Tübingen celebrates the start of the new institute against right-wing extremism!

Tübingen celebrates the start of the new institute against right-wing extremism!

The founding of the Institute for Right-Wing Extremism Research (IRex) at the University of Tübingen was celebrated today in a festive setting. This inauguration took place in the university's auditorium and had some high-profile guests, including the President of the State Parliament Muhterem Aras and the Minister of Science Petra Olschowski. With the creation of the IRex, a significant step was taken in 2023 to strengthen democracy and increase society's resistance to right-wing extremist ideologies, such as gea.de reported.

As part of their contributions, the President of the State Parliament and the Minister of Science emphasized the urgency and relevance of the research work at IRex. Aras emphasized the importance of carefully analyzing right-wing extremist strategies and threats. The latest report for the protection of the constitution also points to an alarming increase in right-wing extremist crime, which further underlines the need for this research. The IRex is the first long-lasting, institutionally anchored research institute for this topic in Germany.

The roots of IRex

The founding of the institute was directly triggered by the recommendations in the final report of the second NSU investigative committee from 2019. This report, which runs to nearly 1,400 pages, documents the massive failures of law enforcement in dealing with the crimes of the National Socialist Underground (NSU), which committed numerous racially motivated murders. The committee recommended setting up a documentation and research center that would make it possible to systematically research the causes and manifestations of right-wing extremism, as bpb.de shows.

The institute will deal with the diverse facets and dynamics of right-wing extremism in an interdisciplinary manner. There are currently three professorships at IRex: Professor Léonie de Jonge, who deals with political actors, organizations and ideologies; Professor Annett Heft, who looks at right-wing extremist discourse from a media studies perspective; and Professor Heike Radvan, who takes an educational perspective. A process to appoint a fourth professorship, which will focus on social science research on anti-Semitism, is already underway.

Collaboration for society

Another important feature of IRex is its close cooperation with various organizations and institutions from science, politics and civil society. In her speech, Rector Karla Pollmann emphasized the university's responsibility in dealing with extremist ideologies and the role of IRex as a central contact point for research in this critical area. This is crucial, especially at a time when right-wing extremist violence is increasing and presenting society with major challenges.

With a clear focus on prevention and education, IRex is ready to develop innovative approaches to combat extremism and to help ensure that racism and anti-Semitism in all forms are resolutely countered. This promotes social cohesion and supports a strong, diversified democracy that courageously stands up against any form of intolerance, as other institutions in Germany, such as the Institute for Protest and Movement Research in Berlin and the Center for Right-Wing Extremism Research in Jena, set an example wi-rex.de.