Susanne Spindler

Prof. Dr. Susanne Spindler is a Professor of Social Work and Migration at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Cultural Studies, Hochschule Düsseldorf. She is a leading scholar in critical migration studies, racism critique, gender, and social inclusion. Her research focuses on marginalized migrant populations, particularly youth and single parents, and she actively contributes to policy debates on residence rights and anti-discrimination.

• Institution: Hochschule Düsseldorf
• School: Faculty of Social Sciences and Cultural Studies
• Department: Social Work and Migration
• Academic Rank: Professor
• Email: susanne.spindler@hs-duesseldorf.de

Her educational background includes a doctorate from the University of Cologne on racism, masculinity, and criminalization. She previously served as Professor of Youth Work and Interculturality at Hochschule Darmstadt. Her research expertise spans racism and antiracism, intersectionality, gender and masculinity, qualitative social research, and migration-sensitive social work. She has led and co-led multiple funded research projects on topics such as tolerance status, migrant single parents, and resistance to social exclusion.

Her recent publications (2020–2025) reflect a strong trend toward policy-oriented, empirically grounded, and critically reflective scholarship. Topics include the Chancen-Aufenthaltsrecht, municipal support for tolerated migrants, refugee youth, and the racialization of masculinity. Her work often involves participatory and ethnographic methods, and she collaborates with civil society organizations and policy institutions.

Scientific and Public Engagement:

• Speaker, Working Group on Flight, Migration, Racism, and Antisemitism Critique (DGSA)
• Trusted Professor, Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung
• Member, Scientific Advisory Board of 'Irgendwie Hier!'
• Member, Kritnet – Critical Migration and Border Regime Research Network
• Contributor to public discourse via taz, policy briefs, and open letters

She supervises research teams, teaches, and mentors students in social work and migration studies. Her work bridges academia, policy, and activism, advocating for humane, rights-based, and inclusive migration governance.

Laboratories and Research Teams:

• Lead, 'Engagement against Social Exclusion' (2025–2026), funded by Deutsche Stiftung Engagement und Ehrenamt
• Lead, 'Migrant and Refugee Single Parents' (2023–2025), funded by Stiftung Alltagsheld:innen
• Co-PI, 'Participation Despite Tolerance?' (2021–2024), funded by Stiftung Mercator
• Collaborator with universities in Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Fulda, and UConn