1 Anti-Semitism in History and Literature Fall 2015 Instructor: John Hoberman Office: BUR 322 Class Meetings: TTH 2:00 – 3:30 Classroom GEA 114 Office hours: MWF 9:00-10:00 Email: [email protected] August 27. 1. Introduction to the Course: Basic Concepts The Major Western Racial Doctrines: Anti-Semitism Anti-Black-African Racism Other Major Themes: Imagining the Normal Human Being Racial Folklore as Doctrine and Medium of Transmission Talking About Jews: What Counts as Socially Acceptable Speech? Imagining the “Jew” Can Jews Be Racists? 2 September 1. 2. Ancient and Modern Resentment of Jews: 1. “The Globalization of Antisemitism,” Forward (May 2, 2003). 2. "Corpus Christi Controversy," Forward (April 23, 1999). 3. “Ward Refers Writers to Bible” (2001) 4."A 'Christ-Killer Slur Stirs Rightist Tussle in D.C.," Forward (April 27, 2001). 5. “Syrian’s ‘Christ-Killer’ Charge Threatens” (2001) 6. "What's Taught, Learned About Who Killed Christ," New York Times (April 29, 2001). 7. David I. Kertzer, “The Modern Use of Ancient Lies,” New York Times (May 9, 2002). 8. "Right Rallies for 'Christ-Killer' Pundit," Forward (May 4, 2001). 9. "Fired Scribe Says 'Christ-Killer' Conservative Is Sorry," Forward (July 6, 2001). 10. “Billy Graham Apologizes to Jews For His Remarks on Nixon Tapes,” New York Times (March 3, 2002). September 3. 3. Are the Jews a “Race”? 11. Ashley Montagu, "Are 'the' Jews a Race?" in Man's Most Dangerous Myth: The Fallacy of Race (1974): 353-377. September 8, 10. 4. Early Christian Origins of Anti-Semitism 12. Léon Poliakov, "Anti-Semitism and Early Christianity," in The History of Anti- Semitism, Vol. 1 (1974): 17-25. 3 13. James Carroll, "Jesus, a Jew?" in Constantine's Sword: The Church and the Jews (2001): 71-88. 14. James Carroll, "The Threshold Stone," in Constantine's Sword: The Church and the Jews (2001): 89-99. September 15, 17. 5. Medieval Anti-Semitism and its Legacy 15. Léon Poliakov, "The Western Jews in the High Middle Ages," in The History of Anti-Semitism, Vol. 1 (1974): 26-37. [85-90] 16. Léon Poliakov, "The Fateful Summer of 1096," in The History of Anti-Semitism, Vol. 1 (1974): 41-72. [91-106] 17. Léon Poliakov, "Anti-Semitism in the Pure State: France," in The History of Anti-Semitism, Vol. 1 (1974): 173-202. [145-160] 18. Barbara W. Tuchman, "'This Is the End of the World': The Black Death," in A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century (1978): 92-125. [73-89] 19. Joshua Trachtenberg, The Devil and the Jews (1943): 11-52. 20. Sir Walter Scott, Ivanhoe (1819): Chapters XI, XXIII, XXX. 21. Israel Abrahams, Jewish Life in the Middle Ages [1896] (New York: Atheneum, 1981): 211-244. September 22, 24. 6. Origins of Protestant Anti-Semitism: Martin Luther 22. Léon Poliakov, "Activated Anti-Semitism: Germany," in The History of Anti-Semitism, Vol. 1 (1974): 210-245. [228-245] 23. Martin Luther, Against the Jews and Their Lies (1543) [http://vho.org/aaargh/fran/livres9/Luthereng.pdf] 4 September 29, October 1. 7. Foundations of Racial Anti-Semitism 24. George L. Mosse, "Eighteenth-Century Foundations," "The Birth of Stereotypes," "Nation, Language, and History," in Toward the Final Solution (1978): 1-50. [180-210] October 6, 8. The Anti-Semitic Critique of Jewish Health and the Body 25. Maurice Fishberg, "Pathological Characteristics," in The Jews: A Study of Race and Environment (1911: 270-295. 26. John M. Efron, "The Jewish Body Degenerate?" in Medicine and the German Jews: A History (2001): 105-150. The “Jewish” Nose 27. Maurice Fishberg, The Jews: A Study of Race and Environment (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1911): 78-85. 28. Elizabeth Haiken, Venus Envy: A History of Cosmetic Surgery (Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins University Press (1997): 182-200, October 13. The Myth of the Jewish World-Conspiracy 29. Norman Cohn, "The Origins of the Myth," "Against Satan and the Alliance Israélite Universelle," "The Antisemitic International," in Warrant for Genocide (1967): 21-59, 232-250, 262-269. 5 October 15, 20. Anti-Semitism in Modern Britain 30. Somerset Maugham, “The Alien Corn” (1931). 31. H.S. Ashton, The Jew at Bay (1933): 15-45, 65-73, 105-116. October 22. Examination October 27, 29. Medieval Anti-Semitism and the Modern Vatican 32. David I. Kertzer, “Introduction,” “A Missed Opportunity,” in The Popes Against the Jews: The Vatican's Role in the Rise of Modern Anti- Semitism (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2001): 3-21. 33. James Carroll, "Sign of Folly,” “Stumbling Block to Jews,” “The Journey,” in Constantine's Sword: The Church and the Jews (2001): 3-23. 34. “New Accusations of a Vatican Role in Anti-Semitism,” New York Times (September 1, 2001. November 3, 5. Jewish Criminality 35. Maurice Fishberg, “Criminality,” in The Jews: A Study of Race and Environment (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1911): 407-418. 