Countering Contemporary Antisemitism in Britain: Government and Civil Society Responses between Universalism and Particularism

Leiden: Brill, 2015. First edition. Hardcover. Fine. Octavo. vi, 213, (1)pp. Index and 22 page bibliography. Brown over magenta boards, spine lettered in white. A fine, as new copy.

In Countering Contemporary Antisemitism in Britain, Sarah Cardaun presents a thorough scholarly analysis of responses to present-day antisemitism in the UK. Examining discourses and practical measures adopted by the British government, parliamentary groups, and non-governmental organisations, the book provides a comprehensive overview of different approaches to addressing anti-Jewish prejudice in Britain. It offers a critical perspective on universalistic interpretations which have traditionally characterised responses towards it in various fields, such as Holocaust remembrance and education. Against this background, the study highlights the importance of organisations with a more specific focus on counteracting hostility towards Jews, and the role civil society can play in the fight against the new antisemitism. Overall, this book makes a significant contribution to the academic debate on contemporary antisemitism and to the vital but neglected question of how today's resurgent anti-Jewish prejudice may be tackled in practice. (Publisher)

Contents: Acknowledgements; List of Acronyms and Abbreviations; Introduction; Chapter 1 A Pluralistic Framework for Fighting Prejudice: The Roles of State and Civil Society in Addressing Social Problems; 1 A Multi-Level Approach for Countering Prejudice; 2 Civil Society, the State, and Shifting Paradigms of Governance; 3 The Transformation of the State and Civil Society's Role in the Governance of Contemporary Societies; 4 Conclusion; Chapter 2 Antisemitism in England and Britain: A History of Prejudice and Divided Responses.; 1 Historical Trajectories of Anti-Jewish Prejudice on the British Isles2 Traditions of State Neglect, Civil Society Responses, and Jewish Self-Defence against Antisemitism; 3 Conclusion; Chapter 3 The Many Faces of Contemporary Jew-Hatred and the New Antisemitism; 1 Contemporary Antisemitism: Persistence and Resurgence; 2 The Multiple Strands of Contemporary Antisemitism in Britain; 3 Debating Antisemitism and the 'Israel Question'; 4 Conclusion; Chapter 4 Political Responses to ContemporaryAntisemitism in Britain in the Context of the 'Equality of Inequalities'; 1 The Needle of Antisemitism in the Haystack of British Race Relations2 Does One Size Really Fit All?; 3 The All-Party Parliamentary Inquiry into Antisemitism; 4 Conclusion; Chapter 5 Holocaust Remembrance and Education in Britain between the Rhetoric of Battling Antisemitism and Universalistic Practice; 1 The History of the Holocaust in the Service of the Present; 2 Commemorating the Holocaust and Celebrating Britain's Values; 3 Holocaust Education: Teaching Moral Lessons; 4 Conclusion.; Chapter 6 Confronting the Contentious: Particularistic Approaches and the Role of Civil Society in Fighting the New Antisemitism1 Revisiting the Pluralistic Framework for Addressing Antisemitism; 2 The Campaign Against Antisemitism: Grassroots Mobilisation and Effective Alarmism; 3 The Community Security Trust: A Security-Oriented Approach in the Context of Associative Governance; 4 Speaking up for Israel in the Battle against Antisemitism; 5 Conclusion; Conclusion Civil Society, the State, and the Challenge of the New Antisemitism; 1 The Role of Civil Society in the Fight against Jew-Hatred.; 2 Practical Implications for Combating the New AntisemitismBibliography; Index. (OCLC)

Volume 25 of the Brill series, "Jewish Identities in a Changing World."