Kristin Platt is head of the Institute for Diaspora and Genocide Studies.

Interview Anti-Semitism in Academia

Kristin Platt researches the history of anti-Semitism. And she’s also concerned about discrimination in contemporary academia. She’s addressed this issue in a number of projects.

Is National Socialism an outdated issue? Not at all, says associate professor Dr. Kristin Platt. As head of the Institute for Diaspora and Genocide Studies at Ruhr University Bochum, she’s concerned about anti-Semitism in the academic community.

Dr. Platt, one of your areas of research is anti-Semitism since the Second World War. Has it reached a new high since the resurgence of the Middle East conflict?
The figures we have on anti-Semitic statements and graffiti, up to and including physical attacks, clearly show that it has.

In the academic community, we are seeing that Jewish identity is being made recognizable as Jewish, much as it was in the 1950s when anti-Semitism was particularly virulent at universities. We may be running into the one-way street of viewing anti-Semitism as something that is a reaction to the Jewish present. But it has nothing to do with that. Rather, it’s a worldview that categorizes people and labels them as typically Jewish. That is actually anti-Semitism. Whereas an anti-Israel attitude and criticism of Israel are not.

Marginalizing Jewish researchers

One of Kristin Platt’s research topics is the historical context of anti-Semitism in science and at universities. She points out that many works by Jewish researchers exist in a kind of parallel world. “In contemporary academia, we’re experiencing a research hype around the perception and awareness of time,” she says. “A large group of Jewish researchers studied this topic in the 1910s and 1920s. But their work is non-existent in the German context.” At major conferences, attempts are made to reintegrate it. “But that doesn’t work,” says Platt. “Their research remains marginalized, it’s not included in the discussion. It’s very bizarre.”

The question of whether it is acceptable to criticize Israel has become a key issue in everyday research. Certainly since Documenta 2022, where anti-Semitic paintings were widely debated.

How does this affect the research community in Germany?
The question of whether criticism of Israel is acceptable has become a key issue in the field of culture and science. Not as strongly as at US universities. But it’s gone so far that, when inviting people to conferences, you consider where a person stands on the issue and then decide whether or not to invite them. Collaborations have broken down as a result, as have friendships.

Presumably this hinders academic discourse.
It does hinder it. Most importantly, however, researchers are held back by the fear of getting attacked on social media if they attempt, for example, to address the issue of whether or not genocide is taking place in Gaza.

We’re only discussing the question of whether we’re allowed to criticize Israel and what happens when we have criticized and been criticized for it. In other words, we’re talking about talking about.

We’re not even talking about the emergence of anti-Semitism, the opposition movement in Israel or how Hamas is portrayed in the media. We’re only discussing the question of whether we’re allowed to criticize Israel and what happens when we have criticized and been criticized for it. In other words, we’re talking about talking about. That’s the extent of the conversation. It’s a displaced academic debate.

How can we resolve the situation?
That’s difficult. After all, the question of whether it is acceptable to criticize Israel is not a question of research, but of social integration. The solution to the Middle East conflict is not the solution to this discussion.

Our job here at university is to not let this defeat us, but to show that these are issues that we can work on with our students as a community.

Freedom of expression and what it means is a question that’s very much on our minds in academia. For example, there are students who try to spread right-wing ideas in our seminars. As a lecturer, you have to think on your feet and react appropriately. That’s tricky. Our job here at university is to not let this defeat us, but to show that these are issues that we can work on with our students as a community.

How can educational institutions help to effectively combat anti-Semitism?
We’ve created new platforms for lecturers to exchange ideas and get help for such situations.

Advice for lecturers

“Teach and Talk”: In cooperation with the anti-discrimination officer at Ruhr University Bochum, the Institute for Diaspora and Genocide Studies has developed an exchange and advice program where lecturers can seek guidance on how to deal with problematic situations in their courses. The next workshop will take place on May 2, 2024. Lecturers will receive an invitation by email.

I believe that the issue of anti-Semitism needs to be anchored more firmly at an institutional level at German universities. In Bochum, this is the case with the Institute for Diaspora and Genocide Studies. But there is not a single chair in Germany dedicated to the study of National Socialism. For a long time, the prevailing opinion was that every stone had already been turned over three times on the subject, that the topic was obsolete. But it’s not.

You’ve also set up a dedicated certificate course in Bochum.
The certificate course “Collective Violence. Holocaust and Genocide Studies” was set up two years ago and can be studied across all faculties. We also offer courses on anti-Semitism. The first 22 graduates have already obtained the certificate.

What’s remarkable about North Rhine-Westphalia is that our students don’t have blank biographies, but rather family biographies that they reflect on in our seminars. Not only Jewish or Palestinian biographies, our students also have Kurdish, Kosovar-Albanian, Tamil and other heritages. The generation who is studying here has a completely new perspective on issues of violence, discrimination and exclusion. I find this very valuable, because this generation will be the first to do academic research on these topics. This is a tremendous opportunity.

Setting up new further education courses

As part of a joint project between Ruhr University Bochum and FernUniversität Hagen, the further education course “Violence in Culture and Society” has been developed and will be available to study in fall 2024. It offers advanced training on the topics of anti-Semitism, racism, political and intercultural conflicts. In addition to the Master’s degree, it will be possible to obtain further education certificates in individual further education courses.

Based on a survey conducted in North Rhine-Westphalia in winter 2023/24, the IDG is currently developing an advisory service on the issues of anti-Semitism and right-wing populism for (and together with) schools as well as a concept for a further education course for colleges and universities. The project is funded by the Ministry of Culture and Science of North Rhine-Westphalia.