Aladin El-Mafaalani studied economics, political science, education, and ergonomics at the Ruhr University Bochum, where he also earned his PhD in sociology. After his training to teach at vocational schools, he worked at Berufskolleg Ahlen for several years. He was also a lecturer at various universities before he joined TU Dortmund via the FH Münster, the Ministry for Children, Family, Refugees and Integration, and the University of Osnabrück. Published with Kiepenheuer und Witsch, Das Integrationsparadox [The integration paradox, 2018], Mythos Bildung [The myth of education, 2020] und Wozu Rassismus? [Why racism?, 2021] were all best-selling books. Wozu Rassismus? is his tenth book.

As of July 2024