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© Tilman Schenk
Research Associate
Niklas Herrberg M.A.
Postadresse
Universitätsstr. 1, 40225 Düsseldorf
Besucheradresse
Ulenbergstraße 127, 40225 Düsseldorf
Building: 37.03
Floor/room: 3.16
Nordrhein-Westfalen Bundesrepublik Deutschland

Since 04/2020: Research Associate at the Chair of Sociology IV (Prof Dr Heiko Beyer), Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf

01/2021 - 12/2023: Research Associate in the research project ‘The Impact of Radical Islam on Jewish Life in Germany’ (ArenDt) (Supervisor Dr Melanie Reddig)

04/2018 - 06/2019: Research Assistant with a Bachelor's degree in the Department of Communication and Media Studies, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf

Since 05/ 2020: Doctorate in Sociology at the Faculty of Philosophy of Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Thesis Title: Antisemitism in everyday life and in public - experiences of Jews in Germany (Supervised by Prof Dr Heiko Beyer and Prof Dr Gert Pickel)

10/2017 - 02/2020: M.A. in Social Sciences at the Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf

10/2013 - 04/2017: B.A. in Social Sciences at the Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf

Herrberg, N. & Reddig, M., 2024: Missachtungserfahrungen und Anerkennungsforderungen unter Jüdinnen und Juden in Deutschland (English title: Experiences of disrespect and demands for recognition among Jews in Germany). Zeitschrift für Soziologie. doi.org/10.1515/zfsoz-2024-2028

Beyer, H., Herrberg, N., Reddig, M. & Goldkuhle, B., 2024: In Hiding? Multifaceted reactions of German Jews to the threat of antisemitism. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies. doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2024.2417971

Beyer, H, Goldkuhle, B, Herrberg, N. & Reddig, M., 2024: „Importierter Antisemitismus"? Differenzierende Wahrnehmungen in Deutschland lebender Jüdinnen und Juden zum politisch-islamischen Antisemitismus als Problem und Debatte (English title: "Imported antisemitism"? Differentiated perceptions of Jews living in Germany on political-Islamic antisemitism as a problem and debate). Journal for Religion, Society and Politics. doi.org/10.1007/s41682-024-00176-5

Beyer, H. & Herrberg, N., 2023: The revelations of Q. Dissemination and resonance of the QAnon conspiracy theory among US Evangelical Christians and the role of the Covid-19 crisis. Journal for Religion, Society and Politics. doi.org/10.1007/s41682-023-00147-2

Herrberg, N., 2021: Durch Gott legitimiert, das „Reich“ zu befreien: Religiöse Semantiken in der Reichsbürgerszene (English title: Legitimised by God to liberate the “Reich”: Religious semantics in the Reichsbürger-scene). Journal for Religion, Society and Politics. doi.org/10.1007/s41682-021-00072-2

Herrberg, N., 2024: Die Reichsbürger. Ermächtigungsversuche einer gespenstischen Bewegung written by Schönberger, C. & Schönberger, S.: Portal für Politikwissenschaft. Accessible at: www.pw-portal.de/aussen-und-sicherheitspolitik/ueberblick/christoph-schoenberger-sophie-schoenberger-die-reichsbuerger-ermaechtigungsversuche-einer-gespenstischen-bewegung.

Understanding Antisemitism among Jews living in Germany – before and after October 7. Conference “Assessing Contemporary Antisemitism: Patterns and Dynamics of a Civilizational Threat". 11/06/2024. Herzliya, Israel.

How victims cope with hate and violence. Workshop at CoRE-NRW. 09/30/2024. digital. [In German]

(Chair) Session Global Perspectives on "Race" and Racism. Conference of the European Sociological Association. 08/27/2024 – 08/30/2024. Porto, Portugal.

Understanding antisemitism and its relation to racism – The perspective of German Jews. Conference of the European Sociological Association. 08/27/2024 – 08/30/2024. Porto, Portugal.

