Image from the exhibition “Jugendbewegte Geschlechterverhältnisse” (Gender relations in the German youth movement), curated by Dorit Horn
Katrin Köppert
Against the interesting backdrop of an historic castle where various activities are organized by a number of German youth associations, the Archive of the German Youth Movement held a conference on the subject of “Jugendbewegte Geschlechterverhältnisse” (Gender relations in the German youth movement) from 22–24.10.2010 at Burg Ludwigstein. The development of gender-specific perspectives in the context of the German youth movement is opening up a field of investigation into sexualities and sexualization in the Männerbund (men’s union), as well as into different forms of communication and symbolization.
Addressing a number of issues within this field, I held a lecture on “Fotografische Selbstzeugnisse jugendbewegter Medienamateure” (Photographic self-narratives of media amateurs in the German youth movement). The source material ultimately supports the interpretation that despite (or because of) the persecution faced by homosexual men during the Weimar Republic and the period of National Socialist rule, the use of such means of self-expression helped them not only to survive but to thrive. As Claudia Bruns observed in her opening speech, the German youth movement is therefore an important field of study in terms of exploring the relationship between (homo)sexuality and politics. In the realm of visual culture studies, the “Bündische Jugend” (German youth movement) provides key insights into the formation of all-male communities – one of the areas we are investigating on the basis of personal estates. A publication on this topic is currently being prepared.
Dorit Horn’s conference report (in German) is available here
