Gabriele Rosenthal
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Gabriele Rosenthal (born 19 April 1954 in Schwenningen am Neckar,
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
) is a German sociologist and head of Department for Qualitative Methods of the Center for Methods in Social Sciences (
Methodenzentrum Sozialwissenschaften
') of the
University of Göttingen The University of Göttingen, officially the Georg August University of Göttingen, (german: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, known informally as Georgia Augusta) is a public research university in the city of Göttingen, Germany. Founded ...
, Germany. Rosenthal is recognized for the introduction of the method of biographical case reconstruction using biographical narrative interviews (
Fritz Schütze Fritz originated as a German nickname for Friedrich, or Frederick (''Der Alte Fritz'', and ''Stary Fryc'' were common nicknames for King Frederick II of Prussia and Frederick III, German Emperor) as well as for similar names including Fridoli ...
). She is known for systemizing the influences of the
Gestalt theory Gestalt may refer to: Psychology * Gestalt psychology, a school of psychology * Gestalt therapy, a form of psychotherapy * Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test, an assessment of development disorders * Gestalt Practice, a practice of self-exploration ...
(
Aron Gurwitsch Aron Gurwitsch (russian: Аро́н Гу́рвич; 17 January 1901, Vilnius, Vilna Governorate – 25 June 1973, Zurich) was a Litvak American phenomenologist. Work Gurwitsch wrote on the relations between phenomenology and Gestalt psychology ...
and
Kurt Koffka Kurt Koffka (March 12, 1886 – November 22, 1941) was a German psychologist and professor. He was born and educated in Berlin, Germany; he died in Northampton, Massachusetts from coronary thrombosis. He was influenced by his maternal uncl ...
), the
sociology of knowledge The sociology of knowledge is the study of the relationship between human thought and the social context within which it arises, and the effects that prevailing ideas have on societies. It is not a specialized area of sociology. Instead, it dea ...
(
Karl Mannheim Karl Mannheim (born Károly Manheim, 27 March 1893 – 9 January 1947) was an influential Hungarian sociologist during the first half of the 20th century. He is a key figure in classical sociology, as well as one of the founders of the sociolo ...
,
Alfred Schütz Alfred Schutz (; born Alfred Schütz, ; 1899–1959) was an Austrian philosopher and social phenomenologist whose work bridged sociological and phenomenological traditions. Schutz is gradually being recognized as one of the 20th century's leadin ...
,
Thomas Luckmann Thomas Luckmann (; October 14, 1927 – May 10, 2016) was an American-Austrian sociologist of German and Slovene origin who taught mainly in Germany. Born in Jesenice, Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Luckmann studied philosophy and linguistics at the Uni ...
and
Peter L. Berger Peter Ludwig Berger (17 March 1929 – 27 June 2017) was an Austrian-born American sociologist and Protestant theologian. Berger became known for his work in the sociology of knowledge, the sociology of religion, study of modernization, and theor ...
), and the sociology of figurations and processes (
Norbert Elias Norbert Elias (; 22 June 1897 – 1 August 1990) was a German sociologist who later became a British citizen. He is especially famous for his theory of civilizing/decivilizing processes. Biography Elias was born on 22 June 1897 in Bresla ...
) to explain the interrelationship between experience, memory and narrative, as well as how social figurations intertwine with individual
biographies A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or c ...
.


