About Dr. Christine Hunner-Kreisel

Dr. Christine Hunner-Kreisel (1972-2022) profoundly shaped international childhood and youth research. After completing training as a physiotherapist in Dortmund, she pursued studies in education, ethnology, and Islamic studies at Heidelberg University and earned her doctorate at Bielefeld University. In 2016, she joined the University of Vechta as professor of transculturality and gender, where she advanced research on how welfare-state contexts influence children’s subjective experiences and identity formation.

Her scholarship made significant contributions to child indicators research, particularly through qualitative, child-centered approaches that foregrounded children’s voices and social justice. She explored how migration, religiosity, and social inequalities shape family life and childhood, linking macro-level societal processes with everyday lived experiences. Christine’s work emphasized methodological rigor and reflexivity, challenging researchers to interrogate privilege and dominant assumptions in knowledge production.

Equally impactful was her dedication to mentoring graduate students and early-career researchers. She provided thoughtful guidance on complex methodological issues, encouraged critical thinking, and fostered collaborative environments that empowered emerging scholars. Her combination of intellectual depth, humility, and optimism inspired a generation of researchers committed to equity and inclusion. Christine’s legacy endures in the transformative research practices she championed and the many scholars she supported throughout her career.