On 20 October 2025, Berlin's Senator for Science Dr Ina Maria Czyborra honoured Professor Emeritus of Cultural Studies Dr Christina von Braun with the Federal Cross of Merit as a "pioneering thinker and champion of science and society".
"With over five decades of outstanding work, Professor Christina von Braun has significantly shaped the dialogue between science and society. Her pioneering work in women's and gender studies as well as her tireless efforts to combat anti-Semitism and racism deserve the highest recognition," the Senate Administration stated in its announcement. The Order of Merit, also known as the Federal Cross of Merit, is the highest honour awarded by the Federal Republic of Germany for services to the common good.
"Formative voice of German cultural studies"
Christina von Braun was Professor of Cultural Studies at Humboldt-Universit?t zu Berlin (HU) from 1994 to 2012. During this time, she initiated the Gender Studies programme at the HU, and her work in this field was central to the establishment of women's and gender studies in Germany. She is also the key initiator and founding director of the Selma Stern Centre for Jewish Studies Berlin-Brandenburg, of which she was also spokesperson from 2012 to 2017.
"Her profound interdisciplinary research on identity, exclusion and cultural constructions has revolutionised our understanding and made her a formative voice in German cultural studies," according to the Senate Department for Science, Health and Care.
Her work includes around fifty film documentaries and film essays on cultural-historical topics as well as twenty books and numerous essays on cultural and gender history. Her latest book "Der Kampf ums Unbewusste. A Society on the Couch" (together with Tilo Held) was presented to the public at the Long Night of the Sciences 2025 at the HU.
Further information
Announcement by the Senate Department for Science, Health and Care