Sabine Flick

Sabine Flick is Professor of General Sociology and Head of the Research Unit on Sexuality at the Institute of Sociology, Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Education, Freiburg. Her academic career spans multiple institutions including Fulda University of Applied Sciences, University of Graz, and Goethe University Frankfurt, where she completed both her PhD (2012) and habilitation (2020).

Her educational background includes a PhD from Goethe University Frankfurt with the dissertation 'Leben durcharbeiten. Selbstsorge als Perspektive der Arbeitsforschung' (awarded the WISAG Prize for best dissertation in social cohesion) and a habilitation with the title 'Zur Biographisierung Sozialen Leidens – Psychotherapeutische Praxis in der Arbeitsgesellschaft.' She has held visiting positions at UC Berkeley and Humboldt University Berlin, reflecting her international scholarly engagement.

Professor Flick's research centers on critical sexuality research, the sociology of work and suffering, and participatory research methods. She leads several significant projects including the DFG-funded 'PsyWork' (Psychotherapeutic Treatment of Work-Related Suffering in Germany), 'Sexistenz' (funded by the Gender and Women's Research Center of Hessian Universities), and 'Shaping Sexualities' (funded by the University of Graz). Her work critically examines how societal structures manifest in individual experiences of work and sexuality, challenging purely individualized approaches to mental health and social suffering.

Her recent publications reveal a strong interdisciplinary focus bridging sociology, gender studies, and health research. The 15 most recent works show consistent engagement with critical theory, participatory research methods, and the social dimensions of sexuality and work suffering. She has co-edited the volume 'Enduring Modernity: Depression, Anxiety and Grief in the Age of Voicelessness' (2024) and has published in journals such as Constellations, Social Science & Medicine, and European Journal of Social Theory.

• WISAG Prize for the best dissertation in the field of social cohesion 2012
• Elisabeth-List Fellowship at the University of Graz (2020-2021)
• Editor of the book series 'The Social Pathologies of Contemporary Civilization' at Routledge
• Member of the editorial board of 'Psychotherapy Forum'

Professor Flick actively supervises 13 doctoral students (8 as first supervisor) and has a rigorous approach to Master's thesis supervision requiring detailed proposals. She serves in multiple leadership roles including Head of the Institute of Sociology at PH Freiburg, Deputy Chair of the Ethics Committee of PH Freiburg, and Chair of the Ethics Committee of the Institute for Social Research Frankfurt. Her public engagement includes media appearances and the organization of a lecture series on democracy and right-wing populism for the winter semester 2025/2026.

Her laboratory, the Research Unit on Sexuality, serves as a hub for critical sexuality research, coordinating the working group 'Sexuality & Society' in the German Sociological Association and co-founding the working group 'Critical Theory of Disability.' This reflects her commitment to interdisciplinary and critical scholarship that connects academic research with social practice.