070281 PS BA-Proseminar - Medieval Jewish life between the poles of protection and persecution (2022W)

The course will cover the history of Jews and of Jewish-Christian interaction during the Middle Ages.
Medieval Jewish existence between the poles of protection and persecution will be analysed in its legal and social context, as well as in the context of general medieval history. The geographical focus will be on the Holy Roman Empire in comparison to examples from France, England, and the Iberian Peninsula.
Main topics:
• Secular protection of the Jews in different medieval territories
• Ecclesiastical policy towards the Jews during the Middle Ages
• The clash of secular and ecclesiastical claims of power over the Jews
• Christian-Jewish interaction in medieval society
• The social, economic and political background of persecutions and their impact on the medieval Jewish population
• Development and ramifications of medieval hostility towards Jews, anti-Jewish propaganda and polemics
• The topics of protection, cohabitation and persecution in medieval Jewish and Christian historiography

Objectives:
Based on classroom reading and the interpretation of selected medieval sources, the participants will get to know the various political, social and religious aspects of the topic, which will enable them to connect them in the context of the current scholarly discussion.
There will be particular emphasis on the use of different types of sources (historiography, charters, economic sources) and on the contextualisation of sources on Jewish history within the "general" medieval source material.
Thus, students will be introduced to a critical assessment of the widespread prejudices concerning the role of Jews in medieval economy and society. By understanding the development and impact of Christian hostility towards Jews, the participants will be alerted to the usage and instrumentalisation of medieval stereotypes in the context of modern anti-Semitism.

Teaching Method:
By reviewing and working with secondary literature as well as reading and interpreting selected medieval source material, the students will gain experience in working with literature and original sources in class as well as individually (as a part of their presentation of a specific topic they have to do both orally and in written form). In addition to that, the students will acquire and practise the necessary skills to work with the most important resources on medieval source material.