Despite a series of studies showing persistent continent-wide (anti-Black) racism and a beginning public reckoning with the colonial legacy, there still is no systematic interrogation of the historical and current impact of racial thinking on European identities or of the century-long presence of racialized Europeans. Meanwhile, a fast-growing population of color and the recent rise in extreme right and white supremacist movements and parties make this interrogation even more urgent. For this to happen, however, structural support and institutional anchoring are indispensable - as is the inclusion of the expertise of racialized communities (who are severely underrepresented in institutions of power, including universities). The Black European Studies Project (BEST), initiated by Peggy Piesche, Sara Lennox, and Fatima El-Tayeb in 2003 and funded by the Volkswagen Foundation from 2004-2007 was a first attempt at bundling existing scholarship, connecting Europe-based scholars of the African diaspora, and laying the foundation for this overdue institutional engagement.
InBEST is firmly grounded in this tradition, it builds on decades-long activism and research from within the Black community, and can draw on a broad interdisciplinary and transnational network. With the support of the Berlin senate and the TU Berlin, the first goal is the creation of a Black Studies module and a tenured position in Black Studies at the TU Berlin, with similar programs at other institutions to follow. The scope of the project is international and multidisciplinary. Germany is Europe’s most populous nation and plays a key role within the European Union, whose shared policies include the sector of education (see e.g. the Erasmus program, which in the 2021-2027 period focuses on social inclusion). Thus, the implementation of intersectional Black Studies at German universities would likely have a continent-wide impact and lead to similar initiatives in other European nations.