Postmigrant design potential in transformative life events

This study examined how families affected by racism in Germany respond to everyday and structural racism—and how they shape their own scope for action in the process. The focus was on the concept of anti-racist agency, which describes the diverse ways in which families defend themselves against racism, empower their children, and create spaces of belonging. Anti-racist action was not reduced to activism in the narrow sense. Rather, it encompasses everyday decisions, protection and support strategies, communicative practices, and public engagement – even when families do not explicitly describe themselves as “activist.”

The study filled several key research gaps:

1. Anti-racism in families – While much research focuses on how parents prepare their children for experiences of racism, there is little knowledge about how families actively resist racism and develop counterstrategies.
2. The family as a place of resistance practices – Families are often portrayed as passive victims of racism; the study shows that they are active agents of anti-racist practice.
3. Differentiated perspectives on racialization – By including Black, Muslim, and Central and Eastern European families, the study examines both visible and less visible forms of racism that are often overlooked in previous studies.
4. Structural and relational conditions – The research also considers how resources, partnership coordination, living environment, and feelings of belonging shape the capacity for anti-racist action.

The aim of the study was to examine how Black, Muslim, and Central and Eastern European families in Germany experience everyday and structural racism and what strategies of anti-racist agency they develop to protect themselves, resist, and empower their children.

The empirical part of the study was conducted between June 2024 and January 2025 and was based on 25 guided interviews with families in Germany who identify as Black, Muslim, or Central or Eastern European. 

The study shows that families are not only places of care, but also places of resistance, resilience, and everyday political practice. Parents respond to racism by strengthening their children emotionally, conveying positive representations, preparing them for possible discrimination, or actively intervening in schools, daycare centers, and government agencies. Many families also build networks, seek allies, or create alternative spaces where their children can experience safety and appreciation. Other strategies are more inward-looking: setting boundaries, processing experiences, adapting routines, or consciously choosing institutions and spaces to avoid racism. All of these are expressions of anti-racist agency in everyday life.
At the same time, it became clear that anti-racist agency is not equally possible everywhere. Scope for action depends on resources, language, social support, one's own position within the majority society, and local contexts. Some parents have a great deal of self-confidence and institutional experience and can address conflicts proactively. Others have to weigh more carefully how visible or confrontational they can be without creating new risks for themselves or their children. 
Dynamics within the partnership—such as different experiences of racism or backgrounds—also influence how families develop strategies and what priorities they set.
The interviews revealed four types that illustrate the spectrum of anti-racist agency: families that act in a very proactive and socially oriented manner; those that take a situational and strategic approach; families that prioritize the protection and emotional well-being of their children; and parents who perceive experiences of racism but are still in the process of finding their own position and language for it. This typology shows that anti-racist agency is not one-dimensional, but is composed of multi-layered experiences, stresses, and resources.
Overall, the project revealed that families affected by racism in Germany engage in anti-racist work on a daily basis—often invisibly and unnamed, but with great impact. They navigate complex situations, develop courses of action within limited structures, and, despite social exclusion, create spaces of safety, self-determination, and future orientation for themselves and their children.
Anti-racist agency thus focuses on families as active shapers of their everyday lives and shows how diverse anti-racist action can be in family contexts.

Existing (racist) norms, behaviors, habits, and rules are questioned, and new, alternative patterns of action and behavior, positions, and constructions of identity and belonging are developed.