From the margins to the mainstream: right-wing populist interpretations of (radical) Islam as a societal challenge in Europe and beyond (RaMi)

Consensus and Conflict Department

Project head: Dr. Mirjam Weiberg ,  Prof. Dr. Sabrina Zajak

Project coordination: PD Dr. Liriam Sponholz

Project team members: Prof. Dr. Emanuele Toscano

The project focuses on the interplay between right-wing populist movements and the topic of Islam as radical, and subsequently addresses the effects of the nexus-radical  Islam and right-wing populist movements  on Western liberal democracy.

Research question

The RaMi Project explores the following questions:

a) To what extent does the interpretation of Islam as a radical and violent religion shape the public discourse on Islam?

b) What role does the right-wing populism play in the public discourse on Islam as a radical and violent religion?

c) Is the pattern of interpretation as a radical and violent religion being adopted by other political forces and established religious actors, and thus being normalised?

d) To what extent is such normalisation being furthered by the mediatisation of politics, and by the functional logic that underlies the mass media and digital networking platforms?

e) How does right-wing populism link interpretations of radical Islam with the topics of national identity and migration?

Methodology

The research applies an a mixed-methods design. The project combines the content analysis procedures used in discourse network analysis, and event analysis of political events and Islamist-motivated international incidents, with country-specific context analyses and expert interviews. Case studies include France, Germany, Great Britain and Italy from 2000 to 2020.

Project team at the German Centre for Integration and Migration Research (DeZIM-Institut, leading organization)

Dr. Mirjam Weiberg-Salzmann (Principal Investigator)
Prof. Dr. Sabrina Zajak (Principal Investigator)
PD Dr. Liriam Sponholz ( General Project manager)
Damla Keşkekci (PhD student/Fellow, Scuola Normale Superiore)
Student assistents: Rossella Merullo, Imani Faber, Felicitas Pfuhl

Project team at the University of Münster

Prof. Dr. Arnulf von Scheliha (Cooperation partner)
Anna-Maria Meuth (Project coordinator)
Student assistents: Hannah Busemann, Teresa Hessing

Project team at the Ruhr University Bochum

Prof. Dr. Stefan Berger (Cooperation partner)
Max Manuel Brunner (PhD student/Fellow)

Scientific Advisory Board

Prof. Dr. Dietmar Loch, Université de Lille
Dr. Ebtisam Ramadan, DeZIM-Institut
Prof. Dr. Kristian Berg Harpviken, Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO)
Prof. Dr. Luca Ozzano, Universitá di Torino
Prof. Dr. Mathias Quent, Institut für Zivilgesellschaft und Demokratie, Forschungsinstitut Gesellschaftlicher Zusammenhalt
Prof. Dr. Ruth Wodak, Universität Wien
Dr. Yasemin Shooman, Arbeitsstab der Beauftragten der Bundesregierung für Migration, Flüchtlinge und Integration und zugleich Beauftragten der Bundesregierung für Antirassismus ins Bundeskanzleramt

Part of the RADIS Platform

Funding: Federal Ministry of Education and Research

Publication List (Update: 30.11.2022)

