Lawyer on diversity in science: “The lecture halls were less colorful back then”

taz: Mr. Dutta, what is the status of diversity in law?

Anatol Dutta: There has been a diversity debate in law for a long time. We noticed that people who are conventionally described as “with a migration background” rarely actively participate. We therefore liked the idea that they would have a space to share their personal view of their careers and the question of how their origins shaped their scientific work.

holds a chair in civil law, private international law and comparative law at the Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich.

taz: In their anthology, 35 legal scholars talk about their migration biographies...

Dutta: Of course we only represent a small part of them. All people are professors. With the book we are not pursuing any normative or empirical claim at all, but rather just want to describe and tell stories.

Reading “How origin shapes law” with the editors Anatol Dutta and Matteo Fornasier: Tuesday, October 27th, 6:30 p.m., Hamburg, Bucerius Law School, free entry

Book “Migration Biographies in German Law”, edited by Anatol Dutta and Matteo Fornasier, Mohr Siebeck, 711 pages, 34 euros; E-book freely available as open access

taz: You began your law studies in Munich in 1997, and today you are a professor of civil law at the same university. Has much changed since then in terms of diversity?

Dutta: Yes, very much. Back then, the lecture halls were less colorful. There were only a few people in my semester whose migration history was visible, including Matteo Fornaiser, the other editor of this book. I lived with him in a shared apartment when I was a student. When I look in the lecture hall today, things are different, now also in the legal professions.

Dutta: The written state examination is often criticized, but the level of equal treatment guaranteed by the anonymous exams is definitely an advantage. Nevertheless, I continue to experience that students with a migrant background often consciously approach me with certain questions and that there is a need for targeted exchange with people with similar experiences.

taz: What particularly struck you when reading the other biographies?

Dutta: First of all, the stories are all very different. There is no one migration background. Life paths are all different, as is the subjective experience. For example, I always liked it when someone asked me where I came from and found it a shame when people were afraid to ask. Others find this question improper. Many articles also ask whether you actually feel like a person with a migration background, and the answer is very different. What also struck me while reading was the importance of family - or of individual teachers and people who supported you. A common thread is also this shuttling back and forth between different worlds.

taz: Your own contribution is entitled “Here at home, a distant country in the heart”.

Dutta: I wanted to express exactly this emotional connection and conflict. I feel at home here in this society, as do my family and my children. But I always have this other world in the back of my mind that I also feel like I belong to. For me, this is above all an enrichment. Overall, the book is very positive, which is also what I noticed while reading it.

taz: What was it like for the law professors to write down such a personal text?

Dutta: That was a challenge, but obviously also a joy. That's actually what all the contributors reported. Most people were interested in this self-reflection. Just think a little about your own life.