Women in Couleur

The research project Women in Couleur centres upon Austrian Christian* student societies for females who are situated in a highly male dominated environment. The practice of Couleurstudententum** derives from nationalist organisations that were involved in the revolution of 1848. Gradually, confessional groups were also founded but women were not part of this tradition until the turn of the century as they were not allowed to go to University. Since the 1970s, female students began to establish groups only for women. However, women are still occasionally forced to defend their right to do so, against the men who do not recognise women's groups as equal. Only a few groups have departed from this gender division and started to mingle.

For all potential members of Christian or Catholic student societies it is mandatory to strive for the four principles of "Amicitia", "Scientia", "Religio" and "Patria". The principles determine that someone has to be a student who strives for a degree, who is very committed to the society, and who avows to Christianity as well as to the Austrian state (in contrast to nationalist groups who strive to unify with Germany).

* In most groups, potential members are required to be of Catholic faith.
** Couleurstudententum: Tradition practised and maintained among confessional student societies in Austria.

In the same-named 30-minutes film Women in Couleur I endeavoured to convey the social significance of this practice, as the club rooms are places where members come of age. Furthermore, societies exist for both school and university students. Since a membership lasts a lifetime, these groups are highly intergenerational organisations which offer extensive networks to members.

The film contrasts the collective's self-representation with personal perspectives of associatied interviewees in alternating sequences. Without contextualising the film through narration, it slowly unfolds and addresses issues tied to the collective's identity. Women in Couleur tells of seemingly antiquated traditions involving specific songs, dress codes, and ritualised drinking. Above all, the film shows how women's femininity challenges their belonging within the tradition.

When I encountered the Couleurstudententum for the first time in February 2015, taking pictures helped me to enter a field I was unfamiliar with even though I was conducting fieldwork "at home". It offered me the freedom of moving in a group of people who first had to get to know me and my agenda, as in the early moments of research much relies on trust and good will. Although this fieldwork among a group of people who are maintaining a fairly conservative tradition challenged my own believes from time to time, I established a friendly relationship with many of the research participants.

The film Women in Couleur follows the idea of introducing this unknown form of congregation through the eyes of members. In contrast, these photographs represent my personal first impressions of a tradition that appears to be atemporal and immutable. After all, female practioners, who are claiming belonging, are the most significant change that has occured so far since their presence and participation prompt male members to reconsider their attitudes, the collective's (masculine) identity and the meaning of Couleurstudententum in general.