Honored Researcher: Prof. Heide Inhetveen is Alumna of the Year!

Honored Researcher: Prof. Heide Inhetveen is Alumna of the Year!

On November 30, 2025, Prof. Heide Inhetveen from Sulzbürg was honored as Alumna of the Year of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences at the University of Göttingen. This honor is no coincidence: Inhetveen not only taught at the university for many years, but also carried out groundbreaking research work. She herself describes her career as a “bizarre” experience, which aptly describes the extraordinary twists and turns of her career.

Heide Inhetveen was born in 1942 and has pursued an impressive academic career throughout her life. She studied education, philosophy, sociology, mathematics and physics and initially worked as a teacher. She received her doctorate in 1976 at the Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen. From 1994 to 2005 she was professor of land and agricultural sociology at the University of Göttingen, where she conducted particular research on the role of women in agriculture and the sociology of horticulture. These priorities reflect her deep commitment to gender studies and rural developments. Her research is not only academically relevant, but also has practical implications for life in rural communities.

Research and engagement

After her retirement in 2005, Inhetveen remains active and conducts research in the Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz region, where she advocates for the memory of Jewish life and supports initiatives such as the Stolpersteine. She is also a board member of the “Landl Citizens' Initiative for Air, Environment and Soil” (BLLUB), which advocates for environmentally friendly practices and the preservation of nature. Her passion for agriculture and society is also evident in her numerous publications, which deal with both ecological and social issues.

• „Passion und Profession. Pionierinnen des ökologischen Landbaus“ (2021)
• „BodenKulturen“ (2021)
• „Jüdische Familien in Hof an der Saale: Schicksale und Verfolgung im Nationalsozialismus“ (2019)
• „Feminization Trends in Agriculture“ (2017)
• „Prekarisierung auf Dauer?“ (2010)
• „Emerita vel bene merita?“ (2003)
• „Biographical approaches to research on women farmers“ (1990)
• „Frauen in der kleinbäuerlichen Landwirtschaft“ (1983)

The Alumna of the Year award is a complete success for Inhetveen and a sign of her tireless commitment to science and society. Her work is aimed not only at the academic community, but also at anyone interested in the challenges and opportunities of rural life.

Further information about their history and their iconic research projects can be found on the University of Göttingen website, which reports on their numerous commitments and successes: nordbayern.de. The Wikipedia page also offers exciting insights into her life's work and her biography: Wikipedia, while comprehensive sociological studies and their results under sociology.de can be read.