Short clips on everyday discrimination

The series of short clips focusing on discrimination was produced during the 2023 academic year, as a result of an interdisciplinary collaboration between the Diversity Commissions of Faculties 2 and 10 at the University of Stuttgart and HfK+G*, a private University of Communication and Design located in Stuttgart. This initiative aims to visually depict authentic experiences of discrimination that impact the daily lives of both students and employees at the University of Stuttgart. The objective is to empower individuals who have faced discrimination to assert their rights and to motivate bystanders or witnesses of such actions to take a stand against it.

The aim of the diversity project entitled "Things that happen – the pitfalls of the ordinary" is to strengthen the "we" of the University of Stuttgart. "We" strive for excellent research, teaching and support structures in an environment in which all members of the university feel welcome.

Below you find 26 animated short clips by students of the HfK+G*, which were created under the direction of Prof. Michaela Köhler, Simon Schillings and Prof. Davor Bakara. By visual storytelling of real events, the HfK+G* design students impressively demonstrate how visual communication works to address important social issues and stimulate discussion.

On the Day of Tolerance, November 16, 2023, insights into the creative process were presented on the campus of the University of Stuttgart. A soiree followed in January 2024 for the live premiere of the animations. The online premiere on the websites and YouTube channels of the University of Stuttgart and the HfK+G* followed on Zero Discrimination Day, March 1, 2024.

The foundation for the short films on discrimination at the University of Stuttgart was established through over 40 semi-structured qualitative interviews with university members. Interviews were conducted with a diverse group of participants, including students, academic staff, research support staff, and professors. These interviews were carried out by students from HfK+G* on October 17, 2023, across the Stadtmitte and Vaihingen campuses. Approximately one-third of these interviews were scheduled beforehand, while the remaining two-thirds were impromptu, taking place spontaneously across both campuses. In total, around 150 individuals were randomly selected to participate in these discussions, which ranged from 10 to 40 minutes in length.

Participants were asked open-ended questions regarding their experiences with discrimination at the University of Stuttgart. HfK+G* students reported that initial responses in the spontaneous interviews often included denials of discrimination experiences. However, if the conversation continued beyond the initial denial, participants typically shared experiences of discrimination after a short discussion about their first name, field of study, or area of responsibility, among other topics. Interestingly, after about 30% of the interviews, interviewees approached the students again to recount another discrimination experience they had remembered and wished to share.