Antisemitism in Modern European History since 1900

Graduate / Professional

This course introduces students to the history of the term antisemitism as well as historical debates about its manifestations. It focuses on Europe from the end of the nineteenth century, tracing the emergence of antisemitism in its modern form through interwar fascism and to the present, emphasizing discussions about whether a “new” antisemitism has emerged and focusing on efforts to restrain its manifestations by defining it broadly to include criticism of Israel. We cover the central historical moments in the history of antisemitism in Europe, including the Dreyfus Affair, pogroms in the Pale of Settlement, Nazi Jew-hatred, and the twinning of antisemitism and anticommunism in the specter of the Jewish communist, dubbed “Judeo-Bolshevism.” The last few weeks of the course are devoted to the rise of Islamophobia in Europe and its relationship to antisemitism, as well as current discussions of antisemitism’s resurgence. HU T 1:30pm-3:25pm