open research questions demonstrates the need for further research. At the same time, the empirical and quantitative evidence of the study and its visualization make it very clear that gender in the architectural profession is an issue that cannot be resolved simply by waiting. The available information must already serve as an incentive for change and the development of a new culture in the architectural industry.

Nutrition, Health, and Social Order in Modern Times

Germany and the USA in comparison

Nutrition and food are not merely aimed at providing the body with adequate nutrients; fitness and self-optimization also play a central role in the relationship between the individual and society. The interdisciplinary team from the humanities, social sciences, and health sciences will use the examples of the United States and the Federal Republic of Germany to examine the significance of nutrition and health for the order of modern societies from the 19th century to the present.

A quantitative and qualitative socio-historical approach was used to identify transnational dependencies and national, regional, and local characteristics. The results are incorporated into various publications, including those on calories, fitness, risk factors, and stigmatization in history and the present day.

Prof. Villa Braslavsky led two empirical subprojects:

SP 05: "The Fat Americans": Co-constructions of the National and the Natural in the Contemporary German Discourse on Obesity

A discussion of patterns of interpretation of body weight and shape from an intersectional and transatlantic perspective. It examines the everyday constructions of the 'self' versus the 'other' in the German discourse on obesity, where the topos of the 'fat American' is a striking pattern.

This subproject examines the extent to which everyday German discourse on obesity as a health problem is colored by anti-American sentiment and how a series of moral-normative projections are attached to the topos of "America," which serve in particular to reinforce the assurance of a distinct "German naturalness," even superiority. This is contrasted with 'American artificiality' as cultural insubstantiality. This is also a milieu-specific assumption.

SP 06: Quantified Self: Fitness, Measurement, and Technologized Self-Relationships

This subproject examines practices and logics of contemporary technologized self-observation, self-control, and self-optimization in the areas of nutrition, fitness, and weight. The empirical focus is on the context of 'Quantified Self' (QS), which, through digital technology and corresponding community practices, creates new forms of self-relationship that are closely linked to the concept of 'the body as a raw material'.

Specifically, QS uses mobile apps, gadgets, and software to measure and quantify a wide variety of bodily functions and flows and upload them to social media. Data on bodily functions and other aspects such as spending habits or (supposed) mood parameters become the basis for practice, communication, and community building. The TP examines the praxeological dimension of the combination of technology and self-relationships in the intertwining of nutrition, health, fitness, and weight.

Interdisciplinary research network funded by the Volkswagen Foundation.

Completed PhD and postdoctoral projects