Political forces like the PEGIDA movement that initiated anti-Islam marches in major German cities, along with the relatively new populist right-wing AFD party, have committed themselves to saving the West from the growing Islamification in Europe. Germany’s new Right is trying to capitalize on fear by fueling Islamophobia among the population. They justify their actions by referring to an old, very ambiguous notion: "the West" (or literally, "the Occident") But what does the term exactly denote, and what does it tell us about those who use it as a means to justify their ends?

Alexander Görlach Founder, Publisher and Editor-in-chief, The European

Discussant: Thomas Weber Professor of History and International Affairs, University of Aberdeen; Visiting Scholar, CES

Contact: Roumiana Theunissen, rtheunissen@fas.harvard.edu