A little over a week ago I asked a question on twitter, curious as to how people would respond. I gave people a week to respond. The question and responses were as follows:
‘If a sociologist set out to study whether those identifying as Jewish are under- or over-represented among British elites, would this be antisemitic?
There were 2,365 responses:
46% said it would be antisemitic
54% said it would not be antisemitic
There was an interesting patterning to the responses. Initially the split was 70:30 in favour of not antisemitic; then there was a surge the other way until it was 70:30 in favour of antisemitic; finally, responses headed back to around 50:50. My interpretation is that the middle ‘surge’ of those defining such a study as antisemitic was a function of people who thought it antisemitic retweeting to their networks.
Some people judged that such a study would be, as it were, intrinsically antisemitic. Ignoring those several who offered unhelpfully annotated contributions (eg ‘you fucking racist’), a number of distinct concerns emerged: (a) why just study Jewish elite representation? (b) what would be the motivation in doing such a study? (c) wouldn’t such a study fuel anti-Jewish tropes? and (d) why are you asking this question if not to further your agenda in opposing Israel’s domestic and foreign policy?
Let’s look at each in turn. Regarding (a), there are in fact countless studies of ethnic and ‘ethno-religious’ representation in British elites, but relatively few on Jewish representation. Virtually everyone who tweeted responses seemed to assume that people identifying as Jewish would be found to be statistically over-represented (which seemed to be why they saw such a hypothetical study as problematic, or worse). What few (largely historical and mostly American) data that exist suggest they are right in assuming over-representation. Where they virtually all went wrong was in concluding that I would view this negatively (as in ‘I told you so!’). Quite the contrary. Moreover my hypothesis would be that any over-representation would likely be a function not of ‘being Jewish’ but of the class composition of the Jewish population. This would be consistent with other studies: for example, the East African Asians fleeing to the UK from Uganda’s Idi Amin have fared better than migrant Bangladeshis, but this is largely down to the very different class breakdowns of the two groups. I take the point however that comparative studies are often preferable (though it depends on the specific research question).
Onto (b). I have to say first that I wasn’t and am not planning a study myself. The presumption that I was/am was erroneous: it’s not my area. But I would certainly argue in general terms that collecting data in this area would feed the ‘sociological project’ of understanding of what’s happening in society and why. More importantly I would insist that there are no ‘no-go’ areas for sociologists (an assertion that many who reacted negatively agreed with whilst seeming nevertheless to imply that this study should not be conducted).
As far as (c) is concerned, some responders said that such a study would call to mind longstanding antisemetic tropes about Jews being ‘pushy’, ambitious’ and so on. I can understand this concern but would counter that there is a clear potential – not least in the present super-charged political environment (of which more later) – that any study or data calling into question the behaviour of any segment of the Jewish community might be condemned for revisiting stereotypes or tropes; and I have already rejected no-go fields of sociological enquiry.
(d) occaisoned the most vitriol and abuse. Many assumed both that I personally favoured such a study and for nefarious purposes. Previous quotes of mine were referenced in this context. My tweets certainly (i) unequivocally condemned Israel’s enactment of apartheid policies and brutal ‘colonialist’ actions against the Palestinian people, most obviously in Gaza; and (ii) countered the ‘weaponising’ of antisemitism to try and prevent Corbyn, sympathetic to Palestinian rights and recognition, becoming PM. I stand by (i) and (ii), which strike me as irresistible factually and morally. There is clear evidence that the rate of antisemitism is low in Britain and is more common on the right of the political spectrum than on the left (see ref). Moreover more evidence is emerging that Israeli politicians and agents have been and are active participants in the anti-Corbyn propaganda currently on technicolour display in the mainstream media.
I was in fact (merely) curious to see the nature of the responses to my poll, and I learned a fair bit. The poll effectually transmuted into an exploratory investigation of (the power of) antisemitism as a rhetorical device. Let me now play devil’s advocate. The hypothetical study in the poll would not address what many might see as true sociological concerns of the moment. So let’s consider an alternative hypothesis and study.
The entirely spurious – and frankly silly, given his proven track record of resisting racism in all its guises – claim that Corbyn embodies and represents antisemitism has gained remarkable traction in the mainstream media and elsewhere. Why is this? Now there’s a genuine sociological question. My hypothesis would break down into component parts:
• there exists an unholy alliance between many Tories, Labour’s anti-Corbyn centrist MPs and that segment of the Jewish population (‘good Jews’) and its allies supportive of present Israeli policies to prevent Corbyn becoming PM;
• this alliance has mounted a potent propaganda campaign against Corbyn because it can rely on the agency and support of particularly well-placed personnel in key British elites;
• this propaganda campaign has experimented with new forms of what C.W.Mills called a ‘high immorality’;
• the personnel implicated display interlocking relations rooted in shared vested interests;
• what this campaign adds up to is a defence of class-based privilege allied to a geopolitical commitment to Israel as a satellite of western interests in the Middle-East.
Now there’s a study worth doing. Antisemitic? Of course not, just routine sociological stuff, or what should comprise professional-cum-public-cum-action sociology (see my other blogs).
I have a few personal assessments to conclude with. First, I judge the weaponising of antisemiticism against a thoroughly decent man like Jeremy Corbyn despicable on every count. It hits a new moral low in political activity in my lifetime. Second, I think Labour has mishandled this putative ‘crisis’. It has in my view been far too readily put on the back foot, apologising for a minimal presence of antisemites amongst its membership and going out of its way to defend itself against conspicuously absurd accusations of racism. As a member of both Labour and Momentum I resent being regarded as guilty unless I can prove my innocence. Like all members I have encountered I abhor ALL forms of racism. I disapprove of and resent the privileging of one form of racism, namely antisemitism. The Jewish population constitutes less than 0.5% of the population. Let’s remember Windrush!!! Labour is wrong to accept ANY version of a ‘code’ for ANY SINGLE group. It should have a code that covers racism per se, or none at all. And what about sexism etc? Third, and again like many Labour members, I object to NEC double standards that penalise members for comments on social media and yet chicken out of disciplining Labour MPs for far more obvious and damaging ‘offences’ that ludicrously extend to opposing Labour at general elections. Labour PLP, remember that you are merely the apex of a movement, and that, as Ralph Miliband rightly argued, the Labour PLP is nothing unless the movement it represents can surge tsunami-like into parliament as an irresistible movement.
When all is said and done I am a socialist and I stand resolutely by Corbyn, who happens to be a remarkably decent and astonishingly resilient person. A few days ago I invited people on twitter to retweet a statement of solidarity for a fellow human being undeserving of the contempt being heaped on him and it has elicited – so far – well over 1200 retweets.
By the way, there are NO no-go areas for sociologists!
Reference
Staetsky,L (2017) Antisemitism in Contemporary Great Britain: A Study of Attitudes Towards Jews and Israel. JPR.