GEOG 30.01 Jews and Cities: Urban Encounter and Cultural Transformations
The Jewish diasporic encounter in Europe took place almost entirely in an urban context. The legal, political and cultural framework of the European city shaped the trajectory of the Jews in a profound and lasting way, and cities and metropolises continue to shape Jewish civilization in many ways. From the Venetian ghetto to the Lower East Side, from the pletzl in Paris to the vast neighborhoods in the first Jewish metropolises in Eastern Europe, the different settings shaped Jewish civilization.
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This course proposes a close reading of this urban context: what were the legal and political foundations, how did Jews organize themselves in cities, what economic opportunities did they develop?
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This class will use a broad range of materials: literary texts, the press, scholarly analysis (historical, sociological, anthropological), film, art and art history.
Cross Listed Courses
HIST 74.14/JWST 12.01