Dissens – Institut für Bildung und Forschung (Institute for Education and Research ) is an educational, consulting and research institute, a recognized youth welfare organization in Berlin and active in consulting for organizations and individuals. The association has been working on gender relations in various forms and projects since 1989. In addition to gender equality, its work focuses on critical boys*, men* and masculinity research, gender-reflective boys* work, as well as gender-reflective pedagogy with all genders and multidimensional discrimination and privilege (intersectionality).
About their work, the team writes on their website, “We interlock research, pedagogical, as well as consulting practices in an ongoing research-practice circle in which the individual parts inspire, question, and productively develop each other. We work on issues around gender, lifestyles and sexuality, taking into account other social inequalities and multidimensional discrimination and privilege. In dealing with social relations of inequality, we reflect on our own positioning. We strive to offer opportunities for action for people of different positionings and to take responsibility for reducing existing discrimination. To that end, we are pursuing appropriate alliances and collaborations.”
In addition to universities and educational institutions, cooperation partners include the Antifaschistisches Pressearchiv und Bildungszentrum (apabiz) (Berlin), TransInterQueer (TrIQ ) (Berlin) and the Akademie Waldschlösschen (Reinhausen near Göttingen). In addition, there are international cooperations, for example with the Association for the Promotion of Women in Romania (Timisoara, Romania).
A selection of methods and educational materials around gender-reflective pedagogy from the environment of Dissens – Institut für Bildung und Forschung e.V. can be found here.