Hi Edgar.... Thanks for this! I think if one reads nothing else of
this thesis, the 'Historical Overview', is very readable and valuable.
Some of the language however, I find disturbing -- for example:
" ...Jewish property steadily increased once the 1867
Constitution had eliminated the last possession restrictions for Jews.
Many peasants lost their
only recently acquired land to (often Jewish) usurers when they were
unable to repay their
loans in the difficult years 1866-68. Until the savings bank (Sparkasse)
was founded, only
private money lending was possible and mainly provided by usurers which
in turn provoked
outbursts of anti-Semitism. The Orthodox Church Fund continued to be the
biggest landowner
throughout the years and while it had the opportunity to improve the
situation by leasing land
to small farmers, it chose to lease land and forests to (again, mostly
Jewish) entrepreneurs
who were financially able to engage in long-term contracts."
'Usurer(s)', is not a value neutral term, and coupled with the
parenthetical remark(s) 'usually, mostly, again mostly Jewish', seems
like setting up the Jews to be responsible for their own eventual
demise. Although the author never makes this case, the way this part of
his history was constructed, left me with a feeling that I've heard all
this before, and it doesn't end up well.
It may be the case that I'm too sensitive around this issue, or that I'm
misreading the intent of the author, still, something doesn't sit right.
I would have thought that in the dissertation process, this construction
might have raised a flag amongst the author's thesis advisors.
Best,
jerome
On 2015-01-01 7:54 AM, Edgar Hauster wrote:
> Czernowitzers, dear friends...
>
> Happy New Year to all of you! Let's inaugurate the new year by the release of the Book of the Month, January 2015, at our Czernowitz Book Corner:
>
> http://czernowitzbook.blogspot.de/2015/01/a-sanguine-bunch.html
>
> "'A Sanguine Bunch' - Regional Identification in Habsburg Bukovina, 1774-1919" is the doctoral thesis - in English language [!] - defended by Hieronymus Franciscus van Drunen at the University of Amsterdam in September 2013; Prof. Dr. J. Th. Leerssen and Prof. Dr. D. J. Deletant were the prominent thesis advisors.
>
> On Jewish Bukovina, please continue reading Part II - Bukovinians 3, chap. 3.5 - 3.7, p. 201 - 245, and learn more on:
>
> - The Jewish Presence in Bukovina [3.5, p. 201]
> - Jews and the Local Economy [3.5, p. 204]
> - The Social Position of Bukovinian Jews [3.5, p. 208]
> - Jewish Nationalism in Bukovina [3.6, p. 216]
> - Anti-Semitism and Bukovina: Attacks and Vindications [3.7, p. 224]
> - Bukovinian National Movements and Anti-Semitism [3.7, p. 227]
> - Popular Anti-Semitism [3.7, p. 239]
>
> There are not too many books in English that tell the story of our favorite region, so I'm encouraging you to download your FREE COPY of the dissertation and to read it and share it with your relatives!
>
> Stay "tuned" for the next edition of Book of the Month, to be released at: http://czernowitzbook.blogspot.de/
>
> Edgar Hauster
>
>
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Received on 2015-01-03 07:51:08