معرفی
Malin Houben is a Lecturer at Bielefeld University's Faculty of Sociology and a Research Associate at the Faculty of Health Sciences in Working Group 3 Epidemiology & International Public Health. She is also a doctoral researcher at the Bielefeld Graduate School in History and Sociology. Her academic journey began with a BA in Sociology (2013) and MA in Sociology (2017), both from Bielefeld University.
Her research focuses on body and medical sociology, qualitative methods (particularly ethnography and interaction analysis), ethnomethodology, and sociological gender studies. Her ethnographic dissertation project examines gynecological practice, exploring mechanisms of creating and maintaining gynecological situations. As part of ethnomethodological Studies of Work, she reconstructs how medical work is organized interactively, physically-materielly, technically, and linguistically, with particular attention to practices of professional proximity and distance.
Her recent scholarly output shows a strong emphasis on qualitative research methodology, medical sociology, and gender studies. The publications reveal a consistent focus on ethnographic approaches to medical settings, particularly gynecology, with increasing attention to material aspects of medical practice and technology. Her work bridges methodological innovation with substantive contributions to understanding medical encounters.
- German Sociological Association (Sections: Methods of Qualitative Social Research, Women's and Gender Studies, Sociology of the Body and Sports)
- Gender Studies Association Network for Women's and Gender Studies NRW
- Former spokesperson for the Working Group on Methods and Methodologies in the Network* Sexual and Gender Diversity in Health Research and Care
- NRW Certificate 'Professional Teaching Competence for Higher Education' (2024)
Houben teaches across multiple institutions including Bielefeld University, Münster University, Duisburg-Essen University, and Dortmund University of Applied Sciences. She has developed innovative teaching projects, notably the 'Sociological History(s) in the Bielefeld Historical Museum' which resulted in a public exhibition in 2022. Her teaching integrates theoretical, methodological, and empirical questions with her research interests in medical sociology and gender studies. She is currently working on the ERC-funded research project 'GYNVEPI - Toward an epidemiology of gynecological violence' at the Faculty of Health Sciences.
