Categories in Context

Despite the wealth of empirical research currently available on the interrelationships of gender and labor, we still know comparatively little about the forms of classification and categorization that have helped shape these social phenomena over time. Categories in Context seeks to enrich our understanding of how cognitive categories such as status, law, and rights have been produced, comprehended, appropriated, and eventually transformed by relevant actors. By focusing on specific developments in France and Germany through a transnational lens, this volume produces insights that can be applied to a wide variety of political, social, and historical contexts.

Isabelle Berrebi-Hoffmann is a sociologist and a member of the research faculty at the French National Center for Scientific Research.

Olivier Giraud is a political scientist and research director at the French National Center for Scientific Research.

Léa Renard is a doctoral researcher in sociology and political scientist at the University of Potsdam and at the Université Grenoble Alpes, PACTE.

Theresa Wobbe is a Professor Emerita of Sociology of Gender at the University of Potsdam.

“Together the chapters provide a stimulating and empirically rich analysis of the ways in which the public understanding of women’s work has changed in France and Germany, under the various pressures of societal change, economic change, and (shared) commitment to international norms.” • H-France Review

“Categories in Context is an impressive accomplishment in terms of unpacking, in rich detail, various categorizations of gender and labor, in terms of their construction, reconstruction, and, at times, deconstruction, in France and Germany since 1900.” • Contemporary Sociology

“Overall, this is a worthwhile collection, especially in bringing French and German studies of workplace equality into the same analytical frame. It should serve as an important reference point for anyone interested in histories of gender and employment from the twentieth century to the present day but will appeal especially to those with a background in sociological and statistical analysis.” • Labour History

“Categories in Context takes an innovative approach that provides an expansive understanding of economic citizenship in its gendered limits and possibilities. This collection is an important intervention in historicizing gendered workplace regimes and will be a worthy contribution to the field.” • Eileen Boris, University of California, Santa Barbara

“The research gathered here is extremely important and well done. It brings together leading experts to illuminate a critical area of gender politics through rich, empirical case studies.” • Amy Mazur, Washington State University