ABSTRACT
Workplace and labour market discrimination in European countries exists and has been researched in several categories such as gender, age and ethnic background. This chapter focuses on how specific stereotypical representations of Muslims have come to be an established part of dominant discourse in European societies, and how this may impact on decision making in human resource management (HRM) processes. It explores the development of Orientalist stereotypes in the media through a discourse historical meta-analysis of relevant literature. The chapter outlines the socio-political environment and the employment situation of Muslims with a migration background in the three exemplary European countries of France, Great Britain and Germany. It focuses on the link between macro and micro level in order to establish the necessity for HRM actors to become aware of the embeddedness of HRM interactions in the dynamics of power of the socio-political macro environment and its dominant discourse.
