070206 UE Guided Reading Austrian History I - Jewish-Christian Interaction in pre-modern Austria (2024W)

Content:

The course will discuss the various aspects of Jewish existence in medieval and early modern Ashkenaz, with a particular focus on Austria, and the points of contact with their Christian surroundings. Despite the preservance of their cultural identity and a certain separation from the surrounding majority – both intentional and imposed -, Jewish life was to a large extent defined by daily interaction with their Christian neighbours. On all social scales of both Jewish and Christian societies, contacts and conflicts within the close living space arose that were, contrary to still-common views, by no means reduced to business transactions. Cohabitation and neighbourly interaction led to considerable cultural transfer that can be recognised on many levels, allowing for an analysis of the extent to which both groups shared the same cultural values and enjoyed the same aesthetic ideals. These daily interactions are as much a part of the history of medieval and early modern Jewish-Christian relationships as are the ever-present anti-Jewish polemics and narratives which, as texts by Christians for Christians, reflect their ideas of Jewish identity. Both neighbourly co-existence and the frequent outbreaks of violence against Jews will be analysed in the course and put into context within the political, economic, and social circumstances of the respective time-period and region.

Objectives:
Based on classroom reading and the interpretation of medieval sources, the participants will get to know the various political, social, cultural and religious aspects of the topic, which will enable them to connect them in the context of the current scholarly discussion.
To reach this goal, a variety of different types of sources (historiography, charters, economic sources, visual souces) will be drawn upon; a particular emphasis will be on the contextualisation of Jewish history as an integral part of "general" history.
Thus, students will be introduced to a critical assessment of the widespread prejudices around until today, which will enable them to recognise the usage and instrumentalisation of medieval stereotypes in the context of modern anti-Semitism.

Teaching Method:
Therefore, learning units will consist of an introduction to the respective topic, followed by reading and discussion of the prepared texts (original, transcription and translation). These texts will be made available on Moodle; students are expected to summarise and present them in five assignments during the term.