Prizes and foundations

Diversity working group of the Centre for Language and Communication

In her key work "Vita activa: or On the Active Life", the German-American political scientist Hannah Arendt explains the fundamental importance of human plurality as "the basic condition of acting as well as of speaking" (1967/2007: 213). For Arendt, action (actio) is therefore not only the highest form of human activity (alongside labour and production), but also the one in which the fundamental importance of plurality and thus, of necessity, diversity in human coexistence is most effectively brought to bear. "Diversity is a fact, inclusion a choice" therefore means, on the one hand, that the fundamental diversity of people is what makes political action and freedom of choice possible in the first place. Nonetheless, this action towards freedom can only happen intentionally, together, on the same wavelength and on the basis of intersubjective responsibility, respect and empathy.
No type of action emphasises human uniqueness and individuality more than language and speech. Language is a means and reflection of thought and can therefore also serve to mediate between different world views and perspectives. The flexibility and versatility of an individual language can, as it were, stimulate socially sustainable rethinking and creative action. Language not only mediates: it IS human action. It can have an exclusive or inclusive effect through minimal morphological, syntactic or lexical interventions. It can marginalise people in society or integrate them into communities. Language is politics, not only as an object, but also as a medium that has the power to constantly redefine the "we" and "us" and thus strengthen our community.

The winners of this year's University of Regensburg Gender Equality Award show just how important and effective inclusive action is, particularly in the area of language and communication. This prize has been awarded annually for the past four years to projects that have excelled in research, academic teaching, knowledge transfer or student engagement with a central reference to equality and with the aim of creating equal opportunities and/or gender equality.

The Diversity Working Group of the Center for Language and Communication, headed by Dr Julia Reinel, has been systematically committed to planning and implementing diversity-sensitive teaching and learning conditions since 2023. With a group of 13 volunteer employees, she has developed a wealth of concepts and strategies to promote inclusive education and equal opportunities in a short space of time. This includes raising awareness among all employees through further training and information materials, such as a 60-page awareness-raising brochure on the topic of equal opportunities and diversity, which expresses the many intersectional facets of equality and equal rights and enriches them with concrete case studies, pedagogical advice and a glossary with differentiated explanations. If you are not yet sufficiently familiar with terms such as "first generation", "partial performance disorder", "intersexuality" or "universal design for learning", I can warmly recommend this brochure as a good read.

The achievements of the working group also include barrier-free course rooms, lectures at international conferences, regular training programmes and a detailed GRIPS course "Diversity at the ZSK - Handouts for members of the teaching staff". The working group organises action days and weeks, e.g. on the occasion of German Diversity Day. The exhibition "(In)Visible: A look at gender in languages worldwide", which the working group organised in the foyer of the University Library in this year's summer semester, is particularly worth mentioning at this point. In collaboration with the Diversity and Anti-Discrimination Officer, Dr Birgit Bockschweiger, an exhibition concept was developed that deals with controversial and often only superficially understood topics such as the gender-sensitive use of language in German, the generic masculine and gendering in sign language and various individual languages from Turkish to Japanese. One highlight of the project was a keynote speech by constitutional judge Prof. Dr Ulrike Lembke on the legal and ethical foundations of gendering, to which the speaker gave clear and constitutionally sound advice.

With the prize money of 5,000 euros, the working group would like to further expand its training and awareness-raising programme, particularly in the area of transfer work in contact with students. I am looking forward to following this process and wish all those involved continued success and enjoyment. On behalf of the equal opportunities officer at the University of Regensburg, I would like to thank and congratulate you by name:

• Dr Julia Reinel
• Nadine Dechant
• Alexandra Franke-Nanic
• Florian Greiner
• Christine Kramel
• Dr Caroline Märzweiler
• Markus Meilinger
• Christina Ringlstetter
• Julia Ruhstorfer
• Dr Thomas Stahl
• Timur Taşcan
• Dr Michaela Trenner-Haberkorn
• Françoise Vergès
  

Source reference:
Arendt, Hannah (1967/2007) Vita activa or On the Active Life. Munich: Piper.

(Text: Prof. Dr Astrid Ensslin, representatives of the University of Regensburg for the equality of women in science and art)