Aline Vogt Gästforskare

I'm a historian specializing in the Early Modern period (16th to 18th century). I believe that approaching a time very much different from our own with questions inspired by the present can help us not only to understand our history but also to open up possibilities for the future. In my research, I am particularly interested in ontologies, that is different kinds of being in the world in different historical contexts. How does the way we define gender, species and other categories of difference affect the way we can understand ourselves but also how we treat others? I'm particularly interested in gender history, animal history, the history of science, the history of the body and the history of emotions.

My doctoral dissertation (published Open Access, written in German) explored how a new definition of species and analogies between genders and different animal species were used during the French Enlightenment to construct the complementary gender roles of the emerging modern age.

My current postdoctoral project focuses on Christina of Sweden (1626–1689) from a transgender history perspective. Christinas gender was the subject of intense debate already during her lifetime and continues to attract scholarly attention today. The queen, who abdicated in 1654 and converted to Catholicism shortly thereafter, transgressed contemporary gender norms, for example by wearing male clothing. In my project I investigate the extent to which Christina’s Self can be understood through the lens of transgender history. What could it mean to be transgender in the 17th century, that is, to move away from the historically specific gender norms assigned to someone at birth? I examine the ways in which Christina narrated the origins of her Self as well as how she employed various practices to (re)constitute it throughout her life.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/aline-vogt-14a519263/

https://orcid.org/0009-0005-5433-9418