Karin KvistGeverts 10 Antisemitism in Sweden ANeglected Field of Research? Abstract: Research on antisemitism in Sweden can be divided into two catego- ries: one which has antisemitism as aphenomenon as its object of study, and one whereantisemitism constitutes part of the findingsbut wherethe object of studyissomething else (bureaucracies, organizations, etc.). No university cur- rentlyhas acentrefor Antisemitism Studies and at centres for Racism Studies research on antisemitismisnon-existent.One critical issue is how antisemitism is defined, since some definitions tend onlytorecognize propagandistic and vi- olent examples; another is the popular notion that antisemitism is “un-Swedish” and therefore not part of Swedish culture. Based on these factors combined, this article argues thatantisemitism is aneglectedfield of research in Sweden. Keywords: Antisemitism; historiography; Holocaust; Jewish refugees; Nazism; racism;Sweden. Introduction The first studyofantisemitisminSweden is found in abook on the history of the Swedish Jews published in 1924,byhistorian Hugo Valentin.¹ Typical of histori- ographyinthe 1920s, it focuses on how the Swedish state handled diplomacy and foreign relations,and not on antisemitism as aphenomenon. It even lacks adefinition of antisemitism. Eleven years later, in 1935,Valentin wrotea book whereheanalysed and critically examined the history of antisemitism.² It was translated into English in 1936 with the title Antisemitism: Historically and Critically Examined.³ Thebook givesanoverviewofantisemitism throughout history,but it onlymentionsSweden in one short passage.Valentin explains why this is so by arguing that he has “not been able to devote much space to the po- sition of the Jews in non-antisemitic countries – Scandinaviafor example.”⁴ In Hugo Valentin, Judarnas historia iSverige (Stockholm:Bonnier,1924). Hugo Valentin, Antisemitismen ihistoriskoch kritiskbelysning (Stockholm: Geber,1935). Hugo Valentin, Antisemitism:Historically and Critically Examined,trans. A. G. Chater(New York: The Viking Press,1936). Valentin, Antisemitism: Historically and Critically Examined,5. OpenAccess. ©2020Karin Kvist Geverts, published by De Gruyter. This work is licensed under the CreativeCommons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110634822-012 192 KarinKvist Geverts this book,Valentin givesasurprisingly modern definition of antisemitism as “ha- tred or persecution of the Jews.” He points out thatthe term “antisemitism” is misleading since there are no “semites” to be “anti,” yetargues that “the expres- sion Antisemitism however is preferable to anysuch wordasJudenhass,since it denotes that Jews are not attacked in theirquality of areligious community but as arace.”⁵ Unfortunately, he does not applyhis own definition in his study.In- stead, he falls into the trap of refuting the claim that the Jews are to blame for causing antisemitism, and spends the rest of the text trying to provethis accu- sation wrong. In 1940 theologyprofessor Efraim Briem published abook on the causes and history of antisemitism.⁶ The book was most likelyaserious attempt on Briem’s part to explain antisemitism,but his argument is flawedbythe accusation that the Jews are to blame for antisemitism, and thus the book itself feeds antisemit- ism instead of explaining and combattingit. This was understood at the time by contemporaryreaders,ascan be seen for instance in aquite sharp review by the rabbi of the Jewish Community of Stockholm, Marcus Ehrenpreis, wherehecom- pletelyrejects Briem’sargument and exposes it as false.⁷ It would takeoversixty years before historians chose to address the issue again.⁸ The first proper studyofantisemitism in Sweden was produced in 1986 by historian Mattias Tydén.⁹ After this, more studies followed in the 1980s and 1990s. In arecent overview of historical research on racism and xenophobia, his- torian Martin Ericssonconcludes that “the field [i.e. research on antisemitism] is todaywell established within Swedish historiography.”¹⁰ But is this characteriza- tion correct?Well, it depends on how youdefine Antisemitism Studies. If you choose to seeAntisemitism Studies as afield in its own right,asisdone interna- tionally,meaning that the primaryobject of studyisantisemitism as such, then Valentin, Antisemitism: Historically and Critically Examined,9. Efraim Briem, Antisemitismen genom tiderna:Orsaker och historia (Stockholm: Natur och kul- tur,1940). Marcus Ehrenpreis, “Judisk partikularism: Reflexioner kringBriems bok om antisemitismen,” JudiskTidskrift 13,no. 7(1940): 189–97.Iwould liketothank Pontus Rudbergfor bringingthis review to my attention. Here, Ihaveonlyincluded books published by scholars as part of the Swedish historiography of Antisemitism Studies,but it should be mentioned that articles by journalists and others were published in JudiskKrönika and JudiskTidskrift from the 1940s to the 1980s addressing how anti- semitism should be understood. Mattias Tydén, Svenskantisemitism 1880–1930 (Uppsala: Centrum för multietnisk forskning, 1986). Martin Ericsson, Historiskforskning om rasism och främlingsfientlighet iSverige – en analyser- ande kunskapsöversikt (Stockholm: Forum för levande historia, 2016), 254. 