3592) Historiography And The Future Of Multiculturalism In Europe: Perinçek V. Switzerland

Historiography And The Future Of Multiculturalism In Europe: Perinçek V. Switzerland

Tal BUENOS,
PhD Candidate
University of Utah

Abstract: The case of Perinçek v. Switzerland, seen at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), serves as an indication of a civic-integration crisis in parts of Europe. Since 9/11, the academic debate on multiculturalism has become highly politicized and has shifted away from previous postcolonialist sensibilities. The significance of historiography to national identity is currently understated in the relevant studies. Similarly, even though the ECHR recently ruled in favor of Dogu Perinçek, stating that there was no pressing social need to convict him because his speech was of a historical, legal and political nature, the Court did not consider, however, whether there is a pressing social need to ask how historiographical differences due to difference of national heritage stifle civil integration in Europe. The main argument in this paper is that historiographical adjustments toward a harmonious consolidation of historical narratives among groups of different national and ethnic background are a prerequisite for civil integration in Europe. It is a major misconception to think that multiculturalism is the reason for the failing integration of Muslims in Europe, while there are in existence irreconcilable narratives of national and religious history that are foundational in the formation of group identity. The conflicting characterizations of the events in 1915-16 provide a major example of this challenge.

Keywords: Perinçek v. Switzerland case, European Court of Human Rights, multiculturalism, integration, historiography . . .


Historiography And The Future Of Multiculturalism In Europe: Perinçek V. Switzerland

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