The Research Network on Antisemitism in the 21st Century (FoNA21)

The Research Network on Antisemitism in the 21st Century (FonA21) was established in late 2021 under the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) funding program “Current Dynamics and Challenges of Antisemitism.” During its first funding phase, the network supported ten collaborative projects that examined the causes, contexts, and manifestations of contemporary antisemitism in Germany from diverse perspectives and through various forms of inquiry. FonA21 is based at the Center for Research on Antisemitism at the Technical University of Berlin.

With the start of the second funding phase, now overseen by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR), FonA21 is continuing as an accompanying project while expanding to include 13 new individual and collaborative projects. In doing so, FonA21 is growing into an even larger network with an increasingly international orientation. It fosters closer ties between research, practice, and civil society while opening up new perspectives on antisemitism and its prevention.

The accompanying project has various aims: It seeks to offer civil society the greatest possible practical application of scholarly research and findings stemming from these research collaborations. Furthermore, it fosters productive exchange among the collaborations participating in FonA21, each with their different scholarly approaches.

At the heart of FonA21’s work, whether in offering support or playing an advisory role, is an investment in ensuring that the knowledge gained by these research collaborations is anchored in society and that exchange takes place between the scholarly community and other stakeholders. This includes policy consulting: the research network facilitates expert discussions nationwide, connecting researchers with members of the German Bundestag and state parliaments, as well as with state and federal representatives on antisemitism and integration, public prosecutor’s offices, and police authorities.

FonA21 also works to provide further training for government agencies, state institutions, and public bodies. We address professionals, decision-makers, and key communicators among the police, domestic intelligence services, public administration, and the judiciary (including judges and public prosecutors), as well as those working at memorial sites, museums, and other cultural institutions who are interested in the latest findings in antisemitism research or have identified a need for professional development in this area.

Through practice-oriented workshops, interdisciplinary conferences, and our annual summer academy, we create structured spaces for in-depth study, knowledge transfer, and exchange between institutions.

The second key aim of the research network is to develop an infrastructure for intensive scholarly exchange between the members of the participating collaborative research projects. Joint conferences and digital platforms promote scholarly discourse and interdisciplinary collaboration. The cooperation between the collaborative projects, partners in practical fields, and the BMFTR allows us to develop strategic concepts for understanding antisemitism as a general societal problem. This understanding is enriched by the insights offered by the collaborative projects and thus integrates both quantitative and qualitative approaches.

FonA21 also cooperates with other accompanying projects in the field of research on radicalization and extremism, which examine racism, Islamism, and right-wing extremism. Through regular exchange, the participants identify overlapping phenomena and areas of research and discuss these issues at joint events; if necessary, recommended action plans are developed.

FonA21 is linked to a range of different stakeholders beyond the scope of the funding programme.

ALAVA - Arthur Langerman Archiv für die Erforschung des visuellen Antisemitismus

CoRE-NRW - Connecting Research on Extremism in North Rhine-Westphalia

Decoding Antisemitism - Forschungsprojekt zu Online Hate Speech/Imagery (bis 2024)

DHM - Deutsches Historisches Museum Berlin (Sammlung Wolfgang Haney) (bis 2025)

Denkfabrik Schalom Aleikum

DP-R/EX - Datenportal der Rassismus- und Rechtsextremismusforschung

Erfahrungsaustausch Rechtsextremismus des Dezernats Bildung, Integration, Kultur, Sport und Gleichstellung des Deutschen Städtetages

FGZ - Forschungsinstitut Gesellschaftlicher Zusammenhalt

KIgA - Kreuzberger Initiative gegen Antisemitismus

InRa - Institution und Rassismus - Studie (FGZ)

Meet a Jew - Meet a Jew - Nice to meet Jew!

MMZ - Moses Mendelssohn Zentrum für europäisch-jüdische Studien (Praxispartner Begleitvorhaben)

MOTRA - Monitoringsystem und Transferplattform Radikalisierung

RADIS - Forschung zum radikalen Islam in Deutschland und Europa

Sammlung Haney - Forschungsprojekt Der Sammler und seine Dinge (bis 2025)

Verband Bildungsmedien e.V.

WinRa - Wissensnetzwerk Rassismusforschung

Wi-Rex - Wissensnetzwerk Rechtsextremismusforschung

Zentralrat der Juden in Deutschland - Jüdische Akademie und Bildungsabteilung

Academic Advisory Board 2021-2025

The first funding phase, FonA21 was overseen by an academic advisory board.

Prof. Dr. Sabine Achour, Freie Universität Berlin/Otto-Suhr-Institut für Politikwissenschaft

Prof. Dr. Frank Bajohr, Institut für Zeitgeschichte München/Zentrum für Holocaust-Studien

Dr. Regina Fritz, Universität Bern/Historisches Institut

Prof. Dr. Andrea Löw, Institut für Zeitgeschichte München/Zentrum für Holocaust-Studien

PD Dr. Jan Weyand, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg/Institut für Soziologie

Prof. Dr. Christian Wiese, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main/Evangelische Theologie, Martin-Buber-Professur

Prof. Dr. Eva-Maria Ziege, Universität Bayreuth/Kulturwissenschaftliche Fakultät

Framework program of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF): Gesellschaft verstehen - Zukunft gestalten

Tender of the funding guideline: Aktuelle Dynamiken und Herausforderungen des Antisemitismus

Publikationen

Politikum 4/2024

Ausgabe zum Schwerpunkt Antisemitismus

mit Beiträgen von Mitgliedern des Forschungsnetzwerks Antisemitismus im 21. Jahrhundert, darunter Prof. Larisa Buhin-Krenek, PD Dr. Philipp Graf, Dr. Sara Han, Prof. Dr. Ursula Hennigfeld, Dr. Sarah Jadwiga Jahn, Prof. Linda Juang, Ph.D., Justine Kohl, Agata Maria Kraj, Jannis Niedick, Prof. Özen Odağ, Prof. Dr. phil. Armin Pfahl-Traughber, Prof. Dr. Schüler-Springorum und Dr. Matthias Springborn

herausgegeben von Prof. Dr. Sabine Achour, Dr. Monika Schärtl und Adina Stern