Anti-Semitism and the Media: Representations and Effects

There is a surprising lack of research on the extent of antisemitic prejudice, media representations of Jewish people, and their impact on adolescents’ perceptions of Jews. This project aims to fill some of these blanks.

1. We will look into representations of Jewish people in news media, audience discussions (on social networking sites, forums, and the like), and in racist media targeting Jews. The purpose is to map out the perspectives that dominate representations, and to gain insight in the ways Jews are constructed as outsiders to society, through a content analysis.
2. Tto gain further insight in the nature and diffusion of antisemitic prejudice among adolescents, through a survey and focus group interviews. Data will be collected in schools in Antwerp, home to one of the largest Jewish communities in Europe.
3. An experiment will be designed to test the impact of media representations on adolescents’ perceptions of Jews.
4. Based on our findings, a set of recommendations will be developed for different stakeholders – media, schools and parents – to raise awareness of antisemitism and eventually take preventive measures

By producing and bringing together unique findings on 12-18 year olds’ perceptions of Jewish people, and media representations of Jews, this project offers valuable insights about the extent and nature of antisemitism in the media, and a significant contribution to the understanding of antisemitic prejudice among adolescents.