Brunner, M. M. (2022) The European Far Right. A Review of the Recent Literature. Moving the Social. Journal of Social History and the History of Social Movements, 67, 125–136.
https://doi.org/10.46586/mts.67.2022.125-136
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Claussen, J. H.,  Fritz, M., Kubik, A., von Scheliha, A., & Leonhardt, R. (2021) Christentum von rechts. Theologische Erkundungen und Kritik . Mohr Siebeck.
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Sponholz, L. (2022) Hate Speech in den Massenmedien: Journalist*innen als unfreiwillige Helfer*innen? In: Weitzel, G., Mündges, S. (Hg.) Hate Speech (157-175). Springer VS.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-35658-3_8
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Sponholz, L. (2021) Die (Deutungs-) Macht des Öffentlichen. Wie Medien Leitideen und Geltungsansprüche durchsetzen, in Barbara Metzler, Julia Himmelsbach, Diotima Bertel, Daniela Schmid, Nora Grohs & Phillipp Nigitsch (Hg.) (Deutungs-)macht des Öffentlichen (17-32). danzig & unfried.
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Sponholz, L. (2021) Hate Speech and Deliberation: Overcoming the “Words-That-Wound” Trap, in Marta:  Pérez-Escolar & José Manuel Noguera-Vivo (Hg.). Hate speech and polarization in participatory society (49-64). Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/oa-edit/10.4324/9781003109891-5/hate-speech-deliberation-liriam-sponholz
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Sponholz, L. (2021) Hass mit Likes: Hate Speech als Kommunikationsform in den Social Media, in Sebastian Wachs, Barbara Koch-Priewe & Andreas Zick (Hg.). Hate Speech - Multidisziplinäre Analysen und Handlungsoptionen. Theoretische und empirische Annäherungen an ein interdisziplinäres Phänomen (15-38). Springer Verlag. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-31793-5_2

Conference papers

Brunner, M. (2022 Juni 27) Faschistische Geschichtsbilder von der „Konservativen Revolution“ zur „Neuen Rechten“. Kolloquium des Arbeitskreises "Sociology of the Far Right" in der Sektion Politische Soziologie der DGS.
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Keşkekci, D., Sponholz, L., & Zajak, S. (2022 October 7) Connected by Hate? Hyperlink Networks of German Radical Right Actors on Facebook. DeZIM-Tagung, Berlin.
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Keşkekci, D., Sponholz, L., & Zajak, S. (2022 October 14) Connected by Hate? Hyperlink Networks of German Radical Right Actors on Facebook. 2nd ISD (Institute for Strategic Dialogue) Germany symposium on the state of research and options for action. In The Blind Spot. Right-wing Extremist Radicalization on the Internet, Berlin.
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Meuth, A., Sponholz, L., Weiberg-Salzmann, M.,  & Zajak, S. (2022 September 27) Vom Rand in die Mitte? Zur Verbreitung und Bedeutung der Bedrohungserzählungen über muslimische Migrationsprozesse in medialen Islamdebatten. 7. Jahrestagung zur Migrations- und Integrationsforschung, Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften, Donau-Universität Krems.
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Meuth, A., Sponholz, L., & Weiberg-Salzmann, M. (2021 September 1) Challenging Western-liberal democracy: The rise of right-wing populist movements and the (radical) Islam. General Conference ECPR - European Consortium for Political Research (virtual event).
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Sponholz, L. (2022 Juni 10) Multimethodische Perspektiven auf Rassismus im öffentlichen Diskurs. Tagung des Nationalen Diskriminierungs- und Rassismus-Monitors, Berlin.
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Sponholz, L. (2022 Juni 24) Hate Speech jenseits von sozialen Medien: Die Rolle der Nachrichtenredaktionen. Tagung Hass begegnen. Wie Medienschaffende mit Angriffen on- und offline umgehen (können). Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster.
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Sponholz, L., Meuth, A., Zajak, S., & Weiberg-Salzmann, M. (2022 Mai 19) Medienanalyse: Aufmerksamkeitsschübe in der Islamberichterstattung in Deutschland, UK, Italien und Frankreich (2000-2020). Tagung Radikalisierung verstehen und begegnen. RADIS-Plattform, Berlin.
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Sponholz, L., Meuth, A., & Zajak, S. (2022 Juni 30) Are Far Right Interpretations of Islam Normalizing Intolerance Against Muslims and Migrants? International Conference of Europeanists. Council of European Studies, ISCTE, Lissabon.
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Sponholz, L., Meuth, A., Zajak, S., & Weiberg-Salzmann, M. (2022 September 7) Media triggers: Key events generating news waves on Islam and Muslims in Western Europe (2000–2020). MeCCSA 2022 Conference, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen.

Funding: Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Third-party funding)