Erasing Palestine in Germany’s Educational System: The Racial Frontiers of Liberal Freedom

Abstract

Since the first Merkel government in 2009, Germany’s reason of state (Staatsräson) has been increasingly formulated as ‘unconditional solidarity’ with the state of Israel, thus evolving into a logic and practice of erasing Palestine and Palestinians. In such a context, the article delves into the most recent events at German schools and universities since October 7, 2023, and examines how these educational sites have become fundamental avenues for reaffirming Germany’s Staatsräson, as well as potential spaces for its contestation. Combining the work of Lisa Lowe and Nadera Shaloub-Kervorkian, we show how liberal notions of freedom emerge and follow racial frontiers that systemically erase Palestine in the educational structures, from schools to universities. While these processes consolidate Germany’s Staatsräson, protest movements of students and pupils offer the most radical spaces to resist it.