Invitation to the lecture
“Defiant Identities: ‘The Other’ under Scrutiny”

Lecture by Mohammad Dalla
(University of Potsdam, ➡️ photo on the right)

Thursday, December 4, 2025
4 p.m.
Location: Federal Foundation Magnus Hirschfeld (Berlin) Anton-Wilhelm-Amo-Str. 34, Berlin

Since its articulation by the Combahee River Collective in 1978, the concept of identity politics has has remained one of the most debated and misunderstood terms in contemporary political thought. In his PdD project, Mohammad Dalla examines how identity politics operates within the field of migration and asylum governance today.

With a focus on asylum claims based on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) in Germany, his research explores how legal and bureaucratic categorizations both reflect and reshape contemporary sexual politics.

His presentation will higlight key aspects of the research, beginning with the transition from ground work to academic inquiry, and offer critical reflections on contemporary LGBTQ* politics and advocacy at the local and international levels.

Mohammad Dalla will deliver his presentation in English.

Participants are invited to contribute to the discussion in English or German.

This event is part of our “Research Perspectives” series.

…is a doctoral fellow of the DFG-funded project „Melbourne – Potsdam Minor Cosmopolitanisms“. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in English Language and Culture from the University of Damascus and a Master’s degree in Cultural Studies from the University of Potsdam. From 2019 to 2020, Mohammad Dalla also worked as a research assistent on the team of the award-winning “Critical Cultural Literacy Online” project at the University of Potsdam. For nearly 10 years, he has been involved in various projects supporting particularly vulnerable groups of refugees and is networked with numerous organizations in the field.

Furthermore, Dalla himself worked for the Federal Foundation Magnus Hirschfeld until 2022 – an important experience that also influenced his research idea. Mohammad Dalla will reveal exactly what this influence is in his presentation.

Date: Thursday, December 4, 2025
Time: 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Location: Federal Foundation Magnus Hirschfeld, Anton-Wilhelm-Amo-Str. 34, 10117 Berlin
Language: English
Free of charge

We look forward to your participation.

Note: If you are unavailable on December 4th… If you don’t have time to come to the Federal Foundation, you can watch the lecture afterwards as a recording online.