Glossary

Barrier

Barriers are obstacles that make life difficult for people. This means that not everyone can participate in everything. “Barrier-free” describes the attempt to identify obstacles and, if possible, remove them. Being barrier-free would be a goal that has not yet been achieved. Our goal is to identify barriers and, if possible, remove them.

BIPoC

The following definition is from IN*VISION https://in-vision.org/infos/faq Thank you for allowing us to use it.

BIPoC stands for Black, Indigenous and People of Color.

This includes all people who have ancestors from parts of the African continent, Asia and West Asia through one or more parents. Whose ancestors are Roma, Sint*ezza, indigenous people from Australasia, North and South America, the Caribbean or the Indian Ocean region. Descendants of Europeans who migrated to Asia, Africa or the Americas for colonial and imperialist reasons are not included.

Braille

Or dot writing is a tactile script that can be read even without sight.

Cis/cisgender

‘Cis’ is the counterpart to ‘trans’. ‘Cis’ is used to express that a person has the gender they were assigned at birth based on their genitals.

Democratic self-government

Self-government means that the initiative and organization of the administration comes from those for whom this administration is intended. The self-government of the BIPoC-only tent means that all BIPoC are independently responsible for it and also have the freedom to organize the use of the tent. This self-administration should be democratic, which means that everyone who can participate in the administration (e.g. all BIPoC) should have equal say.

DGS

German Sign Language, the visual-manual language in which deaf and hard of hearing people in Germany communicate with each other

Drugs

Drugs are intoxicating substances that are not produced by the body itself. These include illegal drugs such as synthetic drugs, heroin or coke, legal drugs such as alcohol or cigarettes and semi-legal drugs such as cannabis.

FLINTA*

FLINTA* is an abbreviation and stands for women, lesbians, intersex, non-binary, trans and agender people. The appended asterisk serves as a placeholder to include all non-binary gender identities.

Colonialism

Colonialism refers to the expansion of the ruling power of European countries to non-European areas with the primary goal of economic exploitation. In the Age of Discovery, missionary reasons and trade were also decisive for colonialism (since the Industrial Revolution, especially the acquisition of cheap raw materials); However, the focus was always on increasing the wealth of the colonial rulers and the so-called mother countries. In 1914, more than half of the world’s population was under direct colonial influence. After the Second World War in particular, extensive decolonization took place, in which the colonized nations had to fight for their freedom in brutal wars. Although the former colonial states were now formally independent, cultural, economic and other dependency structures remained due to the structures created (artificial borders, inadequate infrastructure, one-sided economic orientation, etc.).

Source: https://www.bpb.de/kurz-knapp/lexika/politiklexikon/17718/kolonialismus/ slightly modified

LGBTQ*

Abbreviation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer. LGBTQ has now become established as a short form for all genders, gender identities and sexual orientations that deviate from the binary and heterosexual norms.

The appended asterisk serves as a placeholder for intersex people, asexual, aromantic, agender people and other gender identities and sexual orientations.

Neocolonialism

Neocolonialism is the practice of influencing a country through economics (for example, so-called free trade agreements), globalization, cultural imperialism and conditional aid. Typically, neocolonialism leads to dependence, subservience or financial obligation to neocolonial nations and transnational corporations. This can lead to an inappropriate level of political control or a spiral of debt that functionally mimics the relationship of traditional colonialism.

Source: https://de.wikibrief.org/wiki/Neocolonialism verändert

Neurodiversity

Neurodiversity is the idea that it is “normal” for people to have a brain that functions “differently” than the medical or societal norm. Neurodivergence is the term for people whose brains function differently in one or more ways than what is considered “normal” or “typical” according to societal norms. Neurotypical is a descriptive term that refers to someone whose brain functions, behaviors, and processing are considered “standard” or “typical” according to societal norms. (https://rebellisches.org/awarenesskonzept/)

Mansplaining

Mansplaining refers to explanations by a man who assumes he knows more about the subject of the conversation than the - usually non-male - person he is talking to.

Migration

Migration is understood as a permanent spatial change in the center of life of one or more people. Migration that takes place across national borders is referred to as international migration.

