Antisemitism and Social Democracy
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- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
- Publication date:
- 06 July 2026
- 20 August 2026
- ISBN:
- 9781009783316
- 9781009783347
- 9781009783323
- Dimensions:
- (229 x 152 mm)
- Weight & Pages:
- 0.499kg, 266 Pages
- Dimensions:
- (229 x 152 mm)
- Weight & Pages:
- 0.437kg, 266 Pages
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Book description
How can antisemitism persist in a social democracy that prides itself on justice and equality? In this book, Torkel Brekke provides a historical analysis and interpretation of how far-left anti-Zionism entered the political mainstream, using Norway as a case study. Drawing on antisemitic rhetoric and symbols shaped during the Cold War, the far left and the Palestine movement gradually influenced the core institutions of Norway's social democracy, especially the trade unions. While the 1990s brought hope for a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the darker global political climate after 2000 saw antisemitism reemerge in new, dangerous, and worldwide forms, even without support from the former Communist Bloc. By examining contested concepts and historical connections, Brekke's book offers a diagnosis of one of the defining political controversies of our time. It provides the conceptual tools that enable insights into current debates about antisemitism and Israel.
Reviews
‘In this probing and important study Torkel Brekke examines why the antagonism to Israel moved from the radical left into the mainstream of Norwegian politics and did so earlier and more powerfully than even in other European, including other Scandinavian countries known for such views. Antisemtism and Social Democracy both illuminates Norwegian peculiarities, while also offering an important initial effort at a comparative historical analysis of one of the major cultural and political ideologies of our time.’
Jeffrey Herf - Distinguished University Professor, Emeritus, Department of History, University of Maryland
‘Torkel Brekke’s book is a brave and insightful look into the differences and overlap between antisemitism and anti-Zionism and how both have been evolving over time. Using the case of Norway, he sheds light on how this evolution has resulted in the mainstreaming of antisemitism today.’
Jonathan Fox - The Yehuda Avner Professor of Religion and Politics, Bar-Ilan University
‘Progressives rightly insist that prejudices such as racism, sexism, or heteronormativity are systemic, built into the very structures of western culture. Yet when countless incidents of leftist antisemitism occur, suddenly we are told that these are only accidents and not the ‘true’ leftism. Taking the Norwegian left as emblematic of far wider trends, Torkel Brekke skillfully unmasks these discursive maneuvers.’
Eric Heinze - Professor of Law & Humanities, Executive Director, Centre for Law, Democracy, and Society (CLDS), Queen Mary, University of London
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