Anna Kasten

Prof. Dr. Anna Kasten is a Professor of Social Work with a focus on Gender and Diversity at the Ernst Abbe University of Applied Sciences Jena since 2020. She earned her doctorate from the Technical University (supervised by Prof. Sabine Hark and Prof. Claudia Gather) in 2018, with a thesis on the legal construction of single motherhood in Germany and Poland, awarded 'magna cum laude'. Her work integrates queer-feminist approaches, macrosocial work, and critical analyses of discrimination.

She previously held roles at Brandenburg University of Technology, European University Viadrina, and Hildesheim University of Applied Sciences. Her research spans anti-discrimination work, LGBTQ+ rights, and social policies in post-socialist contexts. She co-developed a transcultural training method and advocates for diversity-sensitive practices in education and social work.

Key research areas include feminist post-socialist studies, digital macro-social work, and non-professional support for refugees. She volunteers with the Independent Regional Commission for Reappraisal of the Past (URAK) and leads the Thuringian Anti-Discrimination Network (thadine e.V.).

Her recent publications address feminist interdisciplinary approaches, digital activism, and gender perspectives in NGOs. She supervises theses on queer care practices, anti-discrimination strategies, and intersectionality in social work.