ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Sociol.
Sec. Race and Ethnicity
This article is part of the Research TopicAcademic Knowledge Production on Race and Racism – Reflections on Methodological ChallengesView all 7 articles
Anti-Racist Learning in the University: Trilemmatic Positionality in Teaching Racialization Processes in Germany
Provisionally accepted
Maisha M. Auma1,2
Gokce Yurdakul3*- 1University of Klagenfurt, Klagenfurt, Carinthia, Austria
- 2Universitätszentrum für Frauen*- und Geschlechterstudien (UZF*G), University of Klagenfurt, Klagenfurt, Austria
- 3Institut für Sozialwissenschaften, Fakultät für Kultur, Sozial und Bildungswissenschaften, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Abstract This article analyzes the pedagogical and institutional challenges of teaching about racialization processes in Germany through a BA-level seminar, Processes of Racialization in the "Two Germanies." Drawing on critical race pedagogy and the concept of trilemmatic positionality, we explore how students navigated tensions between institutional resistance, anti-racist commitments, and their own lived experiences. Based on students' reflections and feedback, the article examines how language, digital learning, and institutional structures shape anti-racist learning. Our findings reveal the emotional labor of students, the discomfort of privileged learners, and the limits of institutional recognition of racism. We argue for the institutionalization of anti-racist pedagogy in German higher education and highlight how trilemmatic positionality provides an analytical tool for understanding the contradictions and potential of anti-racist teaching.
Keywords: Critical race pedagogy, trilemmatic positionality, higher education, racialization, Germany, anti-racist learning
Received: 27 Feb 2025; Accepted: 03 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Auma and Yurdakul. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Gokce Yurdakul, g.yurdakul2007@gmail.com
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