In Europe and the United States, economic and social uncertainty, the arrival of new waves of immigrants, and the persistence of a perceived threat from Islamist terrorist groups have laid the groundwork for xenophobia. We see extremism bubbling to the surface in the demonstrations against Park51 or in anti-Hispanic rhetoric, in hyper-nationalist parties in Europe or in the pseudoscientific anti-Islamic literature in the Norway shooter’s possession. This roundtable discussion will examine the cultural and political roots of these fanaticisms as they affect public life from the Netherlands to France, from Arizona to New York.

Participants included:

Seyla Benhabib, Eugene Meyer Professor of Political Science and Philosophy at Yale University and director of its Program in Ethics, Politics, and Economics

Benjamin Barber, Distinguished Senior Fellow at Demos and president and director of the international NGO CivWorld

Ian Buruma, Luce Professor of Democracy, Human Rights, and Journalism at Bard College

Jytte Klausen, Lawrence A. Wien Professor of International Cooperation at Brandeis University and an affiliate at the Center for European Studies at Harvard University

Giancarlo Bosetti, director of Reset-Dialogues on Civilizations.

The event, part of the Reset-Dialogues on Civilizations Series, was free and open to the public. For more information, go to: http://www.nyu.edu/ipk/events/205.