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Karen Shire

Written by Aniza Pourtauborde on .

Karen Shire holds the chair for Comparative Sociology and Japanese Society and is currently Vice Rector for University Culture, Diversity and International Affairs at the University of Duisburg-Essen. Her research is broadly focused on the comparative-historical study of work and organizational changes, how these shape transformations of employment and labor relations, as well as their consequences for social inequalities. Her research interests include the emergence of cross-border labor markets in Europe and the Asia-Pacific, the employment dynamics of welfare markets, gender regimes in historical and comparative perspective and the political economy of human trafficking. Karen Shire held the post of director for both the Institute of East Asian Studies and the Essen College of Gender Research in the past.