Life

Gabriele Rosenthal was born in Schwenningen am Neckar in
Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...
,
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. She studied sociology,
political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...
s and
psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...
at the
University of Konstanz The University of Konstanz (german: Universität Konstanz) is a university in the city of Konstanz in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Its main campus was opened on the Gießberg in 1972 after being founded in 1966. The university is Germany's ...
. Parallel, she was trained as
family therapist Family therapy (also referred to as family counseling, family systems therapy, marriage and family therapy, couple and family therapy) is a branch of psychology and clinical social work that works with families and couples in intimate relationsh ...
. She received her PhD in 1986 from
Bielefeld University Bielefeld University (german: Universität Bielefeld) is a university in Bielefeld, Germany. Founded in 1969, it is one of the country's newer universities, and considers itself a "reform" university, following a different style of organization a ...
and her habilitation from the
University of Kassel The University of Kassel (german: link=no, Universität Kassel) is a university founded in 1971 located in Kassel, Hessen, in central Germany. As of February 2022 it had about 25,000 students and about 3300 staff, including more than 300 prof ...
in 1993. Gabriele Rosenthal was also a researcher at the
Free University of Berlin The Free University of Berlin (, often abbreviated as FU Berlin or simply FU) is a public research university in Berlin, Germany. It is consistently ranked among Germany's best universities, with particular strengths in political science and t ...
, guest lecturer at the
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) ( he, אוניברסיטת בן-גוריון בנגב, ''Universitat Ben-Guriyon baNegev'') is a public research university in Beersheba, Israel. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has five campuses: the ...
,
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
, and held visiting and associate professorships in
Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...
,
Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...
,
Kassel Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel and the district of the same name and had 201,048 inhabitants in December 2020 ...
, and
Porto Alegre Porto Alegre (, , Brazilian ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Its population of 1,488,252 inhabitants (2020) makes it the List of largest cities in Brazil, twelfth most populous city in the country ...
. In 2002, she was appointed Professor at the Center of Methods in Social Sciences, Göttingen University. From 2009 until 2011, she served as Dean of the Faculty of the Social Sciences of the University of Göttingen. From 2002 until 2010, Gabriele Rosenthal was the President of th
Research Committee 38 “Biography and Society”
of the
International Sociological Association The International Sociological Association (ISA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to scientific purposes in the field of sociology and social sciences. It is an international sociological body, gathering both individuals and national sociolo ...
(ISA). She chaired the section on biographical research of the
German Sociological Association The German Sociological Association (''Deutsche Gesellschaft für Soziologie'', DGS) is a professional organization of social scientists in Germany. Established in Berlin on January 3, 1909, its founding members included Rudolf Goldscheid, Ferdin ...
(DGS) between 1999 and 2003. Gabriele Rosenthal was a member of the Board of the German Sociological Association between 2019 and 2021.


