Freedom to Remain Silent? German Communication Studies in the Context of the Middle East Discourse

Abstract

Since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and the widespread bombing and invasion of the Gaza Strip by the Israeli military, Germany’s political public sphere has been in a concerning state. Recent reports show a sharp rise in antisemitic, anti-Muslim, and other racist incidents. Civil society actors have increasingly complained about repression against critics of Israeli warfare and German arms deliveries. German media have also faced fierce criticism for their Gaza coverage. Although communication studies’ central topics are affected, and universities have become prominent sites of public controversy, the German communication studies community has hardly contributed to the discussion with either empirical research or normative statements. This discussion, held as part of the 70th annual conference of the German Communication Association (DGPuK) in Berlin, explores how this reluctance can be explained. The main reasons identified during the discussion were a lack of regional expertise regarding the Middle East, weaknesses in research infrastructure, personal knowledge gaps and biases, and a fear of accusations of anti-Semitism and repression, particularly among precariously employed academics.