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How Best to Define Antisemitism? A Structural Approach

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In the current discussion about definitions of antisemitism, the empirical social sciences have been marginalized. Groups of well-intentioned experts make decisions without considering the real-life experiences and perceptions of Jewish people—those who are impacted by antisemitism. I advocate returning the decision to the people, attributing greater weight in defining antisemitism to the actual perceptions of the victims—bottom-up rather than top-down. As a basis for a valid definition, we need to demonstrate these perceptions empirically. This paper presents a structural analysis of the 2018 Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) Survey. The study, conducted through the internet, included over 16,000 self-identified Jews in 12 European Union countries. I review the findings regarding the main contents of antisemitic expressions, the channels of transmission of antisemitism, and the identity of perpetrators. Using Similarity Structure Analysis (SSA), I suggest a new and better analytic typology of the main patterns of perceptions of contemporary antisemitism.

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8(1)

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4-42

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Link to article (paywalled), How Best to Define Antisemitism? A Structural Approach

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DellaPergola, Sergio How Best to Define Antisemitism? A Structural Approach. Antisemitism Studies. 2024: 4-42.  https://archive.jpr.org.uk/10.2979/ast.00002