10 Years of Diversity Week – A Reason to Celebrate! 

In 2024 we celebrated a major anniversary: Diversity Week turned 10! That makes us quite proud indeed! Over the past ten years, countless people have been involved in planning and carrying out this week of events. It is only thanks to the collaboration of many dedicated individuals that Diversity Week has become what it is today: a space for exchange, networking, and information on the topic of equal opportunities at the University of Cologne. The Equal Opportunities Office would like to extend its heartfelt thanks to everyone who has contributed!

In its anniversary year as well, Diversity Week was organised by the Prorectorate for Anti-Discrimination and Equal Opportunities together with the Equal Opportunities Office, in cooperation with the respective actors in this field. Under the motto “You Make the Difference”, staff and students alike were invited from 3–7 June to attend a wide range of events, lectures, and (advisory) services.

Insights into the Programme

The topics of Diversity Week are as diverse as the name suggests, and it is truly difficult to highlight just three of the more than 50 wonderful contributions. Nevertheless, we shall do so – not least to whet your appetite for the next Diversity Week in 2025!

Dr Mai-Anh Boger presented her theory of trilemmatic inclusion and, in a subsequent discussion with members of the Faculties of Arts and Humanities and of Human Sciences, explored the question of how research projects in the humanities can meaningfully engage with Disability Studies.

At the Role Model Night, career paths of first-generation academics were showcased, with the speakers sharing their very individual – and not always easy – educational journeys.

Cologne Girls Talking & Walking is a community of women for women, who regularly organise walks in Cologne (Instagram: @colognegirlstalkingwalking). For Diversity Week, they held a special “Uni edition” on the topic of FLINTA* in academia.
 
 

The Department for Equal Opportunities was delighted to welcome Şeyda Kurt as the keynote speaker for Diversity Week 2024. She spoke with us about political emotions and their relevance for everyday university life.
Şeyda Kurt challenged us to question the traditional view of universities as centres of critical thinking and to include the element of feeling. She asked whether thoughts and emotions can truly be separated, and analysed how emotions relate to the social structures of capitalism, patriarchy, and racism that shape our coexistence both within and beyond universities.
She addressed these themes in front of around 100 attendees in the New Seminar Building and a further 150 participants who joined online. After her lecture, Michelle Crooks and Sammy Alves Abboud from the Department for Equal Opportunities engaged in conversation with her. This was followed by a lively discussion, moderated by Dr Britt Dahmen (Head of the Department for Equal Opportunities).
We look back with joy on our 10th Diversity Week in 2024 and are already motivated for next year! We warmly invite you to join us again in 2025!