Cultural Change Among the Jews of Early Modern Italy

Robert Bonfil

Research output: Book/ReportBookpeer-review

Abstract

The articles collected in this volume display Robert Bonfil's pioneering reappraisal of the economic and socio-cultural history of the Jews of Italy during the Renaissance and the early modern period, focusing on their encounter with and incorporation into the Italian society that surrounded them. Rather than thinking in terms of challenge and response, and the passive surrender of the Jews to the influence of their Christian surroundings, Bonfil's exploration of the evidence shows it mirroring their conscious choice to preserve a distinctive Jewish identity while at the same time being an integral part of the socio-economic and cultural fabric of the environment in which they lived. Rejecting the ideological assumptions of both the lachrymose and anti-lachrymose conceptions of Jewish history, these are articles which provide stimulating explorations of the realities of the era, and paradigms and case studies of the processes of cultural adjustment to the impact of constantly changing otherness.

Original languageEnglish
PublisherTaylor and Francis
Number of pages344
ISBN (Electronic)9781040234648
ISBN (Print)9781409400165
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jan 2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2010 by Robert Bonfil.

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