Undergraduate - UnitATS1322 - Conflict and coexistence: Jews, Christians, Muslims

This unit deals with the social, cultural, political and economic interactions of Jews with Christians and Muslims from antiquity to the Enlightenment. In a contemporary world that frames these relations as a 'clash of civilisations', the course retraces the shifting relationships between the three monotheistic traditions, emphasising Jewish life in the medieval period under Christian and Islamic rule. We will start this course with the foundational texts of the three monotheistic religions, examining how these societies defined themselves and others. Moving to the medieval and early modern periods we will explore the moments of interactions between Christians, Jews and Muslims-the shared texts, spaces, and intellectual ideas that united all three societies. Even in moments of extreme violence, we see evidence of coexistence alongside conflict. This course will conclude with the dawn of Enlightenment thought in Europe, and will consider how majority cultures treated and thought about minorities such as Jews and Muslims, revealing notions of tolerance and national homogeneity that carry implications for contemporary European society.