Research interests

Gabriele Rosenthal is renowned for her contribution to
biographical research Biographical research is a qualitative research approach aligned to the social interpretive paradigm of research. The biographical research is concerned with the reconstruction of life histories and the constitution of meaning based on biographica ...
and generation research in the qualitative social sciences. She has worked on the
gestalt Gestalt may refer to: Psychology * Gestalt psychology, a school of psychology * Gestalt therapy, a form of psychotherapy * Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test, an assessment of development disorders * Gestalt Practice, a practice of self-exploration ...
and structure of biographical
self-presentation Impression management is a conscious or subconscious process in which people attempt to influence the perceptions of other people about a person, object or event by regulating and controlling information in social interaction.Sanaria, A. D. (2016). ...
s, drawing on gestalt theoretical considerations by
Aron Gurwitsch Aron Gurwitsch (russian: Аро́н Гу́рвич; 17 January 1901, Vilnius, Vilna Governorate – 25 June 1973, Zurich) was a Litvak American phenomenologist. Work Gurwitsch wrote on the relations between phenomenology and Gestalt psychology ...
and
Kurt Koffka Kurt Koffka (March 12, 1886 – November 22, 1941) was a German psychologist and professor. He was born and educated in Berlin, Germany; he died in Northampton, Massachusetts from coronary thrombosis. He was influenced by his maternal uncl ...
to explain the dialectic relation of experience, memory, and narration. Amongst others, she helped conceptualizing biography as a concept which transgresses the dualism of subject and society (Rosenthal 1995). Further influences on Rosenthal’s approach include the
Sociology of knowledge The sociology of knowledge is the study of the relationship between human thought and the social context within which it arises, and the effects that prevailing ideas have on societies. It is not a specialized area of sociology. Instead, it dea ...
(especially
Alfred Schütz Alfred Schutz (; born Alfred Schütz, ; 1899–1959) was an Austrian philosopher and social phenomenologist whose work bridged sociological and phenomenological traditions. Schutz is gradually being recognized as one of the 20th century's leadin ...
,
Karl Mannheim Karl Mannheim (born Károly Manheim, 27 March 1893 – 9 January 1947) was an influential Hungarian sociologist during the first half of the 20th century. He is a key figure in classical sociology, as well as one of the founders of the sociolo ...
,
Thomas Luckmann Thomas Luckmann (; October 14, 1927 – May 10, 2016) was an American-Austrian sociologist of German and Slovene origin who taught mainly in Germany. Born in Jesenice, Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Luckmann studied philosophy and linguistics at the Uni ...
and
Peter L. Berger Peter Ludwig Berger (17 March 1929 – 27 June 2017) was an Austrian-born American sociologist and Protestant theologian. Berger became known for his work in the sociology of knowledge, the sociology of religion, study of modernization, and theor ...
), and the
Figurational Sociology Figurational sociology is a research tradition in which figurations of humans—evolving networks of interdependent humans—are the unit of investigation. Although more a methodological stance than a determinate school of practice, the tradition h ...
of
Norbert Elias Norbert Elias (; 22 June 1897 – 1 August 1990) was a German sociologist who later became a British citizen. He is especially famous for his theory of civilizing/decivilizing processes. Biography Elias was born on 22 June 1897 in Bresla ...
. In the context of the research projec
‘The Holocaust in the Life of Three Generations’
she focussed on the experiences of
Holocaust survivor Holocaust survivors are people who survived the Holocaust, defined as the persecution and attempted annihilation of the Jews by Nazi Germany and its allies before and during World War II in Europe and North Africa. There is no universally accep ...
s as well as those of Nazi perpetrators and the impacts of these on subsequent generations (Rosenthal 2009b). Rosenthal’s work deals with
migration Migration, migratory, or migrate may refer to: Human migration * Human migration, physical movement by humans from one region to another ** International migration, when peoples cross state boundaries and stay in the host state for some minimum le ...
, ethnic belonging and intergenerational transmission of experiences. She approaches current social problems such as the impacts of violence, war, enslavement and
forced migration Forced displacement (also forced migration) is an involuntary or coerced movement of a person or people away from their home or home region. The UNHCR defines 'forced displacement' as follows: displaced "as a result of persecution, conflict, g ...
through transnational research, using comparative case reconstructions (on the levels of
biography A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or ...
,
family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
, and
milieu The social environment, social context, sociocultural context or milieu refers to the immediate physical and social setting in which people live or in which something happens or develops. It includes the culture that the individual was educate ...
). Gabriele Rosenthal has conducted research in
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
,
Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...
,
Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
(USA),
Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
,
Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
,
Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...
,
Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
,
Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
, the Spanish enclaves (
Ceuta Ceuta (, , ; ar, سَبْتَة, Sabtah) is a Spanish autonomous city on the north coast of Africa. Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of several Spanish territorie ...
and
Melilla Melilla ( , ; ; rif, Mřič ; ar, مليلية ) is an autonomous city of Spain located in north Africa. It lies on the eastern side of the Cape Three Forks, bordering Morocco and facing the Mediterranean Sea. It has an area of . It was par ...
), and
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
. Her approach to the
biographical research Biographical research is a qualitative research approach aligned to the social interpretive paradigm of research. The biographical research is concerned with the reconstruction of life histories and the constitution of meaning based on biographica ...
was outlined on her book
Interpretive Social Research
005 in German(2018)'', in which she presents both the data construction method of biographical narrative interviews as well as the biographical case reconstruction method for data analysis.


Selected research projects


Individual and collective memories of slavery and the slave trade: A contrastive comparison of different communities, generations and groupings in Ghana and Brazil
(2022-2025) (funded by the German Research Foundation)

(2019-2022) (funded by the German Research Foundation) *[https://www.uni-goettingen.de/en/dynamic+figurations+of+refugees%2c+migrants%2c+and+longtime+residents+in+jordan+since+1946%3a+between+peaceable+and+tension-ridden+co-existence%3f/555157.html Dynamic figurations of refugees, migrants, and longtime residents in Jordan since 1946: between peaceable and tension-ridden co-existence?] (2017-2020) (funded by the German Research Foundation)
The Social Construction of Border Zones: A Comparison of Two Geopolitical Cases (Morocco/Ceuta and Melilla; Egypt/Israel)
(2014-2019) (funded by the German Research Foundation)

