Title: Anxious politics in the European city: an introduction
Abstract: At the time of writing this introduction, the news media were still filled with concerns over the New Year's Eve incidents in Cologne. As reported, during those celebrations, close to Cologne's central station, men described as being of Middle Eastern or North African appearance, and as having refugee status, were said to have sexually assaulted over one hundred women in a coordinated fashion. In the immediate period after the incidents, scholars, politicians, the media and the public alike, from different sides of the political divide, tried to understand the situation. Framed within broader discussions of what has come to be called the refugee crisis, Cologne became exemplary of the proverbial clash of cultures, a confrontation between different systems of values, a clash between a European 'culture' in which the rights of women are assured, as opposed to the ways that Muslim men supposedly restrict, even dominate, Muslim women. Scholars such as Thomas Hylland Eriksen argued for a cultural explanation of the incident, while others argued that its orchestrated nature suggested a criminal plot. Over one month after the events, as the media reports on the carnival celebrations across several European cities, Cologne is recalled to suggest immanent danger and to examine the likelihood of attacks by 'Muslims' or 'refugees'.
Publication Year: 2016
Publication Date: 2016-03-14
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
Access and Citation
Cited By Count: 24
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