Profile: Hedwig Dohm

 Hedwig Dohm

Basics

• Real Name: Hedwig Dohm
• Aliases: None
• Family: Daughter of Karl Wilhelm Dohm and Ernestine Christine Dohm; married to Ernst Schmidt; mother to five children: Gerhard, Wolfgang, Gisela, Hedwig, and Hans.
• Affiliation: Women's rights movement
• Base of Operations: Germany
• Identity: Public
• Citizenship: German
• Marital Status: Married
• Occupation: Women's rights activist, Writer
• Date of Birth: September 20, 1831
• Date of Death: June 1, 1919
• Physical Characteristics: Medium stature, brown hair, blue eyes, Caucasian
• Personal Beliefs: Known for her progressive, feminist views
• Romantic Life: Married to Ernst Schmidt, a noted theatre critic

Snapshot

Hedwig Dohm, with her fiery blue eyes and a strong, assertive countenance, was often seen donned in the simple yet elegant attire of the late 19th century. Her brown hair, usually tied in a chignon, symbolized the austerity she adhered to in her work. Her keen gaze bespoke her unwavering determination and spirited commitment to women's rights, while her delicate, aged hands often held a pen, the instrument with which she voiced her revolutionary ideas.

History

Born in 1831, Hedwig Dohm was a trailblazer for women's rights, not just in her native Germany but also in the wider world. A prominent writer and feminist, she was among the first to argue, contrary to prevalent beliefs, that the supposed inferiority of women was a cultural construct, not a biological fact.

Dohm vehemently fought for women's rights to participate in political life, including voting rights, access to education, and self-determination. Her advocacy also led to significant strides in debunking misogynistic pseudoscience. Despite facing considerable opposition, Dohm remained undeterred, fighting passionately for gender equality until her death in 1919.

Abilities

Hedwig Dohm was a skillful writer and a fierce orator. Her persuasive arguments played a significant role in driving societal change, laying the foundation for subsequent advancements in women's rights. Dohm had a talent for conveying her revolutionary ideas in a compelling, thought-provoking manner, thus captivating her readers and listeners.

Hindrances

Dohm faced significant societal opposition as a woman advocating for gender equality in a male-dominated society. However, she didn't let this deter her from her path, using the hindrance as a catalyst to fight even more passionately for her cause.

Paraphernalia

Dohm is often associated with her written works that challenged gender norms and fought for women's rights.

Works

• "The Women's Question" (1874): A series of articles which argued against the notion of women's intellectual inferiority.
• "The Old and the New Woman" (1894): An influential book advocating for women's rights.

Appearances

• Hedwig Dohm appears as a subject in several biographical and historical works on the women's rights movement, notably "Hedwig Dohm: A Pioneer of Feminism" by Isolde Stark.

Related

• Colleagues: Louise Otto-Peters, Minna Cauer
• Image Gallery: Link to Image Gallery
• Related Entries: Women's Rights Movement in Germany, Suffrage Movement

Notes

• Dohm lived to be 88 years old, an impressive age for the time, and was active in the women's rights movement nearly her entire life.
• Her granddaughter, Katia Mann, was the wife of famous writer Thomas Mann.

References

• "Hedwig Dohm: A Pioneer of Feminism" by Isolde Stark.
• "Hedwig Dohm: A Biography" by Nikola Mueller.
• "Hedwig Dohm: On Anti-Feminism" by Kerstin Decker.
  
  

List of Works (German)

Gesellschaftspolitische Schriften:

1. Was die Pastoren von den Frauen denken, 1872
2. Der Jesuitismus im Hausstande. Ein Beitrag zur Frauenfrage, 1873
3. Die wissenschaftliche Emancipation der Frauen, 1874
4. Der Frauen Natur und Recht. Zur Frauenfrage. Zwei Abhandlungen über Eigenschaften und Stimmrecht der Frauen, Berlin 1876
5. Die Antifeministen. Ein Buch der Verteidigung, 1902
6. Die Mütter. Ein Beitrag zur Erziehungsfrage, 1903
7. Erziehung zum Stimmrecht der Frau. Berlin 1910
8. Der Missbrauch des Todes, 1917
9. Die kulturelle Gewalt gegen Frauen: Feministische Theorien von Hedwig Dohm. 2013

Prosatexte:

1. „Werde, die du bist!“ Wie Frauen werden. Zwei Novellen, 1894
2. Sibilla Dalmar. Roman aus dem Ende unseres Jahrhunderts, 1896
3. Schicksale einer Seele, 1899
4. Christa Ruland, 1902
5. Erinnerungen (mit Hedda Kosch), 1980
6. Sommerlieben. Freiluftnovelle, 2006

Bühnenwerke:

1. Vom Stamm der Asra. Lustspiel 1874
2. Der Seelenretter. Lustspiel 1875
3. Ein Schuß ins Schwarze. Lustspiel 1878
4. Die Ritter vom goldenen Kalb. Lustspiel 1879

Edition Hedwig Dohm:

1. Ausgewählte Texte. Ein Lesebuch zum Jubiläum des 175. Geburtstages mit Essays und Feuilletons, Novellen und Dialogen, Aphorismen und Briefen, 2006
2. Sibilla Dalmar, Kommentierte Neuausgabe mit zeitgenössischen Rezensionen, 2006
3. Schicksale einer Seele, Kommentierte Neuausgabe mit den zeitgenössischen Rezensionen, 2007
4. Christa Ruland, Kommentierte Neuausgabe mit den zeitgenössischen Rezensionen, 2008
5. Briefe aus dem Krähwinkel, 100 Briefe erstmals veröffentlicht, 2009​¹​.