Prof. Dr. Claudia Dreke, Prof. Dr.  Katrin Reimer-Gordinskaya & Prof. Dr. Ralf Lottmann, University of Applied Sciences Magdeburg-Stendal

Abstract

The focus of this multidisciplinary lecture series is the question of what significance divergent social positions and situations of children and young people have in political conflicts. This includes, on the one hand, the political handling of such differences as well as the social scientific reflection on them. On the other hand, it deals with the significance of such experiences and possibilities for action of young people themselves, especially with regard to participation, protection, education, health and well-being.

Political conflicts are thereby understood as peaceful or violent resolution of conflicting interests. An integral part of their emergence, interpretation and shaping are visual and linguistic conceptions which are conveyed through media. These do not simply reflect social reality and societal conditions, but they also co-produce them. They can have a socially unifying or dividing effect and retrieve corresponding potential for conflict. In addition, they can orient professional action with children and young people. The lecture series therefore focuses on the debates surrounding and involving the imaginations of children/childhood and young people/youth which are negotiated in politics, the media and professional fields of action. It is also reflected upon that imaginations of children and young people are always related complementarily to those of adults.

We ask: Which children and young people become actors in political conflicts and which ones become objects i.e. victims of others’ actions? Which ones are made visually or linguistically (in)visible? Which policies are pursued though corresponding practices of making certain categories of youth (in)visible? What are possible consequences for children/young people and for the shaping of childhood/youth? How does the assignment of certain positions in these debates orient the experiences of children and young people themselves? How is it possible to enable i.e. strengthen inclusion, participation, and healthy — physical as well as psychological — development of children and young people under changing societal conditions? And which role does professional action in the institutions of social work, education and health play in these contexts?

Prof. Dr. Ulrike Pilarczyk, Technical University Braunschweig

Abstract

This lecture explores the differences and similarities in the perspectives and self-images of young people in the former Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the German Democratic Republic (GDR) in the years leading up to the fall of the Berlin Wall. The analysis of youth photography is particularly well-suited to this purpose, as photography had established itself in the 20th century as the preferred visual and expressive medium for all generations of young people.

The particular strength of image analysis within the context of social science research lies in its ability to reveal visual and spatial aspects of young people’s worldviews that are not represented through language. Therefore, the lecture will also provide insights into iconographic and serial photo analysis. A (serial) comparison of youth photographs reveals the diverse visual languages that young people developed from their experiences of different political systems and social contexts in order to articulate and address existential questions of life and identity.

A (serial) comparison of youth photography from the GDR and the FRG before the fall of the Berlin Wall can demonstrate that young people in different political systems and social contexts had developed distinct (photographic) visual languages, which they used to grapple with the existential questions that were essential to them in each context.

Dr. Niklas Obitz, Technical University Dortmund

Abstract

The presentation by Nikias Obitz explores solidarity-based participation of children and young people in a self-organized initiative in Colombia. It begins by examining childhood and how it is constituted in everyday life, as well as how it is shaped by social conditions in which the relationship between the individual and society is characterized by ambivalences (Bargetz 2016, p. 26).

On the one hand, children's everyday lives are framed by processes of political regulation. In this respect, children are addressed as subjects of politics and state action, meaning that childhood can be understood as a product of political relations.

On the other hand, children are themselves political actors in the course of their everyday lives. Following these considerations, the political dimension of childhood is approached from the perspective of everyday life.
Drawing on a critical theory of everyday life, the presentation seeks to demonstrate that the political is structured by conflict and that the ambivalences associated with it can be made visible through an analytical perspective on everyday life.

The presentation addresses the question of how the political dimension of childhood is embedded in everyday life. By providing insights into the everyday lives of children within a self-organized initiative in Colombia, it aims to illustrate how the political becomes visible in childhood.

Magdeburg: Guided Exhibition Tour „UNICEF Foto des Jahres – Kinder. Die Gegenwart der Zukunft“ Campus Magdeburg

Stendal: Michael Klundt | Magdeburg-Stendal University of Applied Sciences | Elements of Child Poverty and the militarization of Childhood in Germany in the 21st Century

Abstract

The lecture addresses the interrelations between child poverty and the militarization of childhood in Germany over recent decades, identifying causes, consequences, and alternatives. The presenter aims to substantiate the thesis that both the impoverishment of children and youths and the military, political, media, and academic attempts to construct "war-ready" childhoods can be analyzed and understood as political constructions of childhood(s).

