Karin Stögner | Antisemitism and Sexism: 7 October in the Light of Critical Theory

About

Prof. Dr. Stögner revisits the critical theory of antisemitism in the tradition of Max Horkheimer and Theodor Adorno in light of the Hamas atrocities of 7 October 2023, arguing that antisemitism should be understood not as an isolated prejudice but as an intersectional ideology that is structurally intertwined with sexism, antifeminism, and hostility towards sexual and gender diversity. She also draws on the concepts of commodity fetishism, projection, and intolerance of ambiguity to examine how authoritarian ideologies stabilize themselves through the simultaneous construction of Jews and emancipated women as existential threats to an imagined homogeneous community.

Karin Stögner, University of Passau, Germany

Karin Stögner is Professor of Sociology at the University of Passau in Bavaria, Germany. Between 2016 and 2024 she served as coordinator of the research network on antisemitism and racism in the European Sociological Association, and she is a member of the Founding Advisory Council of the Contemporary Antisemitism Studies Association.

Her research focuses on critical theory of the Frankfurt School, feminist theory, and the critique of antisemitism, with particular attention to its intersections with sexism, racism, and nationalism. Her current research projects examine antisemitism and gender constructions in Islamist radicalization. Her most recent publication is Antisemitism and Sexism: Ideological Constellations Before and After 7 October.

Made possible by a generous gift from Benjamin ('62) and Barbara Zucker.