Challenging oppression: how grassroots anti-racism in Berlin breaks borders

In recent years, the successful anti-migrant mobilization of populist radical right parties and movements in Germany has stimulated the anti-racist struggle. This article investigates the anti-racism of grassroots organizations that contest border regimes in Berlin. While grassroots anti-racism also intends to combat the ideology of populist radical right parties, it contributes distinctively to the debates on racism, colonialism and border regimes. Specifically, grassroots anti-racism sheds light on the mechanisms through which border regimes oppress and racialize migrants. Crucially, by acknowledging the imbrication between historical racial inequalities and border regimes, grassroots organizations weave an anti-racist struggle against border regimes that is emancipatory for racialized migrants. I contend that grassroots anti-racism contributes to tackling the pervasive historical amnesia (Hall, S. 2000. “Conclusion: The Multi-cultural Question.” In Un/settled Multiculturalisms: Diasporas, Entanglements, ‘Transruptions’, edited by B. Hesse. Zed Books) regarding colonialism and the role of racism in the construction of the German nation.