The Jena Declaration on race and eugenics (2019) / Conference on the concept of ‘race’ at Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, 2021

The Jena Declaration affirms that there are no “races” in the biological sense in humans, since the genetic variation within human populations is often greater than the genetic variation between these populations… In the human genome, for example, there is not a single difference among the 3.2 billion base pairs that separates Africans from non-Africans. So not only is there not a single gene that accounts for ‘racial”‘differences, there is not even a single base pair

The concept of race is the result of racism, not its prerequisite

The Jena Declaration is a scientific statement that questions and refutes the concept of human “races in a biological sense“. It was published in September 2019 at the 112th Annual Meeting of the German Zoological Society (Deutsche Zoologische Gesellschaft) in Jena. The statement was written by leading scientists from the fields of evolutionary research, genetics and zoology, and was instrumental in influencing the legislative amendment to remove the term “Rasse” (roughly “race in a biological sense”) from the German constitution.With this statement, the Institute for Zoology and Evolutionary Research at Friedrich Schiller University Jena explicitly distances itself from its 20th century predecessors, especially from the controversial scholar and evolutionary biologist Ernst Haeckel, who was closely associated with the University of Jena and whose ideas of racism and eugenics are today considered scientifically untenable and morally reprehensible.

The authors of the statement, Martin S. Fischer, Uwe Hoßfeld, Johannes Krause and Stefan Richter examined the issue of alleged human “races” from a biological perspective. They clarified that this concept has no scientific justification. Scientific studies of genetic variation within and between human populations showed that the biological concept of “race” was a typological construct based on arbitrarily selected physical characteristics and did not reflect the actual genetic diversity of the human species.

The Jena Declaration affirms that there are no “races” in the biological sense in humans, since the genetic variation within human populations is often greater than the genetic variation between these populations. Only in domestic animals the genetic similarity within a breed is actually greater than between breeds. Moreover, genetic differences between populations are continuous, as humans travelled long before major explorations and voyages of conquest by Europeans, creating links between populations that were geographically distant from each other. External characteristics such as skin colour, used for typological classifications or in everyday racism, are very superficial and rapidly changing biological adaptations to local conditions. In the human genome, for example, there is not a single difference among the 3.2 billion base pairs that separates Africans from non-Africans. So not only is there not a single gene that accounts for “racial” differences, there is not even a single base pair.

The authors conclude that the concept of human “races” is the result of racism and not its precondition. Its use in scientific literature and social discourse often leads to misunderstandings and reinforces prejudice and discrimination. They therefore call for the term “race” to be discontinued in relation to people, except in historical or socio-political contexts where it should be understood as a social construction rather than a biological reality. They argue that the use of the term in relation to people creates a false idea of genetically separate groups and that it is important to debunk this myth in order to combat racism.

They conclude the statement with an appeal to educational institutions, media, authorities and all citizens to reconsider the German term “Rasse” and emphasise genetic diversity and humanity instead of artificial and harmful categorisations…. (Source: Wikipedia entry on the Jena Declaration)

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Conference on ‘Jena, Haeckel and the question of human races, or racism creates races’, at the Institute for Zoology and Evolutionary Research of Friedrich Schiller University

The joint declaration below provides information on this topic and was approved by the German Zoological Society and the President of Friedrich Schiller University Jena, who support the authors in their effort to act against scientific legitimations of racism. In spring 2023, the Thuringian Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports published a handout for schools entitled “The ‘Jena Declaration against Racism’ and its application in the classroom” de. It was written by Prof. Dr Uwe Hoßfeld and Dr Karl Porges from the University of Jena. The publication is available as a download or in book form on request.

Also published in 2023 was the book “Overcoming the Concept of ‘Race’. The Jena Declaration in (Higher) Education”, edited by biology didactician Dr Karl Porges. It brings together contributions from a conference held in Jena in September 2021 under the same title. Contributions from school practice and contributions from conference guests were also included. “Our aim is to build on the Jena Declaration and give teachers a tool for their anti-racism work,” says Karl Porges. In part thanks to the support of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, the accompanying e-book can be made available free of charge.

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