17/06/2025
ӽ紫ýHonorary Fellow awarded CBE in King’s Birthday Honours
The Place of Antisemitism within Debates on Racism
20 February 2024, ӽ紫ý
The first of three roundtables on the question of whether there are hierarchies of racism examined “The Place of Antisemitism within Debates of Racism”. The event sought to unpick how antisemitism might differ from other forms of racism in the way it is understood and addressed. Each of the speakers brought a different and enlightening perspective to aspects of these questions.
The first speaker was Stefanie Schüler-Springorum, Co- Director of the Selma-Stern-Center for Jewish Studies, Berlin, and Director of the Berlin branch of the Center for Research on Social Cohesion. She described the religious roots of antisemitism, arguing that far too little attention has been paid to how anti-Jewish thought has entered into sometimes very stable, sometimes volatile connections with all kinds of other resentments. Next David Feldman, Director of the Birkbeck Institute for the Study of Antisemitism and a Professor of History, argued that today civil society organisations and activists who promote anti-racist politics and human rights frequently appear at odds with mainstream Jewish institutions and their members: a change from the postwar period when Jewish efforts to oppose antisemitism had aligned with wider anti-racist and egalitarian goals. The third speaker, Esra Ozyurek, the Sultan Qaboos Professor of Abrahamic Faiths and Shared Values at the Cambridge Faculty of Divinity, turned her attention to the intersection of political and religious identities in Eastern Europe. She noted how, in contemporary Germany, attempts to come to terms with past antisemitism and the Holocaust has recently begun to target Muslims and critics of Israel, pointing out that antisemitism and other racisms are connected and often perpetrated by the same groups. Finally, Keith Kahn Harris, a sociologist, writer and senior research fellow at the Institute for Jewish Policy Research, spoke of the increasing reorientation of the Jewish Diaspora towards fighting antisemitism within the public sphere. Concomitantly, he noted that there has been a downgrading of 'everyday' mundane Jewish life and that these trends risk 'hollowing out' Jewish existence and that Jews may need to re-examine the virtues of “insularity, parochialism and even dullness.”
Feedback from audience members suggests that the most rewarding aspect of this event is that far from simplifying the nature of antisemitism, it offered instead a broad based and nuanced account of its historical roots and its contemporary manifestations. It spoke to the complexities involved in both acknowledging antisemitism and also in the ways it might be contested. The audience left with a far broader and educated perspective on the place of antisemitism in debates on racism, underlining that combating antisemitism may not always be easy but is absolutely necessary.
Co-Convener, REACH, Jennifer Davis
The Place of Islamophobia in Debates on Racism
29 February 2024, ӽ紫ý
On the 29th February 2024, REACH hosted a roundtable discussion entitled, “The Place of Islamophobia within Debates of Racism”, featuring Dr Professor Tariq Modood MBE, Dr Aminul Hoque MBE and Awa Farah, PhD student at Churchill College. Each speaker delivered a short speech on Islamophobia and racism, with the aim of answering the question: “Are there hierarchies of racism?”
Dr Modood began by distinguishing between Islamophobia and reasonable criticism, suggesting the adoption of a series of questions to test the intention of a comment. Dr Hoque continued, drawing from his personal experience with Islamophobia, emphasizing the evolution of racist discourse in Britain from a focus on physical characteristics to cultural and religious identifiers. Ms Farah then reflected on the intersection of gender and Islamophobia and the experiences of young Muslims in Britain.
In response to the question, “are there hierarchies of racism?”, the panelists highlighted the importance of prioritization, that is, recognizing the pressing needs of a specific group in specific circumstances. This calls for an approach to anti-racist action which is dictated by the urgency and severity of a particular issue at a particular time. There was also an intriguing discussion of the role of ‘pride’, in confronting Islamophobia, with speakers emphasizing the importance of fostering a sense of dignity within Muslim communities, recognizing both the historical and ongoing contributions of Islam to the world and resisting the marginalization of Muslim communities perpetuated by Islamophobic rhetoric.
In an era marked by pervasive anti-Muslim rhetoric in Britain and across the world, the perspectives offered by our speakers underscore the critical role of intercultural communication and pedagogy. These insights advocate for a concerted effort to deconstruct systems of oppression and reconstruct societies founded on the principles of equality and justice. They compel us not only to combat racism through movements against oppression, but also to champion movements for dignity, acknowledgement and recognition.
REACH Research Development Lead, Annoa Abekah-Mensah
The Place of Antigypsyism within Debates on Racism
25 April 2024, ӽ紫ý
On the 25th April 2024, REACH hosted a roundtable discussion entitled, “The Place of Antigypsyism within Debates of Racism”, featuring Professor Jodie Matthews from the University of Huddersfield and ESRC-funded Cambridge University PhD student Ms Simina Dragos. Apologies were received from the third invited speaker, Davie Donaldson, the Senior DEI Consultant from Conyach Advocacy & Engagement. Each speaker presented for 30 minutes on antigypsyism within hierarchies of racism, before responding first to each other and then to questions from the audience.
Professor Matthew’s presentation provided a visually compelling backdrop of gypsy and traveller art, poetry and song to accompany an overview of where antigypsyism could be situated in modern Britain. The presentation began with the positionality of the speaker, in order to bring clarity to the hermeneutic approach used in the content, as well as the research which informed it. The etymological issues in the use of racists language was highlighted, as well as the importance of dynamic fluidity of interrogating terms. Language as a construct of stereotype was a running theme throughout Professor Matthews’ lecture, as was the argument that the place of antigypsyism within debates on racism was firmly in the periphery. Professor Matthews skillfully introduced the argument that this peripheral perspective made it more difficult to define, dismantle or transform racist ideas permeating mainstream culture in Britian today, particularly those which are hidden, unchallenged, or even shrouded as romanticized ideals of what it means to be a Gypsy, Traveller or Roma.
Ms Dragos’ presentation offered a sharp contrast to this idea of antigypsyism in the periphery and focused upon anti-Roma discrimination as an inarguable and viscerally devastating tool of racism by exploring a more Eurocentric perspective. Here, anti-Roma racism was central and unavoidable, and not even recognized as racism by the authorities and communities perpetrating it. Ms Dragos powerfully and insightfully took the audience through 700 years of racism and was able to demonstrate arresting links between antigypsyism and the racism suffered by other demographics throughout history – as well as the differences in attention and response each demographic elicited. Ms Dragos ended with an arresting and unflinching overview of the current racism found within Romania in particular, highlighting the importance in heeding the historical and structural dimension of anti-Roma racism in any ongoing debate.
The event gave a very engaged audience a chance to reflect on the realities of antigypsyism across a spectrum of prejudice, stereotyping and discriminatory acts. Both presentations symbiotically focused upon the collective community identity and artistry of Gypsy, Traveller and Roma people, and the ways in which this can influence and inspire other cultures and creativity. One unavoidable truth, however, was how comparatively rarely the voice and experience of this race is captured and explored within literary and academic circles. This, I feel, made this particular event and debate from REACH all the more crucial.
Event Chair, Dr Tania Davies
