On 8 November 2018, INCISE Visiting Professor Dr. Ulrike E. Auga reported on the state of Gender Studies and academic freedom in Hungry and Europe at a hearing in the European Parliament.

The politically motivated non-re-registration of Gender Studies in Hungary in October 2018 prompted numerous protests. Responding to a letter from the International Association for Institutions of Advanced Gender Studies (RINGS), an association of more than 60 internationally renowned gender research institutions, the European Parliament’s Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality in Brussels invited RINGS members for an exchange of views. At the public meeting of the committee on November 8, 2018, Prof. Dr. Ulrike E. Auga (INCISE) and Dr. Annette von Alemann (Paderborn) presented their statements, which beyond Hungary reported further attacks of the political right wing on scientific research, Gender Studies as an academic discipline and LGBTIQ* life in Europe including Germany. The Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality expressed its deep concern about the paradigm shift in the nature of the attacks. After the meeting, the experts received numerous requests from parliamentarians.

Prof. Dr. Ulrike E. Auga and Dr. Annette von Alemann participated in the hearing as the two experts at the invitation of Vilija Blinkevičiūtė MEP, the chairperson of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality.

The meeting of the committee with the statements and discussion has been recorded and is available as a free stream under the following link:

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/ep-live/en/committees/video?event=20181108-1000-COMMITTEE-FEMM

A translation into different languages ​​is available. The statements reflect the individual views of the authors.

Prof. Dr. Ulrike Auga is professor for Gender, Cultural and Religious Studies. She is a permanent fellow at the Centre for Transdisciplinary Gender Studies, Humboldt University of Berlin and the Center of Theological Inquiry (CTI), Princeton and works as visiting professor at the Intersectional Centre for Inclusion and Social Justice (INCISE), Canterbury Christ Church University (UK). In 2018 she also taught at the Gender Equality Studies and Training Program of the United Nations University (UNU-GEST) in Reykjavik, Iceland.

Dr. Annette von Alemann is a sociologist, gender expert and currently visiting professor at Paderborn University.

European Parliament

Committee Meeting | Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM)

Hearing Exchange of Views about Gender Studies in Hungary

RINGS – The International Research Association of Institutions of Advanced Gender Studies

Prof. Dr. Ulrike E. Auga, INCISE and ZtG, Humboldt University of Berlin

Dr. Annette von Alemann, Paderborn University

Video Link:
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/ep-live/de/committees/video?event=20181108-1000-COMMITTEE-FEMM

Experts’ Hearing (full-length)	10:42:35 – 11:41:36
Experts’ Hearing (Prof. Dr. Ulrike E. Auga)	10:55:32 – 11:15:39
Experts’ Hearing (Dr. Annette von Alemann, Prof. Dr. Ulrike E. Auga)	10:45:12 – 11:15:39

Via the icon “Tonspur/ Soundtrack” a simultaneous translation of the committee meeting into different languages ​​can be activated.