6 36. Michael Berkowitz, “Above Suspicion? Facts, Myths, and Lies about Jews and Crime,” in The Crime of My Very Existence: Nazism and the Myth of Jewish Criminality (2007): 1-23. 37. Daniel Vyleta, “Jewish Criminals,” Crime, Jews and news: Vienna, 1895-1914 (New York and Oxford: Berghahn Books, 2007): 40-69. 38. Patricia Cohen, “But Is Madoff Not So Good for the Jews? Discuss Among Yourselves,” New York Times (January 17, 2009). November 10, 12. The Theory and Practice of Nazi Anti-Semitism 39. Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf (1925): 301-309. 40. Hans F. K. Günther, "The Nordic Race as 'Ideal Type'," (1933); Alfred Rosenberg, "The Earth-Centered Jew Lacks a Soul," (1928); "How We Can Learn to Recognize a Person's Race" (1935); "The Task of Proclaiming Christ among the German People" (1937); Martin Bormann, "National Socialist and Christian Concepts Are Incompatible" (1942); "The Jew Is Outside the Law" (1938), in George Mosse, Nazi Culture (1966): 61-65, 75-78, 80-81, 243-244, 244-246, 336- 337. 41. Sarah Gordon, "Hitler's Ethnic Theory," in Hitler, Germans, and the "Jewish Question" (1984): 91-118. 42. Michael H. Kater, “Everyday Antisemitism in Pre-War Nazi Germany: The Popular Bases” Vad Yashem Studies XVI (1984): 129- (1984): 129-159. 7 November 17, 19. Jewish Self-Hatred: The Retreat (1984) 43. Aharon Appelfeld, The Retreat (1984). 44. John Hoberman, "Otto Weininger and the Critique of Jewish Masculinity," in Nancy A. Harrowitz and Barbara Hyams, eds. Jews & Gender: Responses to Otto Weininger (1995): 141-153. November 24. Anti-Semitism in American Society 45. "Jewish Degradation of American Baseball," in Jewish Influences in American Life, Vol. III(1921): 51-61. [Reprinted from The Dearborn Independent] Kenneth B. Clark, “Candor About Negro-Jewish Relations,” Commentary (1946). 46. Harold Brackman, “The Attack on ‘Jewish Hollywood’: A Chapter in the History of Modern American Anti-Semitism,” Modern Judaism 20 (2000): 1-19. December 1, 3. Anti-Semitism in Modern Europe 47. “Antisemitism on rise across Europe ‘in worst times since the Nazis,” The Guardian (August 7, 2014). 48. “Europe’s Anti-Semitism Comes Out of the Shadows, New York Times (September 23, 2014). 49. “The Return of Anti-Semitism,” Wall Street Journal (January 30, 2015). 8 50. “Europe’s Increasingly Targeted Jews Take Stock,” The Atlantic (February 17, 2015). 51. “Fear of a new darkness,” The Economist (February 21, 2015). Information About the Course (Fall 2015) Almost of the required course readings, lecture notes, and the syllabus are contained in electronic documents on the UT Canvas system with which UT students are expected to be familiar. REQUIRED READING: You are required to read all of the material the instructor will assign as required reading in as well as anything you may receive by e-mail. The instructor will also point to optional supplementary readings that will be posted on Canvas for you to read and/or print out if you wish to do so. The required paperback book (Aharon Appelfeld, The Retreat, 1984) is available on Amazon or other book sites on the net. My office hours are MWF 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. or (preferably) by appointment. I encourage you to schedule meetings with me to discuss the course material and, especially, if you ever feel you are falling behind in the course. I am always available to meet with you at short notice. The course meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:00-3:15 in GEA 114. Attendance is mandatory. Documented medical absences will not count as absences. This course has the following objectives: (1) to introduce you to the ancient historical origins of anti-Jewish doctrines and their development over two millenia; 2) to build skills in critical cultural literacy by analyzing what we can learn from studying the various aspects and implications of a major form of racism; (3) to encourage you to consider the historical legacy of important events and social developments along with their implications for contemporary society; and (4) to assist you in refining your thinking and writing skills. 9 Graded assignments: Examination (October 22) = 60 points Take-home Examinations (due September 27, November 29) = 60 points, 60 points 5-Page Paper (March 12) = 20 points 10-Page Paper (due April 23) = 100 points ; TOTAL = 300 points Additional short written assignments may be assigned in the course of the semester. For each class, please bring a hard copy of the essential course readings on paper or on your screen. The Writing Center offers support and help for student writing and research: http://uwc.utexas.edu. I am always available to talk with you about writing. Attendance: Attendance is mandatory. One courtesy absence is allowed without penalty. Additional absences without medical documentation deduct 2 points per day from the overall point score.