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A Cultural Sociological Approach to the Late Medieval Anti-Semitism

  • 중앙사론
  • 2010, (32), pp.337-370
  • Publisher : Institute for Historical Studies at Chung-Ang University
  • Research Area : Humanities > History
  • Published : December 1, 2010

Pilleun Lee-Park 1

1나사렛대학교

Candidate

ABSTRACT

In this paper, I have analyzed how forming the anti-Semitic affects in the late medieval Europe. My research explores the cultural effect of developing and extending the anti-Semitism, in medieval Christendom’s visual arts, its drama, and its homiletics there appears a systematic vilification of the Jew who had persecution. The patristic and medieval church created its own reality of the Jew, a subjective perception that had served maintaining its own privilege. In the growing number of heretical Christian sects, the church became an excluded and forming its own persecuting society. At the certain time, a local clergy had accused the Jews for being blood libels or ritual murders, or the Holy Host destroyer. This narrative justified their persecuting or massacre toward the Jews who were the symbols of evils. This story also constituted the dualistic paradigm such as the good/the evils, sacred/secular. Jews had relatively lived a stable life during the 9th and 10th centuries under the protection of the Frankish empire. However, in late 13th century ,since the anti-Semitic mood started to spread rapidly for a while, it caused violence and a large scale massacre. Finally by the sixteen century, the Jewish responded this violence by transforming these narratives. These narratives had same dualistic structures, such as good/evil, sacred/profane, and Christian or Muslim/Jews etc. In this research, I have concluded that the cultural elements influenced the anti-Semitic with its own political, economical, and religious elements. In confronting the chaotic social situation, the people construct the narratives which influence the people’s perception and emotional domain.

Citation status

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This paper was written with support from the National Research Foundation of Korea.