Three basic courses in Political Science at the Blumenthal school in Bremen have taken on the topic of “bigotry and hatred”.  In order to illustrate these abstract terms for the general public, the Blumenthal pupils prepared an exhibition that was shown in a local community center.


What does the term “bigotry” actually mean?  In his study “Deutsche Zustände” (German Conditions), social scientist Wilhelm Heitmeyer analyzes the degree of enmity towards minorities in German society.  However, academic work usually only filters down to experts, whereas the general public hardly ever deals with the topic of bigotry and hatred.  The project network “Living Equality”  brings these issues to light through projects like the exhibition illustrated below, which was designed by students from the northern German city of Bremen.

The participants of the basic course in Political Science at the Blumenthal school want to know more about the complex topic of bigotry and hatred.  Encouraged by the course instructor, Tim von Oehsen, the idea of an exhibition came up.  In the current school year the teenagers are learning a lot about German society.  For Tim von Oehsen it is self-evident that this also includes the more negative aspects, such as discrimination of or animosity towards minorities.  What is important about the project is that the students are free to decide about the contents and realization of the exhibition - they are supposed to work it all out by themselves.

Exciting presentation of a rather scientific topic

The study groups took Wilhelm Heitmeyer's definition as the basis for their work: “Bigotry comprises various attitudes that express animosity towards different groups of people.”  This hostile attitude is expressed in different ways: verbal and physical violence towards people of Turkish backgrounds and Afro Germans (racism), swastika graffiti on Jewish cemeteries (anti-Semitism), sexist attitudes (sexism), violence towards gays and lesbians (homophobia) - just to name a few. What all elements of bigotry have in common is an ideology of inequality, meaning that certain groups of people are seen as “less worthy or valuable” than others.

It is entirely up to the students in what way they bring the topic to life.  They interviewed Muslims and Jews living in Germany in order to find out more about their life experiences.  They are also interested in people engaged in anti-racist initiatives.  The result is an impressive exhibition including photographs, diagrams and even a film!

Important learning effects

The course instructor hopes that the exhibition will find many interested parties and supporters:  “The fact that so many young people are intensely concerned with the topic is a positive indication to me.”  The youthful enthusiasm could rub off on exhibition visitors of all age groups.  In any case, the community center in Bremen Vegesack, where the exhibition opened in April 2008, offers a good opportunity for all citizens to learn about what bigotry is all about.  An additional brochure introducing the exhibition can be used as study material for schools.

While the exhibition was being developed, Tim von Oehsen found it especially exciting that there was no way of telling what the exhibition would look like in the end. In the course of the preparation it became clear that many students had no or hardly any background knowledge about the various minority groups. So for the participants, the initial question rarely was about how anti-Semitism expresses itself, or what Islamophobia is all about: “From time to time we had to pause during the working process and take a step back to explain what Judaism or Islam actually means,” Tim von Oehsen reports.  Beyond the confrontation with the actual topic the teenagers intensely interacted with individuals who face discrimination because they are members of a minority group.  Overall, creating the exhibition was an important learning effect for everyone who is involved in the project.


Jan Schwab

You want to make a change by supporting young and committed initiatives to stand against racism and neo-Nazism? Why not make a donation to the Amadeu Antonio Foundation?