The aim of this project is to investigate the interrelation of music and antisemitism in the formation of affective or emotional alliances within different modes of power and media in Austria between 1870 and 1988. Beyond the reception histories of individual composers, the project examines antisemitic mechanisms at work in the attribution of meaning and evaluation of music within and through mass media. It focuses on how music is mediated and linked to collective identities and emotions.

From the perspective of antisemitism theory, processes of affective mobilization rely on projecting a non-belonging “Other.” While “othering” has been discussed in culturally oriented musicological discourses on identity formation through music the specific function of antisemitism has received little attention. This project addresses that gap by analyzing a wide range of sources over more than a century — from written materials in the daily press to auditory (radio) and audiovisual (film and television) sources.

It explores antisemitism as a culturally and historically variable form of othering, shaped by the interplay between political regimes and media forms and intersecting with other modes of discrimination. The project builds upon recent sociological approaches in antisemitism research that examine the intersectionality of antisemitism with sexist and racist forms of discrimination.

This innovative project represents an interdisciplinary approach that connects music and cultural history with antisemitism studies — a connection that has recently been identified as a desideratum in several scholarly works.

Head of Project: Elias Berner
Duration: 01.02.2026 – 31.01.2030
Funding: APART-GSK (ÖAW)

Cooperations: Zentrum für Antisemitismus und Rassismusstudien, Zentrum für Antisemitismusforschung Berlin, Deutsches Rundfunkarchiv, Haus der Geschichte Österreich