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Glossary

Awareness-Training

Educational measure that aims to raise awareness of diversity management issues and develop the ability to recognise, question and transform inequality relationships.

Disability

"People are disabled if their physical function, mental ability or mental health is very likely to deviate from the condition typical of their age for longer than six months and their participation in life in society is therefore impaired. They are at risk of disability if the impairment is to be expected." (§ 2 Abs. 4 Satz 2 HRG) 

Discrimination

"An unjustified negative or harmful behaviour towards a member of a group simply because of his or her membership in that group." (Aronson et. al., 2008, p. 428)

Ethnicity

"Ethnicity refers to the individually perceived membership of an ethnic group, whose common characteristics can be, for example, language, religion or common traditions". (Schubert & Klein, 2011, cited in: source)

Gender

Social and psychological dimensions of gender that go beyond the presence of biological sex characteristics. Frequently, this is also understood to include role expectations of a person's behaviour that appear to result from biological sex. 

Intersectionality

Approach that aims to draw attention to the multidimensionality of experiences of discrimination.

Lifelong learning

"[A]ll learning throughout life that serves to improve knowledge, qualifications and competences and takes place within a personal, civic, social, [sic!] or employment-related perspective." (European Commission, 2001, p. 9) 

LGBTI

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex - Abbreviation for non-traditional sexual identities and orientations.

Transgender

Term for people who do not identify with the gender they were assigned at birth. 

Intersexuality

Persons who genetically, anatomically and/or hormonally cannot be clearly assigned to the female or male sex.

Queer

(Political) collective term for non-traditional sexual identities and orientations.

Racism

"There are many definitions of racism. Generally, it means actions, speech or attitudes that favour or disadvantage people because of their skin colour, culture or ethnic origin.
Racist incidents and harassment can occur in any situation in life.  A racist incident is an event that the victim or anyone else perceives as racist."(http://www.gib-rassismus-keine-chance.org; last call-off: 27.01.15)

Religion/worldview

A person's belief that the world works in one way and can be explained by means of a particular, institutionalised and authorised interpretive grid.

Sex

Biological sex: genetic, anatomical and hormonal sex characteristics

Sexual identity/orientation

In addition to biological and social sex, sexual identity also includes a person's sexual orientation.
Sexual orientation makes it clear to whom a person's sexual desire is directed.

Social origin

According to Pierre Bordieu, social origin means the resources and value systems into which a person is born and in which socialisation takes place. The resulting imprint is the habitus.

Tolerance/acceptance

In terms of linguistic history, tolerance means putting up with and tolerating another person or opinion.
Acceptance, on the other hand, means the recognition and acceptance of the other.

Literature:

Aronson, E., Wilson D. & Akert, R. (2008). Sozialpsychologie. 6. akt. Aufl. München: Addison-Wesley Verlag.

Europäische Kommission (2001). Mitteilung der Kommission: Einen Europäischen Raum des Lebenslangen Lernens schaffen (KOM(2001) 678). Zugriff am 27.01.15 unter Internetquelle.