Dr Alexandra Fergen

I am a cultural historian of Modern Europe. My main research interests span the history of media, gender, and activism, particularly feminism.

I completed my doctorate in History while at Merton College, University of Oxford. I hold a BA in History, Journalism and Latin from University College Utrecht, and a double master's degree (MA, MSc) in International and World History from Columbia University and the London School of Economics.

Beyond academia, I have worked in journalism, PR, heritage, and non-profit. I enjoy pondering creative ways to engage audiences in history and research – and would be very happy to connect with anyone interested in any of these fields!

Research Interests:

Doctoral thesis: 'Daring More Democracy: stern Magazine, Gender and the West German Public, 1960-1980'

My doctoral research blends gender and media history to probe the standard story of West German history as an affirmative tale of a peaceful and prosperous democratisation. Using the West German weekly stern as an instructive case study, my thesis reveals deeper issues concerning the relationship between gender, liberalism and the press in 1960s and 1970s West Germany. From the mid-1960s through the 1980s, stern served as a major pacesetter of radically changing gender relations in the Federal Republic, insofar as it spurred major controversies around the status and situation of women. The study highlights the relationship between mass media and second-wave feminism in promoting political change. Moreover, my thesis examines how female stern journalists recollected their roles in their personal lives and male-dominated working environment, and analyses how their experiences as women politicised them and their work. My work further tracks how stern coverage of women and women’s issues spilled into the public sphere and drove large-scale debate about the meaning and strength of West German social democracy.

My DPhil research was funded by the AHRC DTP – Merton Hugh Scott-Barrett Scholarship.