Antidiscrimination Center Events and Activities

3–6 pm, Mittelweg 177, Room: N0065_N0067

The Antidiscrimination Center and the Equity Unit are hosting this event to offer an opportunity for exchange and networking for academics who have experienced discrimination based on subtle or overt racist views of their actual or presumed origins, religion, skin color, or language. The experience of the Antidiscrimination Center shows that researches affected by racism, regardless of the differences in their areas of research and topics, share similar challenges arising from their specific experiences of discrimination and exclusion. This workshop, led by Annita Kalpaka, is intended to provide an opportunity for initial exchange and a shared effort at categorizing the personal experiences of discriminating situations. It is also an opportunity to reflect on institutional routines that can create racist environments, regardless of a person’s intentions.  Last but not least, resources and helpful strategies should be considered at the various levels of everyday university life.

This will be held in German. Unfortunately, we cannot provide interpreters.

Trainer / seminar leader: Annita Kalpaka was a professor of social work until 2022 and has long-standing practical experience in antidiscrimination work, political education, migration and racism research, and migrant feminism. She is currently project manager of the digital archive ver/sammeln antirassistischer Kämpfe.

Recognizing and responding to discrimination: raising awareness and developing the confidence and tools to respond to discrimination in all of its forms

As in all areas of society, the university can also confront us with discrimination, at different levels, in different ways, and often invisibly. At the same time, there is growing social awareness of what is meant by discrimination and what action needs to be taken as a result. These positive developments, however, also come with challenges for those with institutional responsibilities to act.

This workshop series is an invitation to develop an understanding of discrimination for your particular field of work, to assess the consequences for those affected by it, and to familiarize yourself with legal principles. The main goal of this series is to give you what you need to act responsibly and to reflect upon your own scope of possible responses.

Target group: This is designed especially for people who are the first port of call at the University and thus may be confronted with discrimination questions or cases. This series offers a safe space for reflection and further development.

The workshop comprises several modules that build on each other and cover different subject areas. A diverse mix of methods is used to create an interactive and varied learning environment.

Module 1: 6 February 2026, 10 am–1 pm, N0065_N0067

Module 2: 27 March 2026, 10 am–1 pm, N0065_N0067

Module 3: 24 April 2026, 10 am–1 pm, N0065_N0067

The workshop series consists of consecutive modules; register only if you can attend all sessions.

Trainer / seminar leader: Birte Weiß is a cultural studies scholar, adult education teacher, and systemic coach and supervisor. Since 2005, her work has focused on diversity and antidiscrimination in counseling and supervision as well as in further education and training. She heads the Hamburg Antidiscrimination Office and works as a freelancer for the Federal Antdiscrimination Agency and the German Antidiscrimination Association, among others.

Discrimination happens, even at universities. Sometimes clearly, sometimes more casually, but never without consequences. Anti-Muslim discrimination is a specific form of discrimination that also plays a role in the university context, be it in teaching and examination situations, in counseling sessions, or in everyday interactions. This seminar was designed for teaching staff at the University of Hamburg and offered the opportunity to take an in-depth look at the manifestations, background, and effects of anti-Muslim discrimination. The aim was to boost confidence in responding to these types of situations and to develop awareness of discrimination in one’s own teaching.

Trainer / seminar leader: Dr. Noha Abdel-Hady is an antidiscrimination trainer, and empowerment and leadership coach. Trainer for antiracism and diversity management, as well as university lecturer on discrimination-sensitive topics in higher education and educational practice.

“Antisemitism” refers to various expressions of hostility towards Jews, such as anti-Judaism, secondary antisemitism, and Israel-related antisemitism. In this seminar, we focused on the various manifestations of antisemitism and their purposes as well as discuss how to respond to antisemitic incidents. This seminar was designed for teaching staff and it highlighted how hostility to Israel and antisemitism mutually influence each other, how to understand codes and slogans, and how teachers can prevent incidents or intervene.

Lecturer / seminar leader: Dr. Olaf Kistenmacher has been active for the last 20 years in educating people about antisemitism. Most recently, he contributed “‘Aber Israel macht doch das Gleiche’ … Zum pädagogischen Umgang mit Israelhass und israelbezogenem Antisemitismus” in Bildungsarbeit gegen Antisemitismus (in German only).