Religion, Nationalismus, Schuldabwehr und Gewalt: Neue Gesamtdarstellungen zu Geschichte und Gegenwart des Antisemitismus. (German)

This essay discusses a paradigm shift in recent scholarship on modern antisemitism. Historians and sociologists tend to replace crisis theories and scapegoat theories of social history with culturalist explanations of antisemitic discourse. The result is a deeper understanding of emotions, language, ideologies, imagery, and actions that did not serve any purpose other than the hatred of Jews. However, the new paradigm fails to explain why antisemitism emerged and why it was – or was not – successful. Culturalist approaches simply repeat the reasons antisemites gave for their behavior: religion, nationalism, racism, feelings of envy or guilt. The perspectives of Jews and opponents of antisemitism is rarely part of the narrative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Geschichte und Gesellschaft is the property of Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht GmbH & Co. KG and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)