The Democratic Ethos and the Profession of Faith: The Challenge of Inclusion of Muslim Minorities in Contemporary Liberal Democracies
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Lise Lund Bjånesøy, postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Administration and Organization theory, will give a 30-minute presentation followed by 15 minutes of Q&A. The event is in a hybrid format, you are welcome to join us for lunch from the Corner room at DIGSSCORE. Food is provided on a first-come first-served basis.
Click here for digital attendance.
Abstract:
Inclusion of Muslim minorities has proven to be a special challenge in Western European democracies. Research has shown, amongst others, that nativists and far-right voters does not support inclusion of Muslim minorities—but this is not something new. In this study, we focus on conflicts between liberal democratic values, and the intensity between these conflicts in inclusion of Muslim minorities. New in this study is the focus on liberal democratic values beyond gender equality and extending the conflicts to include speech acts which varies in intensity. Using a series of survey experiments conducted in Norway and Sweden we target citizens willingness to grant Muslim minorities the right to exercise their fundamental political rights. We separate between communicative and performative speech acts and demonstrate that there are stark differences in citizens willingness to grant Muslim minorities their fundamental rights based on these variations. We find that when turning up the heat and intensity of the conflicts, those who believe in inclusive ideals end up not supporting the rights of Muslim minorities.