Exploring the manosphere's discourse on prostitution: Unraveling masculine self-perceptions. Conference of the European Sociological Association. 08/27/2024 – 08/30/2024. Porto, Portugal. (With Carina Schulz)

Muslim antisemitism in interactions: The experience of Jews. Interdisciplinary symposium 2024 "Causes and Effects of Islamism in Germany and Europe" of the RADIS Network. 02/22/2024. Bielefeld, Germany. (With Melanie Reddig) [In German]

Not all Muslims: The perspectives of Jews on political-Islamic antisemitism and the meaning of "radicalism". RADIS Lecture Series. 12/13/2023 Erlangen, Germany. (With Bjarne Goldkuhle) [In German]

The positions of Jews in current controversies regarding the interpretation of antisemitism. Conference of the ArenDt Project. 11/30/2023. digital. [in German]

Not all Muslims: The perspectives of Jews on political-Islamic antisemitism and the meaning of "radicalism". RADIS Lecture Series. 11/01/2023. Leipzig, Germany. (With Bjarne Goldkuhle) [in German]

Legal knowledge and legal interpretations in the “Querdenken” movement: An exploration of agency attributions in times of crisis. Access to law - accessible rights? Fifth Congress of the German-speaking Sociology of Law Associations. 09/21/2023 – 09/23/2023. Innsbruck, Austria. [in German]

Uncertainty in the life of German Jews. General Conference of the European Consortium for Sociological Research 2023. 09/18/2023 – 09/20/2023. Prague, Czech Republic. (With Bjarne Goldkuhle)

The German “Querdenken” movement and its Framing of Law and Justice: An Analysis of self-ascribed expertise on Telegram. General Conference of the European Consortium for Political Research. 09/04/2023 – 09/08/2023. Prague, Czech Republic. (With Marcel Müke & Stephan Soblik)

(Co-Organisation) Ad-hoc group: "Words are followed by actions". Causes and manifestations of antisemitic violence in times of social crisis. Congress of the Austrian Sociological Association. 07/03/2023 – 07/05/2023. Vienna, Austria. [In German]

Experiences of disrespect and demands for recognition by Jews in Germany. Congress of the Austrian Sociological Association. 03.07 - 05.07.2023. Vienna, Austria. [in German]

Legal knowledge and legal interpretations in the “Querdenken” movement: An exploration of agency attributions in times of crisis. Congress of the Austrian Sociological Association. 07/03/2023 – 07/05/2023. Vienna, Austria. (With Marcel Müke & Stephan Soblik) [in German]

Jewish perspectives on the societal controversy surrounding 'imported antisemitism'. RADIS Annual Conference 2023. 02/13/2023 – 02/15/2023. Bielefeld, Germany. (With Melanie Reddig) [in German]

'Twisted law'? - On interpretations of punishment in the Querdenken movement. 41st Congress of the German Sociological Association. 09/26/2022 – 09/30/2022. Bielefeld, Germany. (With Marcel Müke) [in German]

In Hiding? The displacement of German Jews from digital and analog spaces. Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association. 08/05/2022 – 08/09/2022. Los Angeles, USA. (With Bjarne Goldkuhle)

(Co-Organisation) Workshop: Right-wing extremism as a challenge for sociology. Working group Sociology of the far right. 09/30/2021. digital. [in German]

Conspiracy Myths, Antisemitism and Racism among the German Reichsbürger-Scene: Conceptualizing the Reichsbürger-worldview as an attribution of agency. Conference of the European Sociological Association. 08/31/2021 – 09/03/2021. digital.

The revelations of Q: On the spread and ideological connectivity of the QAnon conspiracy theory among US evangelicals. Joint Congress of the German Sociological Association and the Austrian Sociological Association. 08/23/2021 – 08/25/2021. digital. (With Heiko Beyer) [in German]

Entrusted by God to liberate the "Reich": Religious motives as legitimising attributions in the Reichsbürger scene. Congress of the German Sociological Association. 09/14/2020 – 09/24/2020. digital. [in German]

Advanced Seminar: Reichsbürger: An interdisciplinary podcast seminar. Winter term 2024/2025. (With Jens Helfer-Fleischhauer)

Advanced Seminar: Masculinity and prostitution. Winter erm 2024/2025. (With Carina Schulz)

Seminar: Incels in the age of masculinity crisis. Winter term 2024/2025. (With Melanie Reddig)

Advanced Seminar: Societal controversies in times of multiple crises of legitimisation. Summer term 2024.

Seminar: Incels in the age of masculinity crisis. Winter term 2023/2024. (With Melanie Reddig)

Educational Research Project: Theoretical concepts and empirical applications for researching antisemitism and conspiracy theories. Winter term 2023/2024 & Summer term 2024. (With Heiko Beyer)

Advanced Seminar: Antisemitism in social movements. Winter term 2022/2023.

