The Ressentiment project focused on exploring the cultural conditions that allow Muslim radicalisation to take root and resonate. It investigated how the emotional climate of ressentiment among Muslims is linked to radicalisation processes. In this context, ressentiment refers to the solidification of a sense of grievance, where negative social experiences become detached from their original causes and improvements in circumstances are dismissed or devalued. This manifests in growing polarisation between population groups, often along ethnic and religious lines.
Everyday negative experiences – such as discrimination – can, through ressentiment, be detached from their practical context and take on a momentum of their own, becoming resistant to positive developments. In order to work out what characterises resentment and its consequences, the project also investigated resentment-free perceptions of oneself and others.
The project combined quantitative and qualitative research. A representative survey was conducted to assess both the extent and distribution of ressentiment and its relationship to radicalisation among Muslim migrants living in Germany. In addition, the project analysed perception patterns and attitudes maintained within various Muslim communities – particularly regarding non-Muslim society – for signs of ressentiment. By comparing groups with high and low levels of ressentiment, the researchers identified key differences in how discrimination is perceived and processed.
Both the qualitative and quantitative surveys revealed that Muslims in Germany express emotional attitudes marked by both satisfaction with life in Germany and feelings of discontent. Their responses to and descriptions of experiences of discrimination and perceived slights are, for the most part, nuanced. These tend to be accompanied by attitudes of calmness and self-assurance, particularly when referring to personal or situational experiences. However, when it comes to broader, non-situational narratives of discrimination, those relating to the wider Muslim community, such composure and confidence are less evident.
This is closely linked to the emergence of an emotional state of ressentiment. Personal experiences of discrimination play only a limited role in this. In contrast, collective or vicarious discrimination narratives, which refer to the Muslim community as a whole, contribute significantly to the development of ressentiment. The findings also show that ressentiment plays a key role in processes of radicalisation, both violent and non-violent.
When addressing experiences of discrimination or perceived slights, it is important to explore the specific situation in detail. By encouraging people to share and elaborate on their experiences, diverse interpretations and perspectives can be brought to light and examined more clearly. At the same time, critical reflection within Islamic communities should be strengthened in order to encourage open engagement with religious and societal issues. A non-fundamentalist, open form of Muslim faith can serve as a valuable resource for building resilience. Lastly, narratives of victimhood should be critically examined in order to challenge one-sided interpretations and enable more differentiated forms of self- and other-perception