Online lecture series: Anti-Semitism, anti-Muslim racism and the Middle East conflict
Online Lecture Series: Anti-Semitism, Anti-Muslim Racism and the Middle East Conflict
-- follow the link to the German version --
Several SCI branches are jointly organising a 5-part lecture series on the Middle East conflict. The series aims to create more understanding for different perspectives. We cordially invite you to the first informative online events. All events will be held in English.
We would particularly like to invite you to come to the lectures if you know little about the topics or if you have not yet dealt with the perspectives in depth.
Upcoming Events:
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
History of the Conflict through my Personal Journey (with Nijme Berdugo)
Nijme Berdugo, a Jewish woman originally from Tel Aviv, now based in Barcelona, and a third-generation Holocaust survivor.
Nijme is a dedicated human rights activist, with a focus on the West Bank, and a skilled photoreporter documenting stories from the region. Through her work, she organises and leads educational seminars, lectures, and workshops that delve into critical issues such as the weaponisation of water, identity, Zionism, antisemitism and the challenges faced by Palestinian communities at risk.
The workshop will explore the historical roots of the conflict, focusing on Western imperialism and Zionism as interconnected forces.
What will be discussed:
- The colonial apartheid system and its impact
- human rights activism
- environmental dimensions of the conflict, including land control, deforestation, and "green colonialism"
- Zionism and the distinction between anti-Zionism and antisemitism
Tuesday, March 25, 2025
Intersection of anti-Palestinian racism with Islamophobia and anti-Arab racism (with Alaa Amro)
What will be discussed:
- Exploration on how these forms of discrimination overlap and reinforce one another
- practical recommendations for activists on how to respond effectively
- facts and examples drawn from a range of academic and civil society sources.
April 3, 2025 (date not 100% confirmed)
Discussion Space - How to go on with the topic in SCI
After the intense Input of the previous four sessions, we plan to have a discussion session especially for people involved in SCI structures to discuss learning of the series and how to go on with the topic in SCI.
There will be room for discussion after each presentation.
Time: 18-20 h, online
Contact and registration: participacio@scicat.org (Carla/SCI Catalunya)
Join us and broaden your perspective on this complex topic!
Past Events:
Wednesday, March 05, 2025
Online event on the topic of anti-Semitism (with Bijan Razavi)
The first lecture sheds light on the history of anti-Semitism - from the origins of anti-Judaism to today's anti-Semitic criticism of Israel. The speaker, Bijan Razavi, comes from the Anne Frank Educational Center.
Description
In this lecture, the various manifestations of antisemitism will be shown. Today's forms of antisemitism often express themselves in a roundabout way: in statements that distort history, in hatred of Israel, in abbreviated criticism of elites and capitalism and in conspiracy narratives. (Social) media and popular culture also play a central role in spreading resentment and stereotypes. It is not always easy to recognize the antisemitic core of statements, contributions or images.
The lecture explores the tradition of anti-Jewish and antisemitic narratives since the Middle Ages from a historical perspective. Using examples from different eras, it illustrates the mutability of various forms of antisemitic explanations of the world and their different manifestations in the present. The functions of antisemitic narratives as well as the effects on those affected will be discussed.
Topics covered include:
- Antisemitic narratives in dealing with Israel: where criticism ends and antisemitism begins
- Antisemitic codes and images in current debates
- Forms of retelling traditional antisemitic narratives
- Signs of antisemitic statements and “detour communication”
- Dealing with antisemitic statements in a private & professional context or in the analog and digital world.
Monday, March 10, 2025
The Middle East Conflict from an Israeli Perspective (with Samuel Stern)
In the second lecture, we will focus on the Middle East conflict, show different perspectives and address anti-Semitic reporting as well as the interests of the players in the region and worldwide. The speaker, Samuel Stern, comes from the Anne Frank Educational Center.
Description
When talking about the Israel-Palestine conflict, racism and anti-Semitism are often reproduced on the basis of projection lenses and constructions. In the rarest of cases, the debate focuses on the people and the suffering on the ground. In this lecture, we want to address this mechanism on the one hand and, on the other, analyze different approaches and starting points of the centuries-old conflict between two completely legitimate and valid national movements from multiple perspectives. We will focus on the British Mandate period, the period around the first Israeli-Arab war and the post-war period up to the Oslo processes.
Topics covered include:
- Hyperidentifications, projection surfaces when talking about Israel/Palestine
- Racist and anti-Semitic processing of the conflict
- British Mandate period
- First Israeli-Arab war and its consequences for society and politics
- Social and political developments up to the Oslo process