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Conference: “Beyond Polarization and Instrumentalization: Antisemitism and Other Racisms”

Lund, Sweden, April 7th-8th 2025 (N.B. New date!)

For a long time, the academic study of antisemitism/anti-Jewish racism has been separated from the broader field of critical race studies, as if antisemitism were not a form of racism among others. Despite attempts to bridge the two fields, scholars and politicians continue to single out antisemitism, both inside and outside academia. The struggle against antisemitism is often instrumentalized in public discourses to delegitimize the fight against other forms of racism, not least against Muslims.

Since the Hamas attack on October 7th 2023 and the subsequent Israeli invasion of Gaza, we have seen an overwhelming global movement of solidarity with Palestine, against war, genocide, ethnic cleansing, occupation, and colonization. In several countries we have witnessed increased levels of violent hate crimes against Jews and Muslims, but also the criminalization of the Palestine solidarity movement in the name of fighting antisemitism.

As antiracist and feminist scholars, we believe in the necessity to critically analyze contemporary antisemitism within the broader context and history of European racisms, to explore its complexity and ambiguities, including but not limited to its relation to whiteness, the nation-state, Europeanness, politics of belonging, racial capitalism, gender, sexuality, religion/secularism, (anti-)Zionism etc. 

With the purpose of deepening our knowledge on these issues, we invite researchers with an antiracist outlook and an interest in exploring antisemitism/anti-Jewish racism to participate in a conference in Lund, Sweden, on April 7th-8th 2025. 

The conference is organized by the network A new generation of scholars of antisemitism: Novel approaches to gender, sexuality and Jewish identity in a post-secular conjuncture, financed by the Swedish Research Council. 

We invite papers and panel proposals focusing on, but not limited to, the following questions: 

  • What are the main expressions of contemporary antisemitism in Europe today and how are they entangled with other racisms and questions relating to gender and sexuality?
  • How should we understand actual antisemitism, and its instrumentalization in relation to support and opposition to Israel, before and after October 7th 2023?
  • What are the implications of the present moment for the struggle against antisemitism and other racisms and what are the tensions and opportunities for creating broader antiracist alliances? 

We welcome contributions from various disciplines within the broad social sciences and humanities. Our aim is to collect and publish the conference contributions as an edited volume.

Confirmed keynote speakers: 

  • Professor Gil Anidjar, University of Columbia
  • Professor Alana Lentin, Western Sydney University

The research network covers expenses for food, overnight stays, and travelling. 

Please send abstracts of individual papers and/or panel proposals to research network coordinator Hansalbin Sältenberg via hansalbin [dot] saltenberg [at] genus [dot] lu [dot] se (hansalbin[dot]saltenberg[at]genus[dot]lu[dot]se)

Deadlines for sending in abstract: October 15th  

Notification of acceptance: November 1st

Hope to see you in Lund!

27 Sep 2024