Even before her lecture "Implementation of social racist ideology in everyday care practice using the example of the Berlin care offices in the field of care for the vulnerable" (on October 22, 2025), we were able to talk to ASH Professor Dr. Esther Lehnert about the topic. In the interview, Lehnert explains why today's students should engage with the history of the profession, how systematic discrimination took place under National Socialism and who the focus should be on.
Esther Lehnert's lecture is part of the lecture series "Social Work and National Socialism - Remembering. Reflect. Positioning.", which four universities, the Technische Hochschule Würzburg, the Hochschule Niederrhein Mönchengladbach, the Evangelische Hochschule Bochum and the ASH Berlin, are jointly organizing in the winter semester hybrid. In addition to the aforementioned lecture on October 22, 2025, the final lecture on January 21, 2026 (topic: "Learning/teaching from history?"/ Prof. Dr. em. Manfred Kappeler) will also take place at the university.
Ms Lehnert, from your perspective, why is it important for social work students today to deal with the history of their profession under National Socialism?
Esther Lehnert: Without knowledge of the history of one's own profession, it is not possible to develop a professional self-image. Social work is a human rights profession and human rights are always embedded in respective power and domination relationships. Without reflecting on the history of one's own profession and the traditions on which it is based, the universalist core of social work cannot be fully grasped.
Please give an example...
The professionalization of social work is also permeated by authoritarian and violent traditions. These reached a sad climax during the National Socialist era. However, the professional activities of the time were able to build on traditions from the Weimar era. Regrettably, even after National Socialism, a variety of authoritarian and violent practices in some fields of social work, such as residential care, could only be continued in a slightly modified form - in the FRG and the GDR.
What should the focus be on?
It is extremely important to finally look at the people affected by this, the addressees at the time. During the National Socialist era, they were affected by discrimination, persecution and even extermination through social work. People were labeled as "asocial", stigmatized and persecuted. Mental illnesses or even undesirable behaviour were categorized as "hereditary" under a "hereditary and racial-biological" paradigm. This form of professional action not only had consequences for those affected, but also for their children and grandchildren. Entire families - also known as "clans" - were affected by such stigmatization.
It was not until 2020 that the German Bundestag officially recognized this persecuted group as having been persecuted by the Nazi state.
On the topic of the lecture: What forms of social-racist ideology were particularly evident in the everyday care practices of the Berlin care offices during National Socialism?
The extent of the systematic persecution of women and girls who were categorized as "endangered", "neglected", "inferior" or "asocial" by social work, i.e. by care offices, youth welfare offices or family welfare, becomes clear. Social work under National Socialism was about biologizing undesirable behaviour or constructing this behaviour into the genetics of those affected.
How did this work?
For girls and women, deviations or undesirable behavior always meant "immoral" behavior. In other words, girls and women were sexualized by social work (and society) at the time. During the National Socialist era, the undesirable behavior of these women and girls was considered "morally imbecile", "libidinous" and/or "neglected". Possible causes were derived from hereditary biology - and were therefore considered hereditary.
With this justification, the addressees of the care offices were forcibly sterilized and locked up in homes, workhouses or camps. Even before this, the sexuality of girls and women was the central guideline for an assessment, or rather for a conviction. It did not matter whether it was a matter of real or assumed sexuality or sexualized violence.
Care offices were founded as welfare institutions in large cities during the Weimar Republic. An important concern was the decriminalization of prostitution and, in general, the care of women and girls who were considered to be at risk.
The condemnation of girls and women on the basis of sexuality played a central role in both successor states, i.e. the FRG and the GDR, and remained an important motive for institutionalization.
In your research, you deal with ideologies of inequality, among other things. What mechanisms of "care for the vulnerable" are examples of how social work contributed to the maintenance of social-racist systems of order?
It is not possible to speak of mechanisms here. The entire work of the care offices was thoroughly inhumane. Caring practices were permeated by this fundamental misanthropy. The actions of the care workers in the care offices were determined by a deep-seated misogyny and contempt for poor people as well as racism.
The questions were asked by Denis Demmerle.
Prof. Dr. Esther Lehnert is Professor of History, Theory and Practice of Social Work at ASH Berlin. Her research interests include right-wing extremism and gender, socio-pedagogical strategies against right-wing extremism and social work under National Socialism.
Dates at the ASH Berlin:
22.10.2025: Implementation of social racist ideology in everyday care practice using the example of the Berlin care offices in the field of care for the endangered - Prof.'in Dr.'in Esther Lehnert (Berlin)
19.11.2025: "Preservation" in the Nazi state - continuities of legal efforts and practices of welfare "preservation" (Weimar - Nazi - FRG) - Prof.'in Dr.'in Christa Paul (Hamburg)
21.01.2026: Learning/teaching from history? - Prof. Dr. em. Manfred Kappeler (Berlin)
... and here all (online) dates of the lecture series.
