Spring Break
'Logics of identification' cause anti-Semitism in France
By: Amy Tintera
Issue date: 4/26/05 Section: News
Domestic problems are the main cause of anti-Semitism in France, said Michel Wieviorka, a professor of sociology.
Wieviorka, a visiting professor from Paris, recently completed two years of research about the causes of anti-Semitism in France.
In a lecture Monday, Wieviorka said that anti-Semitism is a big issue in France, and Jewish people, property and synagogues are attacked.
"It's not a mere question of violence, it's a question of general climate in this country," he said.
Through interviews, Wieviorka found what he called "logics of identification" that produced anti-Semitism. The first logic of identification is when people identify with Palestinians or Arabs, who are fighting against the Jews, therefore they feel they are fighting against Jewish people.
The second logic of identification is when people identify with radical Islam, which believes the Western part of the world is under the control of people who are Jewish.
Wieviorka said there are ways to reduce anti-Semitism in these groups.
"When these young people can have the serious feeling that their political problems will be solved, then (anti-Semitism lessens)," he said.
Wieviorka also said Jews form communities that make outsiders feel like the Jewish have it easy, while in reality, their lives are hard.
"The certain tendency for Jews to live in community environments can be connected not necessarily with anti-Semitism, but with resentment," Wieviorka said.
The French school system also has responsibility in producing anti-Semitic attitudes, Wieviorka said. He said that biased history books and a focus on being politically correct have caused this problem.
"The French school system is facing many difficulties, and anti-Semitism is just one of them," Wieviorka said.
Wieviorka said that it is important to remember that this is not just a French problem, but a global problem as well.
"You don't understand what is at stake if you don't understand that the ideas are circulating around the world," he said.
Freshman French major Alison Midgley said she was surprised by the extent of anti-Semitism in France.
"I was surprised that the anti-Semitism was so rooted in their everyday life, like schools," Midgley said.
Sophomore international studies major Seth Urbanek said he learned that anti-Semitism had been a problem for a long time.
"I guess this is a long-standing issue with many countries and had come to a real head now and created a lot of social tension," Urbanek said. "That was surprising."
Wieviorka, a visiting professor from Paris, recently completed two years of research about the causes of anti-Semitism in France.
In a lecture Monday, Wieviorka said that anti-Semitism is a big issue in France, and Jewish people, property and synagogues are attacked.
"It's not a mere question of violence, it's a question of general climate in this country," he said.
Through interviews, Wieviorka found what he called "logics of identification" that produced anti-Semitism. The first logic of identification is when people identify with Palestinians or Arabs, who are fighting against the Jews, therefore they feel they are fighting against Jewish people.
The second logic of identification is when people identify with radical Islam, which believes the Western part of the world is under the control of people who are Jewish.
Wieviorka said there are ways to reduce anti-Semitism in these groups.
"When these young people can have the serious feeling that their political problems will be solved, then (anti-Semitism lessens)," he said.
Wieviorka also said Jews form communities that make outsiders feel like the Jewish have it easy, while in reality, their lives are hard.
"The certain tendency for Jews to live in community environments can be connected not necessarily with anti-Semitism, but with resentment," Wieviorka said.
The French school system also has responsibility in producing anti-Semitic attitudes, Wieviorka said. He said that biased history books and a focus on being politically correct have caused this problem.
"The French school system is facing many difficulties, and anti-Semitism is just one of them," Wieviorka said.
Wieviorka said that it is important to remember that this is not just a French problem, but a global problem as well.
"You don't understand what is at stake if you don't understand that the ideas are circulating around the world," he said.
Freshman French major Alison Midgley said she was surprised by the extent of anti-Semitism in France.
"I was surprised that the anti-Semitism was so rooted in their everyday life, like schools," Midgley said.
Sophomore international studies major Seth Urbanek said he learned that anti-Semitism had been a problem for a long time.
"I guess this is a long-standing issue with many countries and had come to a real head now and created a lot of social tension," Urbanek said. "That was surprising."
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