The Birkbeck Institute for the Study of Antisemitism is based at Birkbeck, University of London. We are located in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.
We are the only university centre in the UK dedicated to the study of antisemitism and one of only two in Europe.
The Institute is renowned internationally for the quality of its work and for its independence. Being part of Birkbeck provides the Institute with an unparalleled combination of expertise in the study of antisemitism, racism and religious intolerance in disciplines across the social sciences and humanities and in law. Research is the Institute’s bedrock. It provides the basis for our innovative teaching, and for effective contributions to policy discussion and public understanding of antisemitism in the UK, in Europe and globally.
Our work demonstrates how the study of antisemitism is relevant to everyone who aims to understand the persistence and dynamics of racism in the contemporary world. It is framed by our conviction that antisemitism is a distinctive form of racism: one element in a family of racisms, all of which stand in the way of developing an open, diverse and democratic society.
The Institute produces award-winning research and is at the cutting edge of the field of Antisemitism Studies, We make academic scholarship accessible to a wide public through our events, podcasts, journalism, and our teaching. Birkbeck’s pioneering educational course on antisemitism disseminates new insights and is sought out by trade unions, political parties and civil society organisations. The Institute has co-curated internationally acclaimed public exhibitions that have challenged and informed and been viewed by more than 115,000 people.
Governmental and inter-governmental institutions – including the UN, UNESCO and OSCE – UK political parties, universities, sporting bodies, cultural institutions, newspapers and the broadcast media draw on the Institute’s expertise and advice as they confront antisemitism.
Local, national and global organisations use the Institute’s understanding of history and the contemporary world as a clear lens through which they can address current challenges. In these ways and others, the Institute makes a difference in the public sphere, culturally and politically.
