How can individuals who are disadvantaged by racist structures be legally named – and what measures may or must be taken to change this? This report examines two central gaps in German anti-racism policy: It analyzes existing terminologies and develops recommendations for legally sound, community-compatible language. At the same time, it reviews the legal foundations and limits of affirmative action – from scholarship programs to interview quotas – at the national, European, and international law levels.
Project Information
- Conducted as part of the project Foundations for Intersectional Anti-Racism Mainstreaming (GIAM)
- Project duration: March 2024 – March 2026
- Funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Migration, Refugees and Integration, also Federal Government Commissioner for Anti-Racism
Methodology
- Legal doctrinal analysis: German constitutional and anti-discrimination law, European law, international law
- 20 semi-structured expert consultations from law, public administration, and civil society
- Digital legal workshop with 16 experts (September 2025)
- Focus group with 8 community representatives (January 2026)
- Qualitative discourse analysis of key documents
Citation
Ghadery, F. (2026). Towards Anti-Racist Law – Terminology & Affirmative Action for Equality. Center for Data-driven Empowerment, Leadership and Advocacy (zedela). https://zedela.org/publikationen/antirassistisches-recht-begriffe-und-positive-massnahmen
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