Medieval Ashkenazic Jewry

Catalog description

This course explores the Jewish world of Ashkenaz, from its beginnings in the Rhineland in the middle ages through its eventual expansion throughout Western Europe, Central Europe, and Northern Italy, and eventually into Eastern Europe by the early modern period. Ashkenaz is among the most important centers of Jewish life in this period. It was the locus for important rabbinic scholarship, unique pietistic practices, and a vibrant popular culture that took place amidst complex relationships with the non-Jewish environment, ranging from friendly interactions and influence to intense violence and persecution. We will read primary texts from Ashkenazic Jewry and important historical research on this world to analyze its social, cultural, intellectual, political, religious, and material history. Doing so, special attention will be paid to the intersections between these fields and the different methods used by historians to extract various types of historical information from their sources.