Criticism of racism in civic education
Find an apartment. Riding the bus. Look at a children's book. Getting a haircut. What do these everyday situations have in common? They are individual examples of countless moments in which people affected by racism are repeatedly devalued and hurt.
Dealing critically and self-critically with the omnipresence of racism - in all areas of our life together, in our thoughts, in our actions - is work and it takes strength. Political education can and must make a contribution to addressing racism for what it is: a violent power structure, a system of inequality and a permanent process of exclusion and devaluation.
Political didactic researchers and practitioners of political education work are looking for answers to the question of what good political education that is critical of racism can look like from very different perspectives. Which strategies and which concepts can serve as approaches for learning to think and act in a way that is critical of racism? Which voices are given space - and which are not? Which target groups are addressed? Which focal points are chosen for the discussion?
This dossier provides an initial overview of relevant publications on political education critical of racism in order to link theoretical and practical work. It presents texts from didactic research as well as publications by organizations, individuals and associations that carry out political education work in this area. The list is neither complete nor uncritical: a lack of diversity and unequal distribution of resources and access to participation are also reflected in political education itself, which should not be excluded from the call for a critical examination of its own structures.
Recommended reading:
Fereidooni, Karim (2018): Rassismuskritik für Lehrer*innen und Peers im Bildungsbereich. online verfügbar
The political didactician Karim Fereidooni focuses on criticism of racism in the educational context. The publication provides an overview of the need for educational work that is critical of racism and offers approaches for putting this into practice.
Hafeneger, Benno/ Unkelbach, Katharina/ Widmaier, Benedikt (Hrsg.) (2018): Rassismuskritische politische Bildung. Theorien – Konzepte – Orientierungen, Schwalbach/Ts.
The authors of the anthology address issues such as the development processes of racism, connections between language and racism, racism in the context of populism and right-wing extremism and racism as a common task and challenge for education and schools.
Melter, Claus/ Mecheril, Paul (Hrsg.) (2011): Rassismuskritik. Band 1: Rassismustheorie und -forschung, Schwalbach/Ts.
With contributions by Paul Mecheril, Birgit Rommelspacher, Albert Scherr, Iman Attia and many other authors, this academic volume on racism criticism, racism theory and racism research from 2011 provides an important professional basis for the didactic examination of the subject of racism.
Scharathow, Wiebke/ Leiprecht, Rudolf (Hrsg.) (2011): Rassismuskritik. Band 2: Rassismuskritische Bildungsarbeit, Schwalbach/Ts.
The second volume on "Racism Criticism" focuses on the approaches, possibilities and limits of racism-critical educational work.
Publications and stakeholders from practical educational work:
Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung (Hrsg.): Themenseite Rassismus. online verfügbar
With a collection of articles on basic concepts, forms of racism, language and racism, right-wing terrorism, institutional racism and many other aspects, the Federal Agency offers a comprehensive compilation of various contents and materials on the topic.
Gewerkschaft Erziehung und Wissenschaft (Hrsg.) (2015): Die internationalen Wochen gegen Rassismus machen Schule. Materialien zur rassismuskritischen Bildungsarbeit, Frankfurt am Main. online verfügbar
The material booklet presents various materials and methods for educational work critical of racism in educational institutions.
Harbord-Blome, Mathis/ Klären, Ina/ Wollgarten, Sigrid (Hrsg.) (2019): Haltung zeigen! – jetzt erst recht. Bildungsmaterialien für Demokratie, Anerkennung und Vielfalt, Düsseldorf. online verfügbar
The Informations- und Dokumentationszentrum für Antirassismusarbeit e.V. (Information and Documentation Center for Anti-Racism Work) has a wide range of brochures and materials on educational work that is critical of racism. The publication "Haltung zeigen" provides an overview of methods and argumentation aids on the topic of racism and other dimensions of group-related misanthropy.
Ogette, Tupoka (2018): Exit Racism: Rassismuskritisch denken lernen, Münster. Material zum Buch online verfügbar
As a freelance political educator, Tupoka Ogette has been doing educational and awareness-raising work on the topic of racism criticism for many years. The handbook "Exit Racism", which can be streamed online free of charge as an audio book, offers a wide-ranging approach to the emergence, structures and effects of racism in Germany.
Projekt und Erinnerungsort Afrikanisches Viertel (Hrsg.) (2015): Rassismuskritischer Leitfaden, Hamburg/ Berlin. online verfügbar
This comprehensive guide for reflecting on existing and creating new teaching and learning materials for educational work that is critical of racism in and out of school is characterized in particular by basic explanations of concepts such as "critical whiteness", "PoC", "intersectionality" and others.