10 Antisemitism in Sweden 193 most researchinSweden will not fall under this definition. In this article, Iwill provide an overview of research on antisemitism in Sweden, as well as an over- view of attitude surveysand the institutional milieu in which these studies have been undertaken, in order to evaluate the state of Antisemitism Studies in Swe- den today.¹¹ Studies of Swedish antisemitism as a phenomenon Previous research on antisemitism in Sweden can be roughlydivided into two categories.¹² The first has its primary focus on antisemitism as aphenomenon. The second instead focuses on other phenomena, such as organizations, institu- tions, or government bureaucracies, whereantisemitism appears as part of the findingsbut not as the primary object of study. Following this categorization,the historiography of Antisemitism Studiesin Sweden must be said to startonlyin1986, with Tydén’sbook Svenskantisemitism 1880–1930. Tydénstudies antisemiticorganizations,antisemitismwithinbusiness associations andthe farmers’ movement as well as antisemitism expressedbythe authorsOla Hansson(1860 – 1925)and Bengt Lidforss (1868–1913), andprovidesa thorough descriptionofthe ways in whichantisemitismwas expressedaround 1900.Hearguesthatthisshows that an antisemitictraditionwas established in Sweden:itisthusnot aphenomenonthatcamefromabroad.¹³ In 1988, historian of ideas Magnus Nyman published adissertation on the freedom of the press and opinions on minorities from 1772– 86.¹⁴ Up until 1774,when Swedish King GustavIII invited Aaron Isaac to settle, Jews were onlyallowed to enter Sweden if they converted to Lutheranism.¹⁵ Nyman This article will coverstudies on antisemitism in Sweden. This means that Iwill not include studies on antisemitism in other countries,evenifthey werewritten by Swedish scholars,since they do not deal with Sweden. Iwill also disregardstudies of Finland during the Swedish era written by Finnish scholars sincethey will be included in the chapteronFinland. Karin Kvist Geverts, Ett främmande element inationen:Svenskflyktingpolitik och de judiska flyktingarna 1938–1944,Studia Historica Upsaliensia (Uppsala: Uppsala universitet,Historiska institutionen, 2008), 24;Lars M. Andersson, En jude är en jude är en jude…:Representationer av “juden” isvenskskämtpressomkring 1900–1930 (Lund: Nordic Academic Press, 2000), 28. Tydén, Svenskantisemitism 1880–1930. Magnus Nyman, Press mot friheten:Opinionsbildning idesvenska tidningarna och åsiktsbryt- ningar om minoriteter 1772 –1786 (Uppsala: Uppsala University Press,1988). Nyman, Press mot friheten,217. 194 KarinKvist Geverts shows that antisemitic opinions wereexpressed in the press in debates on free- dom of religion, but also frequentlyinnews reports whereforeign Jews wereac- cused of being hostile to the Swedish state and drivenbyasecret,international Jewishworld conspiracy.Healso shows that antisemitism existed in Sweden even prior to the settlement of the first Jews.¹⁶ Theverysameyear, arthistorian Lena Johannessonpublished an articleon antisemiticagitation in what wasknown in Sweden as the rabulistpress,the polit- ically radical “rabble-rousing” press, from 1845 – 60.Thispress constitutesagood source forstudying antisemitism fortwo reasons: becausewecan expect to find explicit examples publishedhere, andbecause of thebroad impact of this press we cansurmise theseperceptionswereknown andwidespreadthroughoutSwed- ishsociety.Johannesson looksatantisemitic agitationinillustrationsinFädernes- landet and Folketsröst;bothnewspaperslaunchedcampaigns againstJewish business owners,where they depicted them with antisemiticstereotypes as “cap- italist,”“greedy Jews,” and “usurers.”¹⁷ Ericsson underlines that notall of therad- ical left pressparticipatedinthese campaigns, theStockholm-based newspaper Demokraten didnot participatefor example.¹⁸ Johannessonpoints outthatprevi- ousstudies of theantisemitic riotsof1838and 1848 have either completely over- looked or misunderstoodtheir antisemiticaspects. In 1998 Rochelle Wright published TheVisibleWall: Jews and Other Ethnic OutsidersinSwedishFilm.¹⁹ Drawingonacross-disciplinary approach, Wright provides ahistorical overviewofhow Jews and other ethnic minorities in Swe- den have been depicted in films produced in Sweden from the 1930s until today. One of