Jewish in a multicultural society: from a particular to a universal minority consciousness

Abstract

ABSTRACT How is Jewish identity constructed in relation to Muslims, Norway’s largest minority group? This article is based on a selection of public expressions of Jewish identity in which parallels to Muslims are drawn. I argue that the way in which identity is expressed is linked to changes in the way in which antisemitism is discussed in the Norwegian public sphere. The phenomenon of antisemitism has become part of a more general discourse on the vulnerability of minorities, which allows for comparisons between antisemitism and hostility to Muslims. This discursive space has created new ways of expressing Jewish identity.