Borns Jewish Studies Program

Are Islamophobia and antisemitism religious hatreds or racial dynamics? Is antisemitism unique, characterized by a relentless push toward annhilation, or is it largely similar to other hatreds? Do Islamophobia and antisemitism make Muslims and Jews nonwhite, even “brown”, and what does that say about how we think about race? This course examines a new and vibrant literature, which uses the comparison between Islamophobia and antisemitism to debate such questions as how antisemitism and Islamophobia are manifested in daily life and how they have changed and stayed the same across space and time. Class is discussion-based, with readings and short lectures followed by group work on theoretical and practical questions