Donatella della Porta’s talk will examine the sociological term “moral panic” and analyze how it is being used in current debates surrounding different expressions of solidarity with the Palestinian population and questions about the definition of antisemitism after October 7, 2023. Della Porta will discuss the challenges that emerge when political and cultural opportunities converge with the security of Israel as a “Staatsraison” in Germany.

Della Porta is a leading international expert on social movements and political violence. She is a professor of political science and dean of the Faculty of Political and Social Sciences at the Scuola Normale Superiore in Florence, Italy. There, she also directs the Centre on Social Movement Studies (COSMOS). Her research focuses on social movements, political violence, terrorism, and corruption, as well as policing and protest policies. She has received numerous awards, including the Mattei Dogan Foundation Prize in European Political Sociology (2011), and was named an International Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2022). Della Porta is a prolific author and editor and has published over 100 books and numerous scholarly articles and book chapters on topics related to her research in Italy, France, Germany, and Spain.

Her research has not only made significant contributions to the field of sociology and the study of social movements, it also continues to spark critical conversations about current political and social developments.

Della Porta’s talk is part of the “INTERACT conversations” event series organized by the Center for Interdisciplinary Peace and Conflict Research (INTERACT) at Freie Universität Berlin. The series provides a forum for discussion on current topics in the field of peace and conflict research as well as international relations through a variety of formats, including lectures, panel discussions, and workshops with experts from a range of backgrounds, both academic and otherwise.

Jannis Grimm, an expert on conflict research at Freie Universität Berlin, will moderate the event “Moral Panic? The Contentious Politics of Antisemitism in Germany.” Advanced registration is required. The event location will be announced to registered attendees in due time.