Anke Schwarzer studied sociology, psychology, and politics at the universities of Marburg and Frankfurt/Main followed by graduation at a school of journalism in Berlin. The sociologist and editor currently works for the program department of the Hamburg Adult Education Centre (Volkshochschule) in the area of society and politics. She is also a freelancer in historical-political adult education and lecturer at various universities, most recently for the seminar "Colonial History and Present in Hamburg" at the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW). Furthermore she works as a journalist for media and web projects, most recently for "ReMapping Memories Lisboa – Hamburg" by the Goethe-Institute.
On the board of the non-governmental association Bildungsbüro Hamburg e.V. she is committed to power-critical education and a diverse culture of remembrance. She designs tours on colonial traces in urban space and is a member of the advisory board of the Ministry of Culture and Media on the decolonization of the city of Hamburg.