"We" and "the Others". Islam in Europe and the Authoritarian Character (PDF)

Seminar paper from the year 2016 in the subject Cultural Studies - Miscellaneous, University of Vienna (Kultur- und Sozialanthropologie), course: Balkanism, Orientalism, Occidentalism, language: English, abstract: I like to illustrate the development of the discussion of the others within the context of the recent decades and I would like to focus on the development of these hegemonic discourses like the construction of the Muslims. I would like to illustrate that the Islam cannot be accepted by the majority of the middle European populations for several reasons. One important factor is the authoritarian history of Germany and the follow-ups for the society. Another reason are principals of xenophobic characteristics, which relate to specific discourses in the media, are connected to the intensity of the relation towards Muslims, the knowledge about the Islam in general and politicians which instrumentalize islamistic terrorism to marginalize Muslims at all.

The Islam is often opposed to Europe rather than to the analogues religious term Christianity. In the medial, political and in less reflected sciences a dualism is constructed, opposing the European secularism towards the Islamic orientalism. Islam is seen as an anti-modern, anti-educational fundamentalism and become the ideological and cultural antithesis of the West.

The recent, so called, refugee crisis had become a political unit and politicizes the masses. Right wing politicians and organizations exploit the origin of their electors as well as the otherness of the refugees to get power. Topics concerning values and norms of ours (the western) societies are keywords in the mainstream discussion within media, the political sphere of discussion and always issued at the Stammtisch (regular table talks).