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The Myth of the Medieval Jewish Moneylender Julie L. Mell

The Myth of the Medieval Jewish Moneylender By Julie L. Mell

The Myth of the Medieval Jewish Moneylender by Julie L. Mell


Summary

This book challenges a common historical narrative, which portrays medieval Jews as moneylenders who filled an essential economic role in Europe. This book also documents why it is a myth for medieval Europe, and illuminates how changes in Jewish history change our understanding of European history.

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The Myth of the Medieval Jewish Moneylender Summary

The Myth of the Medieval Jewish Moneylender: Volume I by Julie L. Mell

This book challenges a common historical narrative, which portrays medieval Jews as moneylenders who filled an essential economic role in Europe. It traces how and why this narrative was constructed as a philosemitic narrative in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in response to the rise of political antisemitism. This book also documents why it is a myth for medieval Europe, and illuminates how changes in Jewish history change our understanding of European history. Each chapter offers a novel interpretation of central topics, such as the usury debate, commercial contracts, and moral literature on money and value to demonstrate how the revision of Jewish history leads to new insights in European history.

The Myth of the Medieval Jewish Moneylender Reviews

This book stimulates thought and reflection on the nature of the historical thinking and the need for critical thought. Students and researchers embarking on studies of medieval Ashkenazic Jewry or of modern images of the medieval Jewish past would be well advised to read this at an early stage of their work. It is brave, original, and enlightening. (Shaul Stampfer, Religious Studies Review, Vol. 44 (4), 2018)

About Julie L. Mell

Julie Mell is an Assistant Professor of History and North Carolina State University.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Jousting with Windmills PART I: MODERN HISTORY AND MEDIEVAL NARRATIVES 1. The Economic Function of the Jews: A Nineteenth-Century Story 2. Twentieth-Century Jewish Emigres and Trajectories in European Economic History PART II: MERRY OLD ENGLAND: SOME FACTS 3. Rich as a Jew?: An Analysis of the Distribution of Wealth and Frequency of Moneylending in the Anglo-Norman Jewish Population 4. An Economic Function for the Crown?: On Tallage, Taxation, and the Legal Status of the Jews

Additional information

CIN1137397764G
9781137397768
1137397764
The Myth of the Medieval Jewish Moneylender: Volume I by Julie L. Mell
Used - Good
Hardback
Palgrave Macmillan
20171003
336
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. Overall we expect it to be in good condition, but if you are not entirely satisfied please get in touch with us

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