Everyday Racism & Diversity

Like hardly no other institution, the university lives by and benefits from diversity and variety – the working group aims at supporting and promoting this versatility. In addition, in the recent past, structural racism has been increasingly discussed as a central social and institutional problem, not least by the Black Lives Matter movement. In Germany, the growing importance of the “New Right” as well as a general increase in authoritarian and hostile attitudes towards groups aggravate the problems, that are also faced by the university as a public area.

As a working group of the Faculty of History, Philosophy and Theology at Bielefeld University, we intend to counter such tendencies and would like to confront the problem of everyday racism and deal with the topic of diversity both from a scientific and practical point of view.

To do so, we develop methods and strategies by which we intend to face racist and far-right argumentation in day-to-day university life. By means of specific workshops and courses held for both teaching staff and students we provide not only specific directions, but also raise a greater awareness and higher sensibility to everyday racism and an excessive nationalism often connected therewith. Moreover, we are a contact point for members of all status groups affected by racism and discrimination, who can contact us with their concerns.

Anybody interested in this topic is cordially invited to join our working group. We are looking forward to participants from among the students and all members of faculty staff.

Please contact the Dean’s office (silke.becker@uni-bielefeld.de).