‘Germanophobia’ exposed!
‘Germanophobia’ exposed!
Of the many things we are taught not to speak about in public, prejudices are right up there with politics and religion. But it is these kinds of controversial issues that engage the minds of researchers—researchers like Marc Helbling, a visiting scholar at Harvard’s Center for European Studies.
Prof. Helbling led a discussion on “Why Swiss-Germans Dislike Germans” at swissnex Boston on March 30, 2011, before a small but captivated audience.
Given that Marc Helbling is a senior researcher on migration, integration and trans-nationalization, he explained the three main reasons for this “Germanophobia”: nationalistic/socialistic German heritage; high-level competition for jobs; and perceptions of cultural similarity and dissimilarity.
He concluded that current xenophobia exists among not only the less educated population, but also the more highly educated people.
Despite his comprehensive presentation, audience members held his attention with multiple questions and discussions. Helbling, who is also a Political Science professor at Berlin’s Social Science Research Center, relayed both his experiences and his research findings, making for a well-informed and fascinating evening.