(2014-2017) (funded by the German Research Foundatio

*Belonging to the Outsider and Established Groupings: Palestinians and Israelis in Various Figurations (2010-2015) (funded by the German Research Foundation) *Collective Myths and Their Transgenerational Impacts – Germans in and From the Former USSR (2007-2011) (funded by the German Research Foundation)Project Summary Collective Myths and Their Transgenerational Impacts on the DFG website
/ref> *Victims of War in North Uganda: Life Stories and Public Discourses *Biographical Case Studies of Juveniles in the Context of Education Programs (2004-2005) *Biography and Ethnicity: Development and Changes of the Sense of Socio-Cultural Belonging in Migrant Populations in the US and Germany (2006-2009) *The Holocaust in the Life of Three Generations (1992-1996)


Selected works

In English: *Rosenthal, G. (2018):
Interpretive Social Research. An Introduction
'. Göttingen: Universitätsverlag Göttingen. *Rosenthal, G. / Bogner, A. (2017): ''Biographies in the Global South: Life stories embedded in figurations and discourses''. Frankfurt a. M.: Campus. *Rosenthal, G. (Ed.) (2016):
Established and Outsiders at the Same Time. Self-Images and We-Images of Palestinians in the West Bank and in Israel
'. Göttingen: Göttingen University Press. *Rosenthal, G. (2012): ‘A Plea for a More Interpretative, More Empirical and More Historical Sociology.’ In: Kalekin-Fishman, D. / Denis, A. B. (Eds.): ''Tradition and Renewal: the Shape of Sociology for the Twenty-First Century.'' Sage, 202-217. *Rosenthal, G. / Bogner, A. (Eds.) (2009a): ''Ethnicity, Belonging and Biography. Ethnographical and Biographical Perspectives.'' Münster: LIT Verlag / New Brunswick: Transaction. *Rosenthal, G. (Ed.) (2009b):
The Holocaust in Three-Generations. Families of Victims and Perpetrators of the Nazi-Regime.
' Opladen: Barbara Budrich. *Rosenthal, G. (2006): ‘The Narrated Life Story: On the Interrelation Between Experience, Memory and Narration.’ In: Milnes, K., Horrocks, C., Kelly, N., Roberts, B. and Robinson, D. (Eds.) ''Narrative, Memory and Knowledge: Representations, Aesthetics and Contexts.'' Huddersfield: University of Huddersfield Press, 1 –16. *Rosenthal, G. (2004): ‘Biographical Research.’ In: Seale, C. / Gobo, G. / Gubrium, J. F. / Silverman, D. (Eds.): ''Qualitative Research Practice.'' London: Sage, 48-64. In German: *Bogner, A. / Rosenthal, G. (2018)
''KindersoldatInnen im Kontext. Biographien, familien- und kollektivgeschichtliche Verläufe in Norduganda''
Göttingen: Universitätsverlag Göttingen. *Rosenthal, G. (Hg.) (2015): ''Etablierte und Außenseiter zugleich: Selbst- und Fremdbilder von Palästinensern im Westjordanland und in Israel''. Frankfurt a. M.: Campus. *Rosenthal, G. / Stephan, V. / Radenbach, N. (Eds.) (2011a): ''Brüchige Zugehörigkeiten. Wie sich Familien von ‘Russlanddeutschen‘ ihre Geschichte erzählen.'' Frankfurt a. M.: Campus. *Rosenthal, G. (2011b): ''Interpretative Sozialforschung.'' Weinheim und München: Juventa; 3rd edition. *Rosenthal, G. (1995): ''Erlebte und erzählte Lebensgeschichte. Gestalt und Struktur biographischer Selbstbeschreibungen.'' Frankfurt a. M.: Campus. *Rosenthal, G. (Ed.) (1990): ''‘Als der Krieg kam, hatte ich mit Hitler nichts mehr zu tun‘. Zur Gegenwärtigkeit des ‘Dritten Reiches’ in erzählten Lebensgeschichten.'' Opladen: Leske & Budrich.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rosenthal, Gabriele 1954 births German sociologists Academic staff of the University of Göttingen Living people