Search results
Your search found 2 items
Sort: Relevance | Topics | Title | Author | Publication Year
Home  / Search Results
Anti‐Semitic Attitudes in Europe: A Comparative Perspective
Author(s): Bergmann, Werner
Date: 2008
Topics: Main Topic: Antisemitism, Surveys, Antisemitism: Discourse, Comparative Studies, Antisemitism: Attitude Surveys
Abstract: The article uses available survey data to depict the depth and spread of anti‐Semitic attitudes across Europe. The main assumption is that European anti‐Semitism, both currently and historically, is closely tied to issues and crises of national self‐identification; for this reason, social identity theory is employed to study the varying configurations of anti‐Semitic prejudice. In most European countries, Jews are a small and socially integrated minority. Attitudes toward them are determined less by concrete experiences of cultural differences, or conflicts over scarce resources, but rather by a perceived threat to the national self‐image. This leads to an accentuation of the pertinent prejudices that blame Jews to be responsible for that threat. This perspective brings to light considerable differences between Eastern and Western Europe and the continuing influence of national traditions.
Reconciliation through the Righteous: The Narratives of Heroic Helpers as a Fulfillment of Emotional Needs in Polish−Jewish Intergroup Contact
Author(s): Bilewicz, Michal; Jaworska, Manana
Date: 2013
Topics: Psychology, Conflict Resolution, Memory, Holocaust Education, Jewish - Non - Jewish Relations, Main Topic: Holocaust and Memorial
Abstract: Postwar Polish−Jewish relations are heavily affected by divergent narratives about the Holocaust. Debates about the role of Poles as passive bystanders or perpetrators during the Holocaust have deeply influenced mutual perceptions of Poles and Jews. Previous research has shown that historical issues raised during Polish−Jewish encounters inhibit positive consequences of intergroup contact, mostly due to frustrated emotional needs related to past genocide. The aim of the present intervention was to reconcile young Poles and Israelis by presenting narratives that could change stereotypical thinking about the past. Our results indicate that the narratives of historical rescuers of Jews during WWII allowed overcoming the negative impact of the past on intergroup contact by fulfilling frustrated needs for acceptance among Polish participants. The article discusses the potential role of the heroic helpers’ narrative for reconciliation after mass violence, as it may prevent entitative categorizations of groups as victims, perpetrators, and bystanders.