Racism in Contemporary Germany: Islamophobia in East and West

This book examines Islamophobia and related issues of racism and nationalism in Germany today, particularly focusing on the East/West distinction. It explores the rise of illiberal movements with an Islamophobic agenda in the formerly socialist areas of the EU and Germany, and the reasons for this difference, including the ideological heritage of Soviet-dominated socialism and western interventions.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 102 pages
Publication date: 29 January 2024
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This book delves into a comprehensive and empirically grounded analysis of Islamophobia and its interconnected phenomena of racism and nationalism in contemporary Germany, with a special focus on the East-West divide. The authors, drawn from diverse disciplines such as anthropology, sociology, media and literary studies, contextualize the topic within the global and German frameworks of the 2015-16 migration crisis and its aftermath, as well as the ongoing transformations witnessed in the postsocialist regions of the European Union.

Since the onset of the 2015-16 refugee crisis, illiberal leaders and political parties across Europe have exploited Islamophobia as a tool to challenge the established political establishment. Remarkably, these illiberal movements have found greater success in the formerly socialist regions of the European Union, including Germany. This phenomenon is reflected within Germany itself, with political formations that propagate Islamophobic ideologies being more popular in the East compared to the West.

This volume aims to explore the underlying reasons for this regional disparity, encompassing not only the ideological legacies of Soviet-dominated socialism but also the impact of Western interventions in the formerly socialist areas of Germany and beyond since the end of the Cold War. It sheds light on the ways in which certain Islamophobic and other hateful tendencies were introduced to and continue to thrive in the West.

The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Contemporary European Studies, highlighting the importance of interdisciplinary research in understanding the complex dynamics of Islamophobia and its societal consequences.

Dimension: 246 x 174 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032260617