Theories of Antisemitism (JPM071)

Course Site: https://dl1.cuni.cz/course/view.php?id=14149

Instructor: Dr Hana Kubatova

Email: hana.kubatova@fsv.cuni.cz

Office Hours: konzultace.fsv.cuni.cz, and by appointment

Office Location: room 516, Jinonice Campus

Course Description

This class explores some of the major theoretical statements on antisemitism produced in the modern period. Beginning with a brief look at the history of Jewish emancipation and the ensuing debates about the “Jewish Question,” the course will consider the ways that antisemitism has been understood from the perspectives of history, theology, psychoanalysis, Marxism, critical theory, postcolonial thought, and more. The class will conclude with a consideration of the fraught contemporary arguments about the relationship between antisemitism and Zionism.

Please note this course aims to attract demanding students who enjoy interactive teaching methods and are also willing to work continuously throughout the semester on individual assignments. This is a combined lecture and seminar course. It is essential that students read the required readings for each class.

*This is a graduate course––and while undergraduate (BA level) students are welcome to attend, they need to be ready to fulfill all requirements.

Course Outline

Class I (October 5): Introduction, Course Aims and Objectives

No reading

Class II (October 12): Towards a Definition of Antisemitism

Required reading

o U.S. Department of State Definition of Anti-Semitism

o Handbook for the Practical Use of the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism

o Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism

Class III (October 19): The Devil and the Jews

Required reading

o Joshua Trachtenberg, The Devil and the Jews: The Medieval Conception of the Jew and its Relation to Modern Antisemitism (Skokie, Illiniois: Varda Books, 2001): 11-31.

Class IV (October 26): Origins of Racial Antisemitism

Required reading

o Frederick Schweitzer and Marvin Perry, Antisemitism: Myth and Hate from Antiquity to the Present (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2015): 73-117.

Class V (November 2): Nationalism and the Jewish Question

Required reading

o Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism (London: A Harvest Book, 1976): 89-120.

Class VI (November 7!): Guest Lecture, Ben Frommer

Lessons & Legacies Conference, Karolinum, from 5PM

Class VII (November 16): Antisemitism. German or Nazi?

Required reading

o Oded Heilbronner, German or Nazi Anti-Semitism?, The Historiography of the Holocaust, ed. Dan Stone (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004): 9–23.

Class VIII (November 23): Trivialization, Revisionism, and Denial

Required reading

o Michael Shermer and Alex Grobman, Denying History: Who Says the Holocaust Never Happened and Why Do They Say It? (Berkeley, Los Angeles, London: University of California Press, 2000): 39–74.

Class IX (November 30): Misusing Antisemitism

Required reading

o Joshua Trachtenberg, The Devil and the Jews: The Medieval Conception of the Jew and its Relation to Modern Antisemitism (Skokie, Illiniois: Varda Books, 2001): 11-31.

Class X (December 7): Anti-Zionism

Required reading

o Jonathan Freedland, Is Anti-Zionism Antisemitism?, Jewish Quarterly, 50:2 (2013): 9–14.

Class XI (December 14): Antisemitism, Populism, and Today

Required reading

o Jelena Subotic, Antisemitism in the Global Populist International, The British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 24:3 (2022): 458–474.

Class XII (December 21): Final Projects Presentation & Class Debate

Requirements and Evaluation

Attendance, preparation, and participation. You are expected to come to every class prepared, and to participate. You are allowed two absences––no doctor’s note is necessary.

Participation (30% or 30 points): Regular attendance and active class participation is expected.

Proposal (10% or 10 points). The prospectus of your research paper is due on December 15, 2023. The proposal should include an outline and a preliminary bibliography. Proposals are submitted via Moodle.

Proposal Presentation (20% or 20 points): This is typically a short presentation on your research idea (between 5 and 10 minutes), but I am open to other suggestions (e.g., develop a podcast or a video) if they would better serve your needs. Whatever the format, the presentation should give us an idea where you are heading, what questions you ask, and why, what is the debate you are joining, and what methods and data you will rely on to answer your research question. You all are expected to present your progress on December 21.

Final Project (40% or 40 points). You are expected to submit a final research paper that builds on a topic outlined in your proposal. Your research paper should be in Word processor file format. Each paper must be between 10 and 12 pages (1.5 spacing, 11 Font, New Times Roman). I will grade your paper based on originality of the research, logic of your argument, review of relevant academic literature, organization, and format of your paper. Research papers need to be submitted via Moodle by January 31, 2024.

(Final) Grade Calculation. Your grades will be calculated based on Charles University regulations (100-91 points constitutes an A grade, 90-81 points a B grade, 80-71 points a C grade, 70-61 points a D grade, 60-51 points an E grade, less than 50 points means failing the course).

General Yet Important Points

If for any reason you feel worried by any element of your grade, please get in touch with me. I understand that some situations might make participation hard for some students. Should you need accommodations, or if there is anything else that I can do to help you to thrive in this class, please talk to me early in the semester.

It is important you are aware of issues of academic integrity. Note that I take plagiarism, whether intentional or not, as a serious academic offence. I report all issues of academic integrity to the Disciplinary Committee––and I also take them as a breach of trust.

Most importantly, I seek to cultivate a classroom of mutual respect, seriousness, and inclusiveness. Let us be mindful and inclusive in our language, in how we approach each other as well as the subject.

My classes now observe a no-electronic devices policy. Students are not to use computers, tablets, or phones in class. I have struggled a lot with this––but became convinced this provides the best setting for you to thrive in the class. Do not worry, there is no need for you to take notes during my classes––I will post everything you need on the Moodle site.