Are antisemitism and white supremacy manifestations of a general phenomenon? Why didn't racism appear in Europe before the fourteenth century; and why did it flourish as never before in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries? Why did the twentieth century see institutionalized racism in its most extreme forms? Why are egalitarian societies particularly susceptible to virulent racism? What do apartheid South Africa; Nazi Germany; and the American South under Jim Crow have in common? How did the Holocaust advance civil rights in the United States? With a rare blend of learning; economy; and cutting insight; George Fredrickson surveys the history of Western racism from its emergence in the late Middle Ages to the present. Beginning with the medieval antisemitism that put Jews beyond the pale of humanity; he traces the spread of racist thinking in the wake of European expansionism and the beginnings of the African slave trade. And he examines how the Enlightenment and nineteenth-century romantic nationalism created a new intellectual context for debates over slavery and Jewish emancipation. Fredrickson then makes the first sustained comparison between the color-coded racism of nineteenth-century America and the antisemitic racism that appeared in Germany around the same time. He finds similarity enough to justify the common label but also major differences in the nature and functions of the stereotypes invoked. The book concludes with a provocative account of the rise and decline of the twentieth century's overtly racist regimes--the Jim Crow South; Nazi Germany; and apartheid South Africa--in the context of world historical developments. This illuminating work is the first to treat racism across such a sweep of history and geography. It is distinguished not only by its original comparison of modern racism's two most significant varieties--white supremacy and antisemitism--but also by its eminent readability.
#257358 in Books Brown Peter 2014-03-30Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.35 x 1.72 x 6.14l; 2.92 #File Name: 0691161771792 pagesThrough the Eye of a Needle Wealth the Fall of Rome and the Making of Christianity in the West 350 550 Ad
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Another Extraordinary And Challenging Work from Peter BrownBy SpikeAnyone with any academic training in theology knows the name of "Peter Brown." His erudition and writing. skills are well known. and highly respected in New Testament studies and early Christian history. This work makes a fine addition to his already ample corpus. He has long been concerned with the transition of Christianity from an outsider early church to an institution of the Roman Empire; and he applies is very considerable knowledge to examine. that transition with respect to the church's views on and use of wealth. For Orthodox Christians this book presents a serious challenge to those who like to think about poverty as an "option;" rather than a norm.The material is presented in a fashion accessible to any reader; but could easily be used in settings ranging from a parish study class to a seminary.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Another magisterial work by Peter Brown.By ReneeAs a scholar of history; everyone knows the name of Peter Brown. It's quite impossible not to. He's one of the leading scholars in the field today. In this work; he has examined the role that wealth played in the evolution of the early Christian church. Particularly the notion of 'giving to the poor' and the notion that Christians can't be rich and good Christians. This is when many of the Christian notions we live by today came into being; and this book blow by blow examines them all. Anyone interested in this topic would do well to add this book to their collection. It's a thick volume; but well worth the investment in time and money to better understand the institution many of us turn to regularly.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. An exceptional bookBy Phil GatesThis is a beautifully nuanced and insight-laden examination of the competing forces that shaped the social and religious mores of an important transitional time. Brown not only reveals ways in which wealth operated in the early centuries of the Christianizing West; but also provides a remarkably close up view of how wealth operates in any social context and thus provides valuable tools for thinking about how wealth; religion and the Church work in our own world.
