UID:
edocfu_9959243837602883
Format:
1 online resource (391 p.)
ISBN:
0-520-91226-8
,
0-585-18149-7
Content:
Gavin I. Langmuir's work on the formation and nature of antisemitism has earned him an international reputation. In History, Religion, and Antisemitism he bravely confronts the problems that arise when historians have to describe and explain religious phenomena, as any historian of antisemitism must. How, and to what extent, can the historian be objective? Is it possible to discuss Christian attitudes toward Jews, for example, without adopting the historical explanations of those whose thoughts and actions one is discussing? What, exactly, does the historian mean by "religion" or "religious"? Langmuir's original and stimulating responses to these questions reflect his inquiry into the approaches of anthropology, sociology, and psychology and into recent empirical research on the functioning of the mind and the nature of thought. His distinction between religiosity, a property of individuals, and religion, a social phenomenon, allows him to place unusual emphasis on the role of religious doubts and tensions and the irrationality they can produce. Defining antisemitism as irrational beliefs about Jews, he distinguishes Christian anti-Judaism from Christian antisemitism, demonstrates that antisemitism emerged in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries because of rising Christian doubts, and sketches how the revolutionary changes in religion and mentality in the modern period brought new faiths, new kinds of religious doubt, and a deadlier expression of antisemitism. Although he developed it in dealing with the difficult question of antisemitism, Langmuir's approach to religious history is important for historians in all areas.
Note:
Frontmatter --
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Contents --
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Preface --
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Part One: Religion as a Problem for Historians --
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1. The Problem --
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2. An Extreme Example --
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3. Rationalization and Explanation --
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4. The Concept of Religion --
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5. Religion as Compensation --
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6. Religion as Symbols --
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Part Two: Proposals for a Historiographic Solution --
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7. A Definition of Religion --
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8. Nonrational Thinking --
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9. A Definition of Religiosity --
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10. The Empirical Accessibility of Religion and Religiosity --
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11. Physiocentric Religion --
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12. Religious Doubt --
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13. Religious Irrationality --
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Part Three: The Religious Roots of Antisemitism --
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14. From Anti-Judaism to Antisemitism --
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15. The Revolution in Religiosity --
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16. Physiocentric Antisemitism --
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17. Religiosity and Objectivity --
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Index
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Issued also in print.
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In English.
Additional Edition:
ISBN 0-520-07728-8
Additional Edition:
ISBN 0-520-06141-1
Language:
English
DOI:
10.1525/9780520912267
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