SHIFTING BOUNDARIES: Definitions, Expressions and Consequences of Antisemitism in Contemporary Norway

The research project "SHIFTING BOUNDARIES. Definitions, Expressions and Consequences of Antisemitism in Contemporary Norway" aimed to establish new empirical, methodological and theoretical insights into the manifestations, mechanisms and effects of anti-Jewish attitudes in Norway today. The entire project was informed by the hypothesis that while the open expression of antisemitic ideas has been banned in the public sphere of Western societies after the Holocaust, the phenomenon has not vanished but instead occurs in less visible ways. This was conceptualised as "communication latency". Through three interconnected work packages, the project focused on relevant arenas of public discourse and social interaction (new media, public debates and education). Based on a comprehensive set of quantitative data accompanied by a range of qualitative studies, the project set out to explore the forms and manifestations of antisemitism in contemporary Norway, including the contexts in which these attitudes are expressed, regulated and transformed. In addition, the project investigated how the concept of antisemitism has been negotiated in the Norwegian public sphere and in what ways the discourse about antisemitism has become a means of legitimising and delegitimising social and political actors and positions. The project has thereby provided well-founded knowledge about the prevalence and acceptance of antisemitic attitudes in contemporary Norway and, in particular, answered the overriding question of whether (and eventually in which ways) the boundaries of "what can be said about Jews" has shifted in recent years. Findings from the project will constitute a point of reference and a resource for civil society and local and national authorities in Norway as well as internationally, to be used in work to counteract and prevent antisemitism, prejudice and discrimination. The project's opening conference was held in June 2018, with international visitors and contributions by all project members and reference group. The conference was organised in collaboration with the Holocaust centre's other Samkul-project "Negotiating Jewish Identity". In November 2019, a seminar was held in cooperation with the Jewish Museum in Oslo. The seminar was entitled "Shifting boundaries: expressions of antisemitism in today's Norway." The PhD project in WP1, "Old hatred in new media" has aimed to provide insights on how the emergence of digital media has enabled the spread of antisemitic ideas. The first article, "News about Jews: Deconstructing Antisemitic Propaganda in Extreme Right Online Media," has been published in the academic journal Nordicom Review (open access): https://doi.org/10.18261/978-82-15-03468-3-2019. Findings have also been presented at two conferences in 2019. A second article on antisemitism on the political left is in progress. The project will be finalised in June 2022. Findings from WP1 "Contested meanings and uses of antisemitism in public debate" have been published in two articles in February 2020 in the book "The Shifting Boundaries of Prejudice. Antisemitism and Islamophobia in Contemporary Norway" (Scandinavian University Press / Universitetsforlaget). The book was launched September 13, 2020. Analyses of Islamophobia included in this publication provides a comparative perspective. Results from WP2, "Antisemitism: Developments, explanatory factors, consequences" are also published in this book. A researcher was employed in August 2020 in relation to WP3, "Holocaust education in Norwegian schools: preventing or reinforcing antisemitism?". The project investigated the meanings of the Holocaust as a teaching subject in Norwegian schools through two sub-studies. One sub-study was an interview study of Norwegian teachers' teaching methods, experiences and reflections on the topic of the Holocaust. The second study was a narrative analysis of current and future textbooks in social studies and history. In Spring 2021 a seminar on Holocaust education in the Nordic countries was held at the Holocaust Center. In August 2020, two MA-students also joined the project. Both MA-projects were submitted in 2021. A concluding conference was held in December 2021 at the Holocaust centre. Ten researchers from the project and one external commentator participated.

Samlet formidlet prosjektets resultater den grunnleggende innsikten at holdninger til jøder og andre minoriteter ikke kan forstås isolert, men at grensene for "hva som kan sies" om minoriteter må ses i sammenheng med den offentlige samtalen og politiske kulturen i samfunnet. Et slik perspektiv, som knytter holdninger til konkrete kommunikative kontekster, har sentral betydning for en opplyst samfunnsdebatt og i undervisningen om antisemittisme, fordommer og diskriminering.

The research project 'SHIFTING BOUNDARIES. Definitions, Expressions and Consequences of Antisemitism in Contemporary Norway' aims to establish new empirical, methodological and theoretical insights into the manifestations, mechanisms and effects of anti-Jewish attitudes in Norway today. The entire project is informed by the hypothesis that while the open expression of antisemitic ideas has been banned in the public sphere of Western societies after the Holocaust, the phenomenon has not vanished but instead occurs in less visible ways, linked to semantics, broad discourses, and particular channels of communication. This is conceptualised as 'communicative latency'. Through three interconnected work packages, the project will focus on relevant arenas of public discourse and social interaction (new media, public debates and education). Based on a comprehensive set of quantitative data accompanied by a range of qualitative studies, the project sets out to explore the forms and manifestations of antisemitism in contemporary Norway, including the contexts in which these attitudes are expressed, regulated and transformed. In addition, the project will investigate how the concept of antisemitism is negotiated in the public sphere and in what ways the discourse about antisemitism has become a means of legitimising and delegitimising social and political actors and positions. The project will thereby provide well-founded knowledge about the prevalence and acceptance of antisemitic attitudes in contemporary Norway and, in particular, answer the overriding question of whether (and eventually in which ways) the boundaries of 'what can be said about Jews' have shifted in recent years. Findings from the project will constitute a point of reference and a resource for civil society and local and national authorities in Norway as well as internationally, to be used in work to counteract and prevent antisemitism, prejudice and discrimination at all levels in society.