The Study of Antisemitism in the North: History and State of Research (Religious Minorities in the North) (Religious Minorities in the North, 1)

New Series – Open Access Is research on antisemitism even necessary in countries with a relatively small Jewish population? Absolutely, as this volume shows. Compared to other countries, research on antisemitism in the Nordic countries (Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden) is marginalized at an institutional and staffing level, especially as far as antisemitism beyond German fascism, the Second World War, and the Holocaust is concerned. Furthermore, compared to scholarship on other prejudices and minority groups, issues concerning Jews and anti-Jewish stereotypes remain relatively underresearched in Scandinavia – even though antisemitic stereotypes have been present and flourishing in the North ever since the arrival of Christianity, and long before the arrival of the first Jewish communities. This volume aims to help bring the study of antisemitism to the fore, from the medieval period to the present day. Contributors from all the Nordic countries describe the status of as well as the challenges and desiderata for the study of antisemitism in their respective countries. Acknowledgements 5 Table of Contents 7 Illustrations 9 Contributors 11 Introduction 17 1. Nordic Otherness 17 Antisemitism without Jews 35 2. “Untilled Field” or “Barren Terrain”? 35 3. William of Norwich in Iceland 55 4. Iceland 83 5. Beyond Shylock 121 The State of Research on Antisemitism 141 6. Chronicles of a History Foretold 141 7. The Study of Antisemitism in Finland 153 8. A Marginal Phenomenon? 169 9. Norwegian Antisemitism after 1945 187 10. Antisemitism in Sweden 205 Perceptions, Encounters, and the Presence of Antisemitism 221 11. Jerusalem in the North Atlantic 221 12. Jews in Greenland 237 13. Antisemitisms in the Twenty-First Century 247 Bibliography 283 Index 311 "Compared to other minorities, Jews and anti-Jewish stereotypes remain relatively underresearched in Scandinavia, even though antisemitic stereotypes have been present in the North ever since Christianization. This volume aims to bring the study of antisemitism to the fore, from the Middle Ages to present day. Contributors from all the Nordic countries describe the status of and the challenges and desiderata for the study of antisemitism"--From back cover