Anti-Islamism, as xenophobic hatred of Muslim refugees, is sometimes literally parasitic on classic anti-Semitism of Nazi origin. The lecture will try to show why and how Slovenians perceive refugees as modern-day Jews: they want the reincarnation of Adolf Hitler, they want refugees to be imprisoned in Auschwitz, gassed and treated with rat poison. The proximity of anti-Islamism and anti-Semitism therefore shows us that the same racist epistemic structure is at work, proving that neo-Nazism lives on in new guises and is not in the least connected to the activities of extremist groups. On the contrary, it is a widespread condition in the minds of the masses.

Lecturer:
Dr. Boris Vezjak, Faculty of Arts, University of Maribor