After studying educational science, specializing in social work, at the University of Education in Freiburg (Germany), Isabelle Ihring worked for twelve years in youth welfare and anti-discrimination work. At the same time, she completed her doctorate. Since 2020, she is  teaching as a professor of social work at the Protestant University of Applied Sciences in Freiburg. Her focus is on child protection, analyzing (global) inequalities, racism from a postcolonial and intersectional perspective, as well as the examination of decolonial practices.

Title of MIASA project:

Her research is part of a joined book project named “The Coloniality of Humantiy”. Working title: On the motivation and motives of people of African descent to follow the return campaign of the Ghanaian government.

Short project description:

In her research project, she is investigating the reasons why people of African descent and/or descendants of slaves followed the return campaign by the Ghanaian government and left their home countries: What prompts Black people who grew up in 'Western' countries to go to Ghana? To what extent do colonial-racist attributions to their Black bodies play a role in this decision? To what extent do racist structures, which are sometimes very subtle in white dominant societies, contribute to the decision to leave this context? To what extent have people experienced that Black life, especially in white-dominated societies, has been constructed as 'less valuable' and what has this done to them? What hopes, fears and challenges are associated with the return? What conclusions can be drawn from the individual experiences and perspectives of Black people for life in a 'Western' country or life in Ghana?

Link to personal website or to relevant projects (if applicable):

https://www.eh-freiburg.de/personen/isabelle-ihring/

Most recent/ most important publications:

Ihring, I. (2025, forthcoming). Colonial-racist Knowledge and Whiteness in the University Context. In R. Afeworki Abay, A.-L. Klages, S. Rodríguez Lugo, & T. Kleibl (Eds.), Decolonial Methodologies in Social Work: Foregrounding Pluriversalism in Teaching and Research. London: Bloomsbury Publishing.

Ihring, I. (2024, forthcoming): Auswirkungen kolonial-rassistischer Wissensbestände im Kontext der Hilfen zur Erziehung. In: Sauer/Klus/Gugel (Hg.): Studienbuch Gender und Diversity für die Soziale Arbeit.

Ihring, I. (2021): Globale Erinnerungskultur – (Wie) Kann das gelingen? In: Newsletter Rassismuskritische Migrationspädagogik.

Garba, F./ Ihring, I. (2020): Corona-Impfungen oder die Suche nach globaler Solidarität. Eine postkoloniale Intervention. Im Newsletter Rassismuskritische Migrationspädagogik und MigaZIN (Magazin über Rassismus und Migration in Deutschland): Postkolonial: Corona-Impfungen oder die Suche nach Solidarität (migazin.de)