Comparing Racisms in Post-Migrant Societies

A series of racially motivated murders over the past decade has brought the issue of racism into the political consciousness of German society. The killing of nine immigrants in the city of Hanau by a white supremacist and an attempted mass murder of Jews on Yom Kippur in the city of Halle which resulted in two deaths led the German government to acknowledge in 2020 that right-wing extremism and racism have become a serious and imminent threat to the country’s democracy. The German Center for Integration and Migration Research (DeZIM), headed by Dr. Naika Foroutan, was commissioned by the German government to develop a long-term National Discrimination and Racism Monitor (NaDiRa). Its aim is to record and understand the extent as well as causes and consequences of racism in Germany. Initial data collection on the German population’s perception of racism has shown that there may be analytical, empirical, and phenomenological differences between Germany and the United States when it comes to understanding racism. Dr. Foroutan will present the latest data from the German Racism- Monitor based on the recently published empirical study, “Racist Realities: How Does Germany Deal with Racism?” which has been presented to the German ministries and the public in May 2022. Her webinar will be moderated by Dr. Marilyn Sephocle, Professor for Language and Humanities at Howard University in Washington, DC.

Dr. Naika Foroutan is DAAD/AGI Research Fellow from September to December 2022.

She is a professor of Integration Research and Social Policy at the Institute of Social Sciences (ISW) at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin where she heads the Berlin Institute on Integration and Migration Research (BIM). She is also director of the German Center for Integration and Migration (DeZIM) a research center funded by the German Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ) that produces empirical analyses on migration, integration, and racism in Germany. She is also a consultant for German political parties and civil society organizations.

This event will convene via Zoom. Contact Mr. Jack Fornasiero at jfornasiero@aicgs.org with any questions. This event is supported by the DAAD with funds from the Federal Foreign Office.