These constructions represent and cause structural violations of children's rights and threats to child welfare. The author initially refers to fundamental legal principles anchored in documents such as the German Basic Law (Grundgesetz) and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. These principles form the basis for contradiction and resistance against direct and sublime forms of militarization and the erosion of democratic and social constitutional states. The contribution aims to critically question at least some of the "war-ready" narratives and militarizing logics of thought and action in politics, media and science in order to carve out peace-ready potentials for child and youth (educational) work. If such potential exists on the part of young people shall be demonstrated by findings from empirical studies.

Prof. Dr. Thomas Grunau, University of Bremen

Abstract 

The Covid-19 pandemic profoundly disrupted children’s everyday lives. Schools, daycare centres, playgrounds and many other spaces of childhood were closed, while conflicting claims about children and their needs gained public attention. This lecture examines these conflicts through the concept of the social arena, understood as a public site in which different actors struggle to define social problems, legitimate political measures and establish particular interpretations of reality.

Drawing on German print and online media, the lecture reconstructs how children and childhoods were imagined during different phases of the pandemic. During the first phase, children were predominantly portrayed as a danger to others: as potential transmitters of the virus and as a logistical problem for families and society. Only a few months later, this image shifted. Children increasingly appeared as being in danger due to educational losses, social isolation and threats to their well-being. Media debates also differentiated between childhoods by portraying certain groups of children as particularly vulnerable.

Despite the constant public concern about children, children themselves rarely appeared as legitimate speakers. They largely remained „silenced actors“ whose needs, interests and futures were defined by adults. The findings and their implications for children’s participation and professional practice will be discussed together with the students.

Jun.-Prof’in Dr. Jessica Schwittek, Technical University Dortmund

Abstract

What does it mean to arrive in a new society as a child? This paper explores how young refugees experience and make sense of childhood in Germany, focusing on the everyday practices, social rules, and institutional arrangements they encounter in the process of arrival. Social structures that may seem self-evident in Germany – including the relatively segregated and domesticated character of children’s everyday lives – can represent a significant departure from children’s previous experiences of childhood in other societal contexts. Participation in key spaces of childhood, particularly schools and peer groups, therefore requires understanding often implicit social rules in order to establish one’s own position within these social spaces – a key condition for a sense of belonging.

Yet, the work of arrival cannot be understood solely as a process unfolding at the micro level of everyday interactions. Structural conditions of the asylum system and the educational arrangements through which young refugees enter schooling frequently entail changes of their place of residence and/or school. Such disruptions repeatedly challenge children’s efforts to establish social relationships, develop routines, and gain a sense of belonging. At the same time, children articulate strong hopes for their lives in Germany, alongside high expectations of themselves. Learning German quickly and succeeding at school emerge as central pathways towards what they understand as a successful arrival and a promising future.

Drawing on qualitative research with young refugees, including individual and group conversations as well as children’s own network maps and drawings, the paper foregrounds children’s perspectives on navigating unfamiliar social worlds and negotiating the conditions of their everyday lives. It thus approaches arrival not simply as a process of integration, but as a socially and institutionally structured experience that children actively interpret and negotiate.

Prof. Dr. Irene Moor, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg

Abstract

What do we know about the health and well-being of children and adolescents in Saxony-Anhalt? The HBSC Study in Saxony-Anhalt provides a comprehensive evidence base to address this question. As part of the international Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study, conducted in collaboration with the World Health Organization, it examines young people’s health, health-related behaviours, and social environments.

The study adopts a broad understanding of health, including physical and mental health, subjective well-being, psychosomatic complaints, health behaviours, and experiences of bullying and violence. It also considers key social contexts such as family, peers, and school, which play an important role in shaping health and well-being during adolescence. Particular attention is given to social and health inequalities and to the ways in which health outcomes, risks, and protective resources differ across population groups and living conditions.

This presentation provides an overview of the main areas covered by the HBSC Study in Saxony-Anhalt and discusses how the findings can contribute to health monitoring, prevention, and health promotion. The study offers an important basis for identifying health needs, understanding inequalities, and informing the development of measures that are responsive to the living conditions and needs of children and adolescents.

