Working group against intersectional discrimination and racism

 Who we are:

In January 2023, the "Working Group against Intersectional Discrimination and Racism" was founded at the Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology. The aim of the Working Group (WG) is to create a space within the institute for reflection and reappraisal of discriminatory, racist, and colonialist tendencies in anthropology, but also in university teaching in general. The working group is open to anyone who wants to promote non-discriminatory and anti-racist teaching and attitudes at the department. Its members include students, faculty, and staff, coordinated by a student assistant.

 What we do:

The working group develops guidelines for active anti-discriminatory and anti-racist teaching, organizes workshops for lecturers and students, creates empowerment meetings for affected communities, and campaigns for a ban on racist terms, regardless of the context. The working group meets once a month in a plenary session to discuss developments at the department, how to deal with discriminatory behavior, and further training opportunities, among other things. These meetings are open to ALL people working/studying at the institute.

If you would like to be informed about the next meeting, simply send an e-mail to anti.discrimination.ksa@univie.ac.at and we will send you all further information.

 What we have done so far:

• We organize empowerment meetings for students of color to exchange common experiences within and outside the department, as well as workshops in which teachers and students can acquire skills in dealing with discriminatory statements/behavior. Further information will follow soon.
• During the winter semester 2024/2025 two students of the working group held a lecture in German about (anti-) discrimination. The lecture was organised by SoWi Steop+, where students in their first semester could attend additional lectures voluntarily, which intended to provide context for mandatory lectures, but also helpful knowledge to navigate in a university. The lecture was recorded and uploaded to YoutTube. see lecture on YouTube
• Inspired by and in cooperation with the Working Group, some lecturers design their courses with collaborative and egalitarian teaching methods.
  examples:
  
  • BM9 Antidiscriminatory Collaborative Anthropology between Students and Teachers
• We have established a contact point against discrimination that anyone who experiences or witnesses racist and discriminatory incidents related to the institute can turn to.
• We installed a book collection at the IKSA library with works critical of racism.

 What we are planning to do:

• Create a university-wide network of anti-discriminatory working groups of different institutes

 How to reach us:

The working group can be reached by e-mail at anti.discrimination.ksa@univie.ac.at.

This E-Mail is operated by Jakob Ruthner. Jakob is White, defines themselves as non-binary, uses no pronouns, and was involved in the process that created the Working Group. Outside of the University, Jakob is also engaged in autonomous anti-racist political groups. If you have any questions, suggestions, or critiques, please do not hesitate to contact us!