(New) Anti-Semitism - Anti-Americanism

Since the beginning of the Second Intifada in the fall of 2000, there have been warnings of a new anti-Semitism in Europe. Whereas the spotlight had previously been on Germany and Austria, attention is now focused primarily on France and Great Britain. Regarding the representatives of this new anti-Semitism, a shift in the public perception of the typical anti-Semitic offender from an "extreme right-wing" skinhead to a "disaffected young Muslim" has been noted. The left-wing and liberal media, the peace and anti-globalization movements have also been confronted with charges of anti-Semitism. There seems to be a conspicuously close link between escalations of the Middle East conflict and the increase of anti-Semitism in Europe, and a connection between anti-Semitism and anti-Americanism. We will focus on an innovative aspect-a connection between anti-Semitism and anti- Americanism-and analyze the quality and dimension of contemporary anti-Semitism from a comparative historical perspective. The key questions are: What is new about the "new anti-Semitism" and which traditions and national differences can be traced back to historical circumstances. Germany, France and Great Britain suggest themselves as ideal objects of comparison due to their varying initial historical situations, their dissimilar relations to National Socialism, their specific relationships to the US and their highly diverse Muslim populations.The timeframe extends from the beginning of the Second Intifada (Fall 2000) to the present. The focal point of our research interest is the perception of concrete political events in the Middle East and the US (9/11, Iraq War, Afghanistan) in Europe, and thereby transported images of Israel, the US, and Palestinians. In accordance with a historical approach, the project accounts for cases of similarities and differences in perception in light of the respective historical and political contexts of these countries. Thus, one of the key research questions is whether it is now possible to speak of a European anti-Semitism and anti-Americanism as an overall European phenomenon or if significance is still to be attributed to specific national characteristics. Can explanatory patterns tailored to Germany (resistance to guilt, exoneration, etc.) be applied to Great Britain and France, or can secondary anti- Semitism still be regarded as a "genuinely German phenomenon"? Concerning the new representatives of anti- Semitism (disaffected young Muslim), special consideration will be given to de-colonialization and colonialist guilt.

Since the beginning of the Second Intifada in the fall of 2000, there have been warnings of a new anti-Semitism in Europe. Whereas the spotlight had previously been on Germany and Austria, attention is now focused primarily on France and Great Britain. Regarding the representatives of this new anti-Semitism, a shift in the public perception of the typical anti-Semitic offender from an "extreme right-wing" skinhead to a "disaffected young Muslim" has been noted. The left-wing and liberal media, the peace and anti-globalization movements have also been confronted with charges of anti-Semitism. There seems to be a conspicuously close link between escalations of the Middle East conflict and the increase of anti-Semitism in Europe, and a connection between anti-Semitism and anti-Americanism. We will focus on an innovative aspect-a connection between anti-Semitism and anti- Americanism-and analyze the quality and dimension of contemporary anti-Semitism from a comparative historical perspective. The key questions are: What is new about the "new anti-Semitism" and which traditions and national differences can be traced back to historical circumstances. Germany, France and Great Britain suggest themselves as ideal objects of comparison due to their varying initial historical situations, their dissimilar relations to National Socialism, their specific relationships to the US and their highly diverse Muslim populations.The timeframe extends from the beginning of the Second Intifada (Fall 2000) to the present. The focal point of our research interest is the perception of concrete political events in the Middle East and the US (9/11, Iraq War, Afghanistan) in Europe, and thereby transported images of Israel, the US, and Palestinians. In accordance with a historical approach, the project accounts for cases of similarities and differences in perception in light of the respective historical and political contexts of these countries. Thus, one of the key research questions is whether it is now possible to speak of a European anti-Semitism and anti-Americanism as an overall European phenomenon or if significance is still to be attributed to specific national characteristics. Can explanatory patterns tailored to Germany (resistance to guilt, exoneration, etc.) be applied to Great Britain and France, or can secondary anti- Semitism still be regarded as a "genuinely German phenomenon"? Concerning the new representatives of anti- Semitism (disaffected young Muslim), special consideration will be given to de-colonialization and colonialist guilt.