Prof. Dr. Tanja Seider, University of Applied Sciences for Social Work and Pedagogy, Berlin

Abstract 

The lecture examines the cinematic portrayal of Arab-Jewish encounters in Jerusalem and Jaffa/Tel Aviv through the films „My Heart Dances“ (d: Eran Riklis/Sayed Kashua, 2014) and „Dancing in Jaffa“ (d: Hilla Medalia, 2013). The focus is on children’s identity and socialization processes in zones of conflict and contact, as well as the influence of the sociopolitical environment. The analysis examines whether and to what extent the films challenge binary representations of identity and attribute to children the capacity to act in dealing with political conflicts and social coexistence.

Magdeburg: Dealing with Diversities@SGM – Preparation of Student Presentations, Magdeburg

Stendal: Exhibition and Discussion: „UNICEF Foto des Jahres – Kinder. Die Gegenwart der Zukunft“ Guided Exhibition Tour

Dr. Stefan Sjöberg, University of Gävle, Sweden

Dr. Heike Kanter

Magdeburg: Prof. Dr. Elena Sterdt and Henriette Prössel, Magdeburg-Stendal University of Applied Sciences | Environmental Health in Daycare Centers: Navigating the Tension Between Responsibility, Resources, and Participation

Abstract

Climate change poses a major challenge to public health. Children, in particular, are a vulnerable group and are especially affected by the health impacts of climate change. Effective climate health promotion in daycare centers requires not only educational approaches but also political and structural frameworks that enable participation, secure resources, and promote interagency cooperation. As an interdisciplinary field of action, it builds on the “Health in All Policies” (HiAP) approach, which focuses on incorporating health considerations into various policy areas.

The BMFTR-funded project “Climate Health in Daycare Centers” examines participatory strategies for promoting environmental health in two model daycare centers in Saxony-Anhalt. The accompanying scientific research is conducted through focus groups, surveys, and expert interviews with relevant stakeholders both within and outside the daycare centers.

The lecture series focuses on the different roles, responsibilities, and scope of action of the various participants involved—from daycare center directors and early childhood educators to operating agencies and local governments, as well as parents, children, and other stakeholders from the fields of practice, politics and public administration. Based on empirical findings, their perspectives and potential areas of conflict will be discussed together with the participants. The goal is to examine the political and structural conditions necessary for participatory, equitable, and sustainable environmental health promotion in daycare centers and to develop strategies for collaborative action that transcend institutional and professional boundaries.

Stendal: Prof. Dr. Anja Tippner, Universität Hamburg, Kosmodemyanskaya and the Militarization of Children

Abstract

The militarization of children has a long history. One of the most prominent examples in 20th-century Soviet history is Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya, a partisan who was executed by the Wehrmacht in 1941. Even during the war, she was transformed into a heroine of the Soviet resistance. Kosmodemyanskaya’s biography was featured extensively in literature and film and remains, to this day, a culturally significant example of youthful heroism. This presentation examines, firstly, the representations of Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya—as an active participant, a propaganda figure, and a victim—and, secondly, the role of literature in the militarization of children and adolescents regarding Kosmodemyanskaya’s story.

Annabel Herzog, University of Haifa, Israel

Abstract

Albert Memmi, born in Tunis in 1920, and Jacques Derrida, born near Algiers in 1930, grew up as Jewish children in French North Africa, and both later wrote about their childhoods. Memmi's autobiographical novel The Pillar of Salt (1953) follows a boy from a poor Jewish quarter of Tunis who speaks Judeo-Arabic at home and learns French at school. Derrida's Monolingualism of the Other (1996) recalls a boy who had only French, who lost his French citizenship and was expelled from school at twelve under Vichy laws. This talk reads the two texts around one place, the French school. For Memmi's narrator, school is a way out of his family's world, and every success in French makes home more foreign. For Derrida, school is the institution that first shuts him out. What room for choice did these children have? I argue that their agency took shape between two homes, and that the language that gave them a voice was one neither could fully call his own.

Annabel Herzog is Professor of Political Theory at the School of Political Science, University of Haifa. Her research connects continental philosophy, Jewish thought and political theory, with a focus on Arendt, Levinas, Derrida and Memmi. Her book Levinas's Politics: Justice, Mercy, Universality (2020) received the 2021 Jordan Schnitzer Book Award. She currently leads a project funded by the Israel Science Foundation on home as a philosophical category in twentieth-century Jewish thought.

Prof. Dr. Claudia Dreke, Prof. Dr. Ralf Lottmann & Prof. Dr. Katrin Reimer- Gordinskaya, Magdeburg-Stendal University of Applied Sciences