Medieval Antisemitism? (Past Imperfect) - Softcover

Soyer, François

Softcover

ISBN 10: 164189007X ISBN 13: 9781641890076

Publisher: Arc Humanities Press, 2019

Synopsis

Is it possible to talk about antisemitism in the Middle Ages before the appearance of scientific concepts of "race"? In this work, François Soyer examines the nature of medieval anti-Jewish sentiment and violence. Analysing developments in Europe between 1100 and 1500, he points to the tensions in medieval anti-Jewish thought amongst thinkers who hoped to convert Jews and blamed Talmudic scholarship for their obduracy and yet who also, conversely, often essentialized Judaism to the point that it transformed into the functional equivalent of the modern concept of race. In a nuanced manner, he argues that, just as many historians now refer to "racisms" in the plural, we should not consider antisemitism as a monolithic concept but accept the existence of independent historical meanings and thus of antisemitisms (plural), including "medieval antisemitism" as distinct from anti-Judaism.

About this title

About the Author:

Francois Soyer (PhD Cambridge 2007) is Senior Lecturer in History at the University of New England in Australia.

About this edition

• Publisher: Arc Humanities Press
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 164189007X
• ISBN 13: 9781641890076
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 104