conflict
& communication online, Vol. 10, No. 1, 2011
www.cco.regener-online.de
ISSN 1618-0747
Johannes Kopf-Beck
Human rights orientation and modern anti-Semitism
The manifestations
of anti-Semitism in Germany have changed since the end of WWII. Whereas
in the past German anti-Semitism was overtly racist, today it is characterized
more by subtle and latent facets. How are these modern facets, such as
secondary anti-Semitism, latent anti-Semitism and anti-Semitic criticism
of Israel, related to human rights orientations?
A survey of experts and a pre-study provided the basis for developing
the Human Rights Orientation Scale, which includes the four subscales
of Endorsement, Application, Restriction and Willingness to engage in
human rights activity. In a study of 304 German subjects, data was collected
on human rights orientations and facets of modern anti-Semitism.
The present paper introduces the questionnaire, discusses the relevance
of the study for determining the relationships between human rights orientations
and facets of modern anti-Semitism and summarizes the study's implications
for viewing secondary anti-Semitism and prejudicial criticism of Israel
as facets of modern anti-Semitism.
On the author:
Dipl. Psych. Johannes Kopf-Beck studied Psychology, Political Science
and Theology at the University of Bamberg (Germany) and the Trinity College
Dublin (Ireland). Since November 2010 he is working as a research assistant
in the Peace Research Group at the University of Konstanz. His special
areas of interest are prejudices, and political attitudes and their connection
to social and personality psychology.
Address: University
of Konstanz, Department of Psychology. 78457 Konstanz, Germany.
eMail: johannes.kopf-beck@uni-konstanz.de