Prof. Dr. Friederike Lorenz-Sinai

Current research foci

• (Sexualised) violence and social processes of coming to terms with it
• Anti-Semitism in institutional contexts
• Prison architecture and everyday life in the penal system

Teaching specialisms

• Qualitative social research
• Profession and discipline of social work
• Conversation and counselling
• Criticism of discrimination and diversity in social work
• Abuse of power and violence in institutions
• Children's rights and protection concepts

Educational and professional biography

• since October 2021: Professor for Methods of Social Work and Social Work Research at the Potsdam University of Applied Sciences
• since 2021: Board member of OFEK e.V. – Counselling centres for anti-Semitic violence and discrimination https://ofek-beratung.de/ 
• 2017 – 2021: Research Associate at the Department of Social Pedagogy at Freie Universität Berlin
• 11/19 – 02/20: Research Fellow at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, School of Education
• Since 01/2018: Establishment of the Research Department of the Competence Centre for Prevention and Empowerment (sponsored by the Central Welfare Office of Jews in Germany - ZWST), together with Marina Chernivsky. Click here for more information: https://zwst-kompetenzzentrum.de/studien/
• 08/18 – 12/20: Research assistant at the University of Wuppertal in the GIF research project "German teachers and students learning about the Shoah in Israel - An analysis of Holocaust education regarding the impact of generational orientations"
• 2019: Doctorate (Dr Phil.) at the University of Wuppertal (summa cum laude)
• 09/16 – 04/17: Substitute lecturer for Prof. Dr Sabine Wagenblass at Bremen University of Applied Sciences, Social Work degree programme, for "History and Theories of Social Work"
• 06/13 – 07/16: Research assistant at the University of Duisburg-Essen, Faculty of Education, in the research project "Violent constellations in inpatient educational support - a case study"
• 10/10 – 03/16: Freelancer at the Bremen Institute for Social Work and Development (BISA+E) in various research projects
• 10/10 – 10/13: Freelancer in the educational department of the Bergen-Belsen Memorial Centre
• 2011 – 2013: Studied education and educational sciences at the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, specialising in migration and education
• 2009 – 2010: Further training in the anti-bias approach at the Anti-Bias Workshop
• 10/07 – 02/10: Studied social work at Bremen University of Applied Sciences, specialising in educational assistance
• 2004 – 2011: Worked as an educator and social worker in various institutions in the areas of daycare centres, after-school care, open child and youth work, children's and youth residential groups, social psychiatric services
• 2001 – 2004: Training as a state-recognised educator at the technical college for social pedagogy in Bremen

Awards and honours

• "Prize for Best Teaching 2021" at the Department of Educational Science and Psychology at Freie Universität Berlin for the master's seminar "Research and Development in Educational Fields of Action" (winter semester 2020/21)
• 2020 - 2024: Admission to the humanities and social sciences class of the Junge Akademie/ Academy of Sciences and Literature Mainz
• "Prize for Best Teaching 2018" at the Department of Educational Science and Psychology at Freie Universität Berlin for the seminar "Ansätze sozialpädagogischen Handelns" (WS 2017/18)
• Scholarship from the German National Academic Foundation for doctoral studies (2015 - 2018) and studies (2008 - 2013)
• Emilie Stahl Prize 2012 for particularly qualified colloquium report on the year of recognition as a state-recognised social worker in Bremen

Please see the German pages

Ongoing research projects

• 2024 – 2025: Effects of the terror of 7 October 2023 on Jewish and Israeli communities in Germany. In cooperation with the Competence Centre for Education and Research Critical of Anti-Semitism, funded by the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency
• 2024: Prison Architecture - An Ethnography on the Use of Space and Everyday Life in a Berlin Prison. Funded by the Berlin Senate Department for Justice and Consumer Protection
• 2023 – 2024: Self-help in the context of addiction, imprisonment and release from prison. Funded by BARMER.
• 2022 – 2024: Antisemitism in the context of the police (Thuringia and Saxony)
• Since 2018: Federal state study series "Dealing with antisemitism in the context of schools" (so far Berlin, Baden-Württemberg, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia), in cooperation with the Competence Centre for Education and Research Critical of Antisemitism, funded by "Demokratie leben!" (BMFSFJ). Further information: https://zwst-kompetenzzentrum.de/studien/

Completed research projects

• 2021 – 2024: Joint project "ForuM - Research on the processing of sexualised violence and other forms of abuse in the Protestant Church and Diaconia in Germany", co-management of sub-project B "Systemic conditions and the practice of processing (sexualised) violence". Further information: https://www.forum-studie.de/
• 2022 – 2023: Study on coming to terms with the violent constellation at Martinstift (Moers), in cooperation with Bergische Universität Wuppertal, funded by: Evangelical Church in the Rhineland, Moers church district, Moers church community, Diakonisches Werk Rheinland-Westfalen-Lippe
• 2020 – 2022: "Discomfort with history? Dealing with the impact of National Socialism and contemporary anti-Semitism in memorial sites", in cooperation with the Competence Centre for Prevention and Empowerment (ZWST), funded by the Foundation Remembrance - Responsibility - Future (EVZ). Further information: https://zwst-kompetenzzentrum.de/unbehagen-an-der-geschichte-2/
• 2021 – 2023: "Leaving Care - Experiences of Care Leavers and Professionals in Poland and Germany", explorative comparative study in cooperation with the Uniwersytet Warmińsko-Mazurski and other universities in Poland, funded by the German-Polish Science Foundation (DPWS)
• 2018 – 2020: "Learning about the Shoah in Israel: an analysis of generational orientations of German teachers". Research cooperation between the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Universities of Wuppertal and Duisburg-Essen, funded by the German Israeli Foundation for Scientific Research and Development (GIF)
• 2013 – 2016: "Violent constellations in inpatient educational support - A case study". University of Duisburg-Essen. Funded by the Graf Recke Foundation, the Diakoniewerk Deutschland, the Diakoniewerk Rheinland and the Evangelischer Erziehungsverband e.V. (EREV)
• 2015: 'Racism has become totally normal' - Perceptionsof racism and other discrimination in the north of Bremen - An analysis of the situation and resources from different perspectives'. Created on behalf of the "Partnership for Democracy Bremen North/Federal Programme `Demokratie leben! Active against right-wing extremism, violence and misanthropy." Bremen Institute for Social Work and Development (BISA+E)
• 2011 – 2014: Evaluation of the social training courses and individual case support (STK) of the organisations: Bremer Integrationshilfen BRIGG e.V., Stadtteil-Schule e.V. and JUS - Jugendhilfe und Soziale Arbeit Bremen gGmbH. (BISA+E)
• 2011: Preparation of a situation and resource analysis for the implementation of the Bremen Local Action Plan "Working against discrimination in the district" as part of the BMFSFJ federal programme "Promoting Tolerance - Strengthening Competence". Bremen Institute for Social Work and Development e.V. (BISA+E)

