Family and Life Stories of Black Women in Germany

A Contribution to Historical Research on Intersectionality

Abstract

Based on biographical-narrative interviews with two Black German women who grew up in the GDR and the FRG, this article discusses the potential of a (sociological) reconstructive-intersectional biographical approach for historical research. Within this approach, intersecting subject positionings are reconstructed in their genesis and specific manifestations in different contexts of origin. It shows how the historical, regional, and family backgrounds influence the weighting of the positions for the subjects. Furthermore, the life stories told are narratives about the aftermath of the colonial era and National Socialism, witnesses to German history after 1945 in the FRG and the GDR, and expressions of experiences of transformation. The chosen approach thus provides insights into the (everyday) histories and family memories from marginalized perspectives, thus revealing possible voids that have received little attention in research to date.