Pionierinnen und Grenzgängerinnen der Sozialen Arbeit

The 80 short biographies reconstruct the life stories of Viennese female social workers, their origins, education, professional activities and experiences of persecution. The women portrayed worked in municipal, religious and private institutions. They include pioneers of the profession as well as women who crossed social, disciplinary or geographical boundaries. The ruptures left behind by political violence, persecution, expulsion or murder become visible. Based on sources that have been analysed for the first time, such as personal files, interviews with contemporary witnesses and private estates, the biographies place individual experiences in a historical context - as a contribution to basic biographical research and the history of knowledge in social work.