Research projects with students

Workshops and research labs

Winter semester 2023 – summer semester 2024: Workshop "Sexualised violence in institutional contexts"

Winter semester 2022 – summer semester 2023: Real-life laboratory "Self-help in the context of addiction, the penal system and release from prison" in cooperation with addiction support services from Blaues Kreuz in Deutschland e.V.

Winter semester 2021 – summer semester 2022: Workshop "Relational Social Work in the Context of Probation Services" in cooperation with specialists from the Berlin Youth Probation Service

Ongoing research projects

• 2024 – 2025: Effects of the terror of 7 October 2023 on Jewish and Israeli communities in Germany. In cooperation with the Competence Centre for Education and Research Critical of Anti-Semitism, funded by the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency
• 2024: Prison Architecture - An Ethnography on the Use of Space and Everyday Life in a Berlin Prison. Funded by the Berlin Senate Department for Justice and Consumer Protection
• 2023 – 2024: Self-help in the context of addiction, imprisonment and release from prison. Funded by BARMER.
• 2022 – 2024: Antisemitism in the context of the police (Thuringia and Saxony)
• Since 2018: Federal state study series "Dealing with antisemitism in the context of schools" (so far Berlin, Baden-Württemberg, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia), in cooperation with the Competence Centre for Education and Research Critical of Antisemitism, funded by "Demokratie leben!" (BMFSFJ). Further information: https://zwst-kompetenzzentrum.de/studien/

Completed research projects

• 2021 – 2024: Joint project "ForuM - Research on the processing of sexualised violence and other forms of abuse in the Protestant Church and Diaconia in Germany", co-management of sub-project B "Systemic conditions and the practice of processing (sexualised) violence". Further information: https://www.forum-studie.de/
• 2022 – 2023: Study on coming to terms with the violent constellation at Martinstift (Moers), in cooperation with Bergische Universität Wuppertal, funded by: Evangelical Church in the Rhineland, Moers church district, Moers church community, Diakonisches Werk Rheinland-Westfalen-Lippe
• 2020 – 2022: "Discomfort with history? Dealing with the impact of National Socialism and contemporary anti-Semitism in memorial sites", in cooperation with the Competence Centre for Prevention and Empowerment (ZWST), funded by the Foundation Remembrance - Responsibility - Future (EVZ). Further information: https://zwst-kompetenzzentrum.de/unbehagen-an-der-geschichte-2/
• 2021 – 2023: "Leaving Care - Experiences of Care Leavers and Professionals in Poland and Germany", explorative comparative study in cooperation with the Uniwersytet Warmińsko-Mazurski and other universities in Poland, funded by the German-Polish Science Foundation (DPWS)
• 2018 – 2020: "Learning about the Shoah in Israel: an analysis of generational orientations of German teachers". Research cooperation between the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Universities of Wuppertal and Duisburg-Essen, funded by the German Israeli Foundation for Scientific Research and Development (GIF)
• 2013 – 2016: "Violent constellations in inpatient educational support - A case study". University of Duisburg-Essen. Funded by the Graf Recke Foundation, the Diakoniewerk Deutschland, the Diakoniewerk Rheinland and the Evangelischer Erziehungsverband e.V. (EREV)
• 2015: 'Racism has become totally normal' - Perceptionsof racism and other discrimination in the north of Bremen - An analysis of the situation and resources from different perspectives'. Created on behalf of the "Partnership for Democracy Bremen North/Federal Programme `Demokratie leben! Active against right-wing extremism, violence and misanthropy." Bremen Institute for Social Work and Development (BISA+E)
• 2011 – 2014: Evaluation of the social training courses and individual case support (STK) of the organisations: Bremer Integrationshilfen BRIGG e.V., Stadtteil-Schule e.V. and JUS - Jugendhilfe und Soziale Arbeit Bremen gGmbH. (BISA+E)
• 2011: Preparation of a situation and resource analysis for the implementation of the Bremen Local Action Plan "Working against discrimination in the district" as part of the BMFSFJ federal programme "Promoting Tolerance - Strengthening Competence". Bremen Institute for Social Work and Development e.V. (BISA+E)

Research projects with students

Workshops and research labs

Winter semester 2023 – summer semester 2024: Workshop "Sexualised violence in institutional contexts"

Winter semester 2022 – summer semester 2023: Real-life laboratory "Self-help in the context of addiction, the penal system and release from prison" in cooperation with addiction support services from Blaues Kreuz in Deutschland e.V.

Winter semester 2021 – summer semester 2022: Workshop "Relational Social Work in the Context of Probation Services" in cooperation with specialists from the Berlin Youth Probation Service