Decoding Antisemitism: A Guide to Identifying Antisemitism Online – a book project

Researchers from the Decoding Antisemitism team are currently working on a new book project: Decoding Antisemitism: A Guide to Identifying Antisemitism Online. This volume presents the first comprehensive guide to identifying antisemitism online today, in both its explicit and coded forms.

Developed through years of on-the-ground analysis of thousands of authentic web comments posted by users in the UK, France, Germany and beyond, the book seeks to capture both the conceptual and linguistic-semiotic peculiarities of contemporary antisemitism. Drawing on research in antisemitism studies, linguistics, discourse analysis and social media studies, it sets out a pioneering step-by-step approach to identifying and categorising more than 40 antisemitic concepts. These include traditional stereotypes, tropes related to Jewish power and influence, Israel-related antisemitism, post-Holocaust concepts, as well as antisemitic threats, curses and death wishes.

Each chapter contains a summary of the history and conceptual meaning of the trope, clearly outlines its key identifying characteristics, and uses explicit and implicit real-life examples taken from the Decoding Antisemitism project’s analysis of web discourse in the UK, Germany and France to show the linguistic or imagery means by which that concept or idea is commonly communicated. It also includes grey area examples that defy clear classification to better discuss the boundary between antisemitic and non-antisemitic statements.

As such, this volume will provide an invaluable tool through which researchers, students and social media moderators can learn to recognise contemporary antisemitism, and establishes a methodological framework which can be adapted by those working on other hate ideologies, including misogyny, racism, and anti-Muslim bigotry.

Publication planned for early 2024!