Medieval Memories in the Jewish Diaspora

Instructor: E.G. Asher

Ashkenazi Jews figure significantly, if spectrally, in European histories of racialization that narrativize a break between medieval religion and modern race. This class will focus on Jewish encounters with and descriptions of those “popular medieval superstitions,” to quote Hannah Arendt, that resonate with racial discourses in the Jewish diaspora. We will read primary texts from the 11th through 15th centuries (in English translation) alongside scholarly articles and contemporary poetry. The aim of this course is twofold: to encounter medieval European literature in its historical contexts and to discuss its relevance to our lives today. With a grounding in medieval history, we will consider the following questions: How were Jews viewed and treated during the medieval period? How do writers of the Jewish diaspora imagine the medieval past? How might the literature and history of various Jewish communities in medieval Europe enable us to build and strengthen coalitions while imagining a liberatory future?

This class will be taught in English.

Course Materials:
There is no textbook required for this course. The instructor will provide all course materials digitally to students throughout the class.

E.G. Asher’s first book of poetry, Natality, was published by Noemi Press in 2017. Asher’s writing has received support from the Stadler Center at Bucknell University and the Yiddish Book Center. Asher has served as an associate editor of West Branch Magazine, a Seminar Associate of the Bucknell Seminar for Undergraduate Poets, and has taught writing workshops at Brown, Bucknell, and New York Universities. Asher has an MFA from Brown University, an MA in English Literature, and is currently a PhD candidate at NYU.

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