Patriarchy

Patriarchy is a system of thought and society that was imposed paternalistically, i.e. “by fathers” and violently against feminist resistance. The idea is to attribute certain characteristics or abilities to male-marked people that distinguish them from female-marked people. The attributions for female-marked people are consistently more childish, incompetent, and less powerful than the attributions for male-marked people.

In order to strengthen the ideology, it is postulated that there are only two genders and that they are assigned certain tasks, which is all simplified but has no substance. Patriarchal thought patterns can benefit those people who fill or perform the role as defined by the patriarchy - men (and some people who are read as male): Privileges can be exploited if they want to be reduced to their assigned role and behave according to the narrow corridor. All other people are oppressed, especially as soon as they show any kind of emancipatory behavior or are marked as female or non-binary. Therefore, we are working to abolish the patriarchy and form emancipatory, non-sexist forms of society.

Queer feminism

Queer feminism advocates the equal treatment and equal rights of all identities, genders, sexual and romantic orientations and life models. Queer feminists fight for the recognition of more gender identities than cis woman and cis man and that relationship models beyond heterosexuality and monogamy are just as valid. In queer feminism, equality for queer people is a central demand, in addition to equality between women and men.

Racialized

Racialization refers to the knowledge level of racism. Racialization describes both a process in which racist knowledge is generated and the structure of this racist knowledge.

Racism criticism & racism-critical practice

Racism criticism is based on the assumption that racism is a social norm insofar as all people are positioned in our society through racist categorizations, attributions and discrimination. Action is therefore only possible within these conditions. Therefore, racism can only be combated within its framework, orders of belonging can be shifted and racist discrimination reduced. The positioning of the actors must be taken into account in order not to once again support racist structures of superiority and subordination.

In this respect, racism criticism is a (self-)reflexive, theory-based, contradictory and, in principle, inconclusive practice. In this way, criticism of racism explicitly sets itself apart from attitudes and forms of action that are based on the assumption that it is enough to stand up for equality and against racism in order not to be racist - e.g. Antifa. Because they ignore racist structures and are therefore also blind to the consequences of their own practice.

(Definition from Information and Documentation Center for Anti-Racism Work e. V. (IDA) https://tinyurl.com/muscxy4u)

Space

We often use phrases such as “taking space” or “creating space”. By “space” we mean a person’s immediate social environment. A person who “takes space” gets the attention of the people around them. This can be both empowering if the person otherwise receives too little attention, but also disruptive if it deprives others of too much attention. “Creating space” is the effort to ensure that the social environment enables or punishes certain actions. When space is created for criticism, it should be possible to express criticism without being excluded for it. Creating a space critical of racism means that racist statements and actions are criticized by those around them.

Reflection/Self-reflection

Reflection/Self-reflection refers to the activity of thinking about yourself.

This means analyzing and questioning your thoughts, feelings and actions with the aim of finding out more about yourself. We can not only question ourselves as individuals, but also as part of a system, for example as part of a camp or a political organization.

Repression

Repression comes from state authorities, such as the police or courts, and can be physical violence, for example, but also the legal prosecution and punishment of political activism. Repression is a means of maintaining social power relations. Also and especially in the reproduction of discrimination, such as racism.

Solidarity

Solidarity refers to the principle against isolation and is togetherness, and mutual (co-)responsibility and (co-)obligation.

Safer Space

A safer space is a place where marginalized or discriminated people can feel safe.

Trans

People who are not the gender they were assigned at birth are trans. Trans people can be both binary (male or female) and non-binary.

Not all people to whom this applies describe themselves as such - so, as always, the label should not be imposed on other people. Trans is often used as a self-designation.

white / being white / white-positioned

White or being white or white-positioned, like the term PoC, do not refer to a biological characteristic, but rather to a political and social construction. Whiteness refers to the dominant and privileged position in the power relationship of racism. It often remains unspoken and unnamed, although every discrimination includes both a discriminated and a privileged position. In contrast to the term BIPoC, white is not a self-designation.

To make it clear that whiteness is not an empowering self-designation, we write white in lowercase and italics, in contrast to the empowering self-designation Black, which we write in uppercase and non-italics.