ABSTRACT
From Durkheim's early theorizing to the most recent social-cognitive experimental research, social and behavioral sciences have sought to explain and understand the phenomenon of antisemitic prejudice. This chapter discusses the specificity of antisemitic prejudice, reviewing classic psychological, sociological and philosophical works on the topic, focusing mostly on the perspective offered by political psychology. It analyzes the arguments supporting the view of antisemitism as a unique phenomenon, as well as the ones that view antisemitism as part of larger phenomena (authoritarian personality, group-focused enmity, prejudice, xenophobia). Finally, it discusses the key psychological antecedents of antisemitism: displacement of responsibility for historical misdeeds, victimhood competition against Jewish people; conspiracy mentality pointing to Jews as the organizers of malevolent plots; relative deprivation breeding need for an explanation of one's misfortunes; uncertainty about the future or environment; loss of control over one's fate. Deeper analysis of these antecedents is needed in order to better explain the mechanisms responsible for the endurance of antisemitic prejudice in the modern world.
