Race in Space: Discourses and Memories on November 13th in Munich

Race in Space: Discourses and Memories on November 13th in Munich

An exciting event will take place in Munich on Thursday, November 13, 2025: the BDA TALK No. 12 entitled “Race in Space”. The evening begins at 7:00 p.m. in the BDA Bayern, Türkenstraße 34, and promises to be an insightful exchange about the interactions between space and racism. Admission is free, which makes the offer even more attractive. The discussion will be moderated by Robertrechner, while Dr. Anna Danilina from the Technical University of Berlin will act as a speaker with her specialist knowledge. She is a historian at the Center for Research on Anti-Semitism and will provide a deep insight into the topic.

But what can the audience expect? The focus of the event is on space as a materialized memory of ideologies and ideas. Dr. Danilina will shed light on the history of the “inner colonies” during the German Empire and the Weimar Republic. In addition, the racially configured and segregated spaces as well as the “specific” practices in settlements and garden cities are the focus of her analysis. Its aim is to examine the overlap between liberal and ethnic objectives and their effects on community and exclusion. These are explosive topics that seem particularly relevant at a time when racism is once again being discussed globally. In Munich The discussion expects many interested parties who would like to deal with these social issues.

A look at the “Race and Space” conference

In the context of this BDA CONVERSATION, the results of the recent “Race and Space” conference at the University of Trier can also be brought into play. Organized by Claudia Bruns, the conference aimed to examine racialized discourses and their interconnections with different spatial imaginations. This analyzed the conditions under which discourses about race arise and which spatial concepts come into play. A wide range of topics were discussed, including social, geographical and cultural spaces. This shows how diverse and complex the confrontation with racist constructions is. HSO CULT gives a deep insight into the discussion content and success of the conference.

It became particularly clear that the question of race cannot be viewed in isolation. For example, Katrin Köppert illuminated how space is charged with gender and racialization in media such as the film “Lola and Bilidikid”. Historical and structural connections between colonialism and space were also discussed by various speakers; Martin Przybilski's analysis of the Jewish body in Christian discourses and Herbert Uerlings' presentation of the history of persecution of Sinti, Roma and Yenish people in the German space of memory were outstanding. Such connections are also relevant to Munich's history and open up numerous starting points for reflection on the present.

The reflections and discussions surrounding the topic of race in the room are more than just academic digressions. They serve to question social structures and promote a discourse that is also becoming more relevant in Munich. The invitation to BDA TALK No. 12 is a welcome opportunity to address these important topics and perhaps gain new perspectives.