Since October 7, 2023, German universities have become a central arena for Israel-related protests. This joint research project by the International Institute for Education and Research on Antisemitism (IIBSA) and the Center for Monitoring, Analysis and Strategy (CeMAS) examines who drives these protests, how mobilization takes place, and which narratives are being spread. The focus is on actors active at universities, their networks with one another, and their relationship to groups outside the university setting.
The project addresses three guiding questions:
- Which groups and initiatives are active at German universities in the context of Israel-related protests?
- What narratives and interpretive frameworks do they use, how do they mobilize emotions, and how do hatred of Israel and antisemitism manifest in the process?
- How do protests on and off campus relate to each other in terms of content and organization?
The data consists of publicly accessible Instagram posts by the identified actors, collected from October 7, 2023, onward. The actors are identified through ongoing monitoring. Their connections, for example through joint posts (collabs), are then evaluated using network analysis. The posts of a sample of the most relevant accounts undergo in-depth analysis and are categorized, among other things, according to antisemitic interpretive frameworks. In addition, a qualitative, multimodal in-depth analysis examines mobilization, international influencing factors, campaigns, the interplay between offline and online activity, and the actors’ use of affective mobilization and emotionalization.
The findings will be released in joint publications. These will shed light on the specific characteristics of the university context as well as broader societal implications, and will offer recommendations.
Role of IIBSA
IIBSA leads the project and is responsible for its design, coordination, and data collection. The institute collects the Instagram content and conducts network analysis as well as quantitative and qualitative content analyses of mobilization, radicalization, international influencing factors, campaigns, and the interplay between offline and online activity. It is also responsible for the publications.
Project Lead, IIBSA: Dr. Kim Robin Stoller, kim.stoller@iibsa.org
Role of CeMAS
CeMAS focuses on the quantitative content analysis of antisemitic interpretive frameworks and on an in-depth analysis of affective mobilization, emotionalization, and the particular features of digital culture. To this end, CeMAS independently analyzes a subset of the data provided by IIBSA. The results of this analysis will feed into the joint publications.
Contact Person CeMAS: Jan Rathje, Jan.rathje@cemas.io
