Introduction
Caste-based discrimination forms the lived reality of many students belonging to marginalised caste identities from school to higher education levels. Even though many studies in the fields of history of education and sociology of education document the harsh reality of caste-based … 
discrimination
which distinctions count: why the Illusion of non-discriminatory education can lead to problematic consequences
1. Introduction
For modern societies, the meritocratic ideal that access to social positions should not be determined by descent, but rather by the individual's own skills and motivations, is of central importance. It is easy to see and has been shown by numerous empirical studies (see for …
discrimination by teachers against students: sensemaking in light of a reporting obligation
1. Introduction
Since February 2022, principals of 264 municipal schools in Munich are obligated to report when discrimination occurs in their schools. The corresponding contact is the city’s complaints office (Anlaufstelle bei Diskriminierung und rechtem Hass) which encourages all school …
editorial: discrimination
On January 21, 2025, the day after he was sworn in for his second term as President of the United States, Donald Trump signed an executive order titled: "Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity" (Exec. Order no. 14,173, 2025). In it, Trump decreed that the "longstanding …
education is not the solution: racism and abuse of power in schools and universities
I remember the image of Professor H., a tall man, very clearly. Dressed in an expensive suit, tie, and patent-leather shoes, he often strutted up and down in the front of the auditorium, and instead of giving a scientific lecture, he bragged about whose hand he had just shaken in Berlin, London or …
how racism works – and how it doesn’t work: why a totalizing understanding of racism is insufficient for theory and research
Current political and scientific controversies about racism are often conducted as disputes in which clear positions are demanded, as if it were about religious confessions, or as if they were governed by a "logic of the trial" (Wacquant, 1997, p. 222), which aims at identifying culprits and …
editorial: how racism works: systemic injustices and the (false) promises of education
Racism constitutes an integral part of contemporary societies. Although there are probably few people who would openly call themselves racist, discrimination and oppression against people marked as non-white or “other” in some way are still omnipresent across the globe. The struggles connected with …
segregation, inequalities and discrimination
Reacting to Segregation
How do urban and school segregation impact inequality and the perception thereof? Our hypothesis is based on the crucial role of segregation in changing the framework that people use to interpret their own experience and more particularly social hierarchy and difference. …