Susan Carin Zimmermann

Susan Carin Zimmermann is a University Professor at Central European University, jointly appointed in the Department of Historical Studies and the Department of Gender Studies. She is based in Vienna and plays a leading role in interdisciplinary research on gender, labor, and social history, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe. Her current ERC Advanced Grant project ZARAH (2020–2026) explores transnational women’s labor activism from the age of empires to the late 20th century.

• Ph.D., Universität Wien (1993)
• Habilitation, Eötvös Loránd University Budapest (1999)
• Habilitation, Johannes Kepler Universität Linz (2000)

Her research critically examines the intersections of gender, class, and global inequalities in modern history, with a focus on working women, trade unionism, and international labor policy. She investigates how women trade unionists navigated masculinist structures in state-socialist Hungary and engaged with international organizations like the ILO. Her work promotes inclusive, transnational, and gender-sensitive labor historiography.

Her recent publications include a major monograph in German (2021) and co-edited volumes such as Through the Prism of Gender and Work (2024) and Women, Work, and Activism (2022). The 15 most recent articles reflect a consistent engagement with gendered labor policies, women’s activism, international labor standards, and the historiography of labor in socialist and imperial contexts, spanning from the Habsburg Empire to post-socialism.

Her scientific awards include:

• ERC Advanced Grant (2020–2025)
• Käthe Leichter Award (2000)
• Pro Cultura Hungarica Memorial Award (2005)
• Fellowships at Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin (2002–2003) and re:work, Humboldt-Universität (2016–2017)

She has supervised over 20 doctoral students, many of whom have completed dissertations on gender, labor, and social history in Eastern Europe. She holds editorial roles in major journals such as Labor: Studies in Working-Class History and Labour History, and serves on the academic advisory boards of the Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Studies and the International Conference of Labour and Social History (ITH), where she was President from 2014 to 2022. She co-edits the CEU Press book series 'Work and Labor: Transdisciplinary Studies for the 21st Century'.

Zimmermann leads the ZARAH research project team, which includes scholars across Europe, and collaborates with international research centers such as re:work in Berlin. Her work is embedded in a transnational network of labor and gender historians, and she actively contributes to shaping the future of inclusive labor history through collaborative research, publications, and mentorship.