Resilience in everyday life: People fight against social injustice

Resilience in everyday life: People fight against social injustice

In 2025, Ferdinand Sutterlüty will publish his book “Resisting. Attempts at a Right Life in the Wrong One” in the Hamburg Edition. This work illuminates the realities of people who actively fight against social injustices. Through documentary narratives that retain the diction of the protagonists, the author invites readers to understand the overall shape of these people's lives without analyzing them analytically. Sutterlüty sees these individuals as bearers of hope and inspiring examples of resistant action.

The book presents a variety of protagonists, including a prison psychologist who works as a sea rescuer and a Polish hotel cleaner who defends herself against humiliation and exploitation. An artist who supports trans women in the sex business and a forestry officer who complains against male rule are also portrayed. A couple of mountain farmers who run a public farm round off the selection of reports. These different life stories illustrate the complex facets of social injustice.

Social inequality in context

In his work, Sutterlüty attempts to gain deeper insight into the topic of social inequality. Social inequality is a broad term that is reflected in overarching issues such as income inequality and its impact on life expectancy and educational opportunities. These inequalities, as the Federal Agency for Civic Education describes, are closely linked and rooted in the same social conditions. In Germany, extreme social contrasts often lead to parallel worlds, for example between the rich and the homeless.

A central element in Sutterlüty's research is the consideration of inequality of opportunity, which describes how unequally the opportunities to achieve social positions are distributed. These inequalities are often anchored in social institutions and are influenced by our political and economic framework. According to Reinhard Kreckel, social inequality means restrictions on access to social goods, which can significantly affect life chances.

The role of individual actions

Sutterlüty emphasizes that many of his protagonists have been resistant since childhood, which made him question his own thinking about prosperity and social justice. In his desired interplay of science and literature, he tries to clearly present the meaning of individual actions in relation to social structures. The symbolic dimension associated with reputation and appreciation also plays a crucial role. These dimensions make it clear that social comparisons usually take place within similar status groups, which often makes injustices invisible.

Overall, Sutterlüty shows that social inequalities not only consist of material dimensions such as education, profession and income, but also social networks and their homogeneity reinforce the imbalance. Ultimately, it is the renunciation of recognition according to conventional criteria that characterizes the protagonists' actions as resistant.

For Sutterlüty, who follows role models such as Studs Terkel and Svetlana Alexiewitsch, the stories he tells are more than just reports - they are calls for reflection and action in the face of social injustice. The connection to existing interests and the pursuit of a life of dignity and respect is clearly evident in the life stories that he has compiled. “Resisting” not only offers an insight into individual fates, but also opens up the discussion about the deeper structure of social inequality in our society.

For more detailed information on the topic of social inequality, please visit Federal Agency for Civic Education be visited. You can also find further information about the individual stories and their meaning at University of Frankfurt.