Die Zeit profiles leading German female public intellectuals

The German weekly newspaper Die Zeit ran a cover story titled “Die neuen Vordenkerinnen” (The new leading thinkers) that highlights four prominent female scholars: historians Ute Frevert and Carlotta Voss, philosopher Svenja Flassspöhler, and cultural scientist Alaida Assmann. The article critiques the newspaper’s gender‑specific framing, which suggests these women are emerging only after the “departure” of the long‑standing public intellectual Jürgen Habermas. It argues that the four have independent intellectual weight and are not merely successors to Habermas, rejecting the notion that he has blocked women’s advancement in the public‑intellectual sphere. The piece also reflects on the broader concept of public intellectuals, emphasizing that the role is not inherently gendered.