First Workshop, Hermoupoli, September 2-3 2026
The workshop Women Guest Workers in Germany explores the gendered dimensions of post-war labour migration to the Federal Republic of Germany, with a particular focus on women’s experiences, agency, and representation. Bringing together scholars from across Europe, the programme examines the gender-specific aspects of West German migration policy, the negotiation of masculinity and femininity within Gastarbeiter communities, and the roles played by welfare organisations and churches in shaping migrant women’s lives. Through interdisciplinary lenses spanning history, sociology, visual culture, and media studies, the presentations investigate female labour mobility, employment patterns, family relations, and political participation — from Greek women migrating to both urban and rural West Germany to comparative perspectives from socialist Yugoslavia. By revisiting archival, visual, and press materials, the workshop seeks to re-centre women’s voices and subjectivities in a migration history that has too often been told through a male gaze.
