Inclusion and Diversity
The research is centred on questions concerning the production and negotiation of difference and belonging in migration societies, as well as the associated processes of inclusion and exclusion at the intersection of educational policy, institutions and practice. Specifically, the research seeks to expand understanding of the mechanisms, causes, and consequences of racism and intersectional discrimination in educational settings. It focuses on investigating nation-ethno-cultural boundaries in schools and the associated experiences of parents and students. Additionally, the research examines the influence of social welfare reforms and neoliberalisation on the design of public spaces, particularly educational ones, in migration societies.
Another focus is on investigating the consequences and requirements of global refugee migration for schools and non-formal educational settings. From a transnational comparative perspective, differential educational exclusions of refugee children and young people are being examined. Additionally, learning processes in schools and among educational professionals that support discontinuous educational pathways and shape anti-discriminatory school practices in light of recent forced migrations to Germany are being explored.
The work in this area also aims to further develop theories and concepts of inclusion, anti-discrimination, and anti-racism. It examines the strategies employed by civil society organisations to initiate and support change processes in schools and wider society that challenge racism and discrimination. In collaboration with scholars and educational professionals from Germany and Turkey, transnational perspectives on pedagogical professionalism are being developed and evaluated in the context of global forced migration to inform the creation of democratic and inclusive educational spaces, in the sense of an 'Engaged Pedagogy Across Borders'.
Anti-discrimination counseling in schools: practices, professionalization processes, and experiences of students and parents affected by racism
Duration: October 1, 2025 - September 30,2028
Project Lead: Prof. Dr. Ellen Kollender
Futures of remembering in a post migrant society: Conflicts, Continuities, Competition
Duration: August 1, 2025 - October 31, 2026
Project Lead: Prof. Dr. Kevin Drews, Prof. Dr. Ellen Kollender, Prof. Dr. Monika Schoop (all: Leuphana University Lueneburg)
(New) Inclusion and Exclusion in the Context of Current Refugee Migration - Practices and Learning Processes in Schools Beyond the Metropolises
Duration: September 1, 2022 - ongoing
Project lead: Prof. Dr. Ellen Kollender (Leuphana University Lueneburg), Dorothee Schwendowius (Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg)
Engaged Pedagogy Across Borders. Transnational and intersectional perspectives on (social) pedagogical professionalism in the migration society
Project lead: Prof. Dr. Ellen Kollender (Leuphana University Lueneburg)
Practice partner: Beril Sönmez (Anadolu Kültür, non-profit organisation)