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Blood Libels: from the Middle Ages to the Modern World
Date and time
Location
Birkbeck, University of London, Room 101
30 Russell Square WC1B 5DT United KingdomDescription
Blood Libels: from the Middle Ages to the Modern World
Date: Monday 27 June
Time: 10.30 am - 5.45 pm
Venue: Birkbeck University of London, Room 101, 30 Russell Square, WC1B 5DT
This workshop will explore how blood, in its regulation and its representation, has been interpreted and traded as a symbol between Jews and non-Jews, and in particular between Christians and Jews, through the centuries – from the biblical past to the present day.
The blood libel is a challenging subject in many ways. It raises the question of how we understand continuity (and discontinuity) in anti-Judaism. It also raises the problem of how we approach similar narratives that arise in widely different temporal and spatial contexts.
The workshop will address the following questions among others: how does blood libel change over time and between places? How should we approach blood libel methodologically? How were blood libels proven and disproven? Did this change over time and place? Why do blood libels cease to be propagated?
Speakers include: Susan Einbinder, University of Connecticut, Hillel Kieval, Washington University in St. Louis and Pawel Maciejko, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Organised by
The Birkbeck Institute for the Study of Antisemitism (formerly the Pears Institute) is based at Birkbeck, University of London. It is a centre of innovative research and teaching, contributing to discussion and policy formation on antisemitism and racism. It is both independent and inclusive. www.bisa.bbk.ac.uk