The Coping Strategy of Women Members of the Former East German Intelligentsia

Abstract

In this article I analyze the coping strategy of members of the Louise Otto‐Peters Society of Leipzig, Germany, that attracts women members of the former East German intelligentsia, who share a common predicament: they have lost their jobs and professional status consequent to East Germany's collapse. They cope with their predicament by re‐experiencing themselves as able professionals and organizing public events that focus on Louise Otto‐Peters (1819–1895), founder of the National German Women's Organization. Based on their coping strategy, I create a framework for analyzing similar associations. My framework highlights the following components: the members' predicament, status claims, intended audience, and the symbolic means that they deploy to realize their status claims.