Seminar: Right-wing extremism - An introduction to theory and movement. Summer term 2022. (With Lisa Hönes)

Advanced Seminar: Qualitative research approaches in comparison. Winter term 2021/2022.

Advanced Seminar: Introduction to critical theory. Summer term 2021.

Seminar: Introduction to sociological theory II. Winter term 2020/2021.

Advanced Seminar: A sociological analysis of conspiracy theories. Summer term 2020.

Seminar: Introduction to sociological theory II. Summer term 2020.

Seminar: Introduction to sociological theory I. Winter term 2019/2020.

  • Antisemitism
  • Conspiracy Theories
  • Right-wing Extremism
  • Qualitative Methods

Antisemitism in everyday life and in public – experiences of Jews in Germany

In my doctoral project, I am researching the question of how Jews experience and interpret antisemitism in Germany and which normative demands arise from these interpreted experiences. I use a phenomenologically oriented sociology of knowledge as my theoretical framework, drawing in particular on the work of Alfred Schütz. In addition, I refer to Axel Honneth's considerations on struggles for recognition in order to address the normative demands of Jews. The empirical analysis is largely exploratory and aims to systematically understand the diversity of perspectives of Jews. For this purpose, I draw on 21 problem-centered interviews, as well as on a sample of public positions of Jewish institutions and individuals on antisemitism, which I use to address the positioning of Jews in current central struggles over the interpretation of antisemitism. On both levels, sampling and analysis were conducted in accordance with grounded theory methodology, using coding procedures as well as line-by-line analysis of key passages.

Experiencing antisemitism in everyday interactions leads to three limitations. It becomes evident that the anticipation of antisemitism prior to its occurrence is limited. While certain patterns of recognition may be effective in specific contexts, such as anti-Israeli demonstrations or social media discourses, interviewees also report encountering antisemitism in moments where they did not expect it. Such sudden and unforeseen shifts in interactions result in an everyday life where antisemitism constitutes a persistent underlying concern. Furthermore, when confronted with antisemitism, Jews experience their personal relevancies being overridden by external pressures, necessitating immediate practical responses. Especially in situations of direct confrontation, this external imposition forces them to suspend their own relevancies and act in response to the hostility. As these confrontations progress, maintaining one’s own agency often becomes increasingly difficult. Jews do not always succeed in asserting or preserving their agency without considerable effort; in some instances, the struggle to regain it becomes a pressing challenge, and the complete loss of agency remains a possibility.

My second focus of analysis concerns the interpretations of antisemitism and its societal contexts. I can identify three key perspectives among Jews in both the interviews and public statements. There is unanimous criticism that non-Jewish German society frequently fails to adequately recognize and understand antisemitism. However, there is no consensus on what constitutes an appropriate understanding of antisemitism in detail. Additionally, Jews widely agree that antisemitism represents a societal problem affecting Jews across all segments of society. Yet, differing perspectives exist on which groups of perpetrators currently pose the greatest danger. Finally, Jews emphasize the need for practical solidarity, criticizing its frequent absence. Nevertheless, opinions on German society’s overall response to antisemitism are mixed. While some interviewees express frustration that words are seldom translated into action, others paint a comparatively positive picture, highlighting progress in how Germany addresses antisemitism relative to other countries.

Lastly, I analyze the normative demands made by Jews towards the non-Jewish German society. Drawing on George H. Mead and Axel Honneth, these demands can be understood as idealizations held up against a society in which antisemitism prevails, limiting the free expression of Jewish life. At the level of the interviews, I interpret these demands through the concepts of disrespect and recognition. Various experiences of disregard serve as starting points for corresponding struggles for recognition: recognition as equal human beings, recognition as equal legal subjects, recognition of collective Jewish identities, and recognition of individual self-identity. At the level of public positioning, an immanent critique emerges: the post-national socialist self-image of German society does not align with the lived reality of post-national socialist Germany. A conscious and uncompromising confrontation with antisemitism often remains an unrealized ideal. German society falls short of fulfilling its self-proclaimed normative responsibility. Consequently, a prospective appeal is directed at contemporary German society to assume responsibility in combating antisemitism in alignment with its own anti-antisemitic self-image.

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