Table Of Content

Cover page Page: i Halftitle page Page: i Series page Page: ii Title page Page: viii Copyright page Page: x Contents Page: xi Acknowledgements Page: xii List of illustrations Page: xv Chapter 1 What is antisemitism? Page: 1 A question of definition Page: 1 Jews as a factor in their own history Page: 3 The discursive trap Page: 4 The problem of seeing antisemitism as a disease Page: 5 A modern phenomenon? Page: 6 Chapter 2 The burden of the past Page: 11 An ancient hatred? Page: 11 A Christian tradition Page: 13 Rethinking the ‘lachrymose version of Jewish history’ Page: 16 Central Europe: a mixed record Page: 17 Chapter 3 The Chosen People Page: 23 The ‘Jewish Question’ Page: 23 Western Europe Page: 24 Russia Page: 28 Eastern Europe Page: 31 Central Europe’s quid pro quo Page: 32 Jewish difference persists Page: 37 Chapter 4 The culture of irrationalism Page: 41 Irrationalism v. (rationalist and ‘Jewish’) modernity Page: 41 Jews, Germans, and Romanticism Page: 43 Richard Wagner: irrationalist; antisemite Page: 45 Rationalist Jews; irrationalist Germans Page: 46 Jews as (economic) modernizers Page: 50 The capitalism/socialism conundrum Page: 53 Chapter 5 The perils of modernity Page: 57 Rationalist antisemitism Page: 57 The ‘science’ of race Page: 59 Reactionary modernism Page: 62 Nationalism as modernity Page: 64 Antisemitism as ‘rational’ politics Page: 66 Karl Lueger and the Viennese model Page: 68 Chapter 6 Concatenations Page: 74 Before the storm Page: 74 The ‘general crisis’ begins Page: 77 ‘Defeatism’ and ‘Judaeo-Bolshevism’ Page: 79 A new normalcy? Page: 81 Hitler’s rise to power Page: 85 Chapter 7 Consequences Page: 88 Nazism empowered Page: 88 Rationalization; pragmatism; genocide Page: 91 ‘Intentionalists’ v. ‘functionalists’ Page: 93 The Holocaust and modernity Page: 96 Chapter 8 After Auschwitz Page: 101 A slow transformation of consciousness Page: 101 Soviet anti-Zionism Page: 103 Racism’s persistence Page: 105 The Cold War Page: 106 Liberalization in the West Page: 107 A discredited ideology Page: 110 Other antisemitisms Page: 113 Muslims and the ‘new antisemitism’ Page: 115 Challenges of a post-nationalist world Page: 121 Difference and liberal pluralism Page: 124 References and further reading Page: 128 Index Page: 136 Social Media Page: 144

Description:

Antisemitism, as hatred of Jews and Judaism, has been a central problem of Western civilization for millennia, and its history continues to invite debate. This Very Short Introduction untangles the history of the phenomenon, from ancient religious conflict to 'new' antisemitism in the 21st century. Steven Beller reveals how Antisemitism grew as a political and ideological movement in the 19th century, how it reached its dark apogee in the worst genocide in modern history - the Holocaust - and how Antisemitism still persists around the world today. In the new edition of this thought-provoking Very Short Introduction, Beller brings his examination of this complex and still controversial issue up to date with a discussion of Antisemitism in light of the 2008 financial crash, the Arab Spring, and the on-going crisis between Israel and Palestine. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.