(Re)Searching Traces of Feminist Psychology in Vienna

Feminist-psychological Voices in Vienna: A Hidden But Rich History

In Austria, the production of feminist-psychological knowledge is rare in academic contexts, with most of it happening in counseling contexts. Since the 1980s, psychologists and psychosocial practitioners in women's and girls' counseling centers have been developing knowledge about the psychological conditions and consequences of gender discrimination. However, these insights have not yet been fully integrated into the training of aspiring psychologists and psychosocial practitioners. Instead, they are mostly acquired independently by students, trainees, educators, and researchers using resources from the Anglo-American sphere. Our project aims to change this!

This exhibit showcases how feminist psychological knowledge developed in Austria. For our project "Feminist-psychological Voices in Vienna," we conducted oral history interviews with feminist psychologists, psychotherapists, counselors, social workers, and psychiatrists who played a crucial role in establishing and shaping a feminist psychosocial counterculture in Vienna over the past fifty years.

Through this exhibit, we aim to show that Austria, specifically Vienna, has a rich - albeit sometimes hidden - history of fostering feminist psychological knowledge and practices. We are delighted to present the various dimensions that shaped feminist psychology in Vienna from the past to the present. We hope that by sharing this, others will become as interested in feminist psychology in Austria as we are.