ABSTRACT:
Despite increasing scholarly and policy interest in the decolonization of medicine and healthcare in recent years, the enduring colonial foundations of German medical and healthcare systems remain largely underexplored and, consequently, unchallenged. This contribution is based on a systematized literature review and examines the deep colonial roots that continue to shape knowledge production, institutional structures, and practices in German medicine and healthcare, with a particular focus on Berlin. In addition, community mappings were conducted to document and make visible the knowledge, practices, and forms of resistance embedded in locally based, communities-driven health initiatives led by activists and scholars of color. Through a critical analysis of historical and contemporary power relations, the contribution demonstrates how colonial and racialized knowledge systems persist in medical curricula, clinical practice guidelines, and institutional structures. These continuities contribute to limited access to treatment and negatively affect the quality of healthcare for racially marginalized communities. Where formal systems fail or exclude, communities develop their own strategies to address racial injustice in healthcare and to foster resistance and solidarity. Intersectionality and decolonial approaches grounded in an ethics of care are identified as essential frameworks for making these power structures visible and for developing transformative strategies for change. The report offers both a theoretical foundation and practical recommendations for academics, policymakers, healthcare institutions, and civil society actors seeking to unsettle colonial power dynamics and advance health equity and justice in Germany and beyond.