I beg to somewhat disagree with you Jerome,
It is usually assumed that a doctorate thesis is read in a way that avoids
the interpretations of words for their connotations.
What a reader of a thesis is supposed to do, is stick to denotations. Now,
"usurer" in connection to the history of my grand parents or their fellow
nationals does not have a pleasant sound, and I would have preferred
another. Money lender? Loan shark? Money lender at high or preferably low
interest rates? We don't know to-day what part of the money went to the
intermediates known to generally be "usurers" and how much to the "Fondul
Bisericesc". The point that the author justifiable wants to make is that
the role of the Jews in the administration of land as intermediates, was
seen as unjust by the peasants and that (this subjective feeling)
contributed to their attitude towards Jews in general i.e. was part of the
causes that created antisemitism.
I also cannot find any fault in the roles of the two thesis advisers. It is
clear from the reading of the text that nowhere is the Jewish population of
the Bukowina criticized. To enter (even parenthetically) into a discussion
about the historical causes of Jews as money lenders would be an
unnecessary and therefore not justifiable enlargement of the scope of the
dissertation that is a survey of the history of this part of Austria.
Introducing that subject could only lead to further involvement into
unnecessary connotations.
Halevai more of the same level of Ph.D. thesis would be around, preferably
about Czernowitz. But on that point I am sure we all agree,
[Berti Glaubach]
On Sun, Jan 4, 2015 at 12:08 AM, jerome schatten <romers_at_shaw.ca> wrote:
> Hardy...
> None of the above (or below).
>
> I find it disturbing that the author touched on this issue in the 'manner
> that he did' -- that is: setting us up to draw our own conclusions, but
> leading us with the same tired parenthetical info that 'mostly Jews' were
> the usurers, the repo guys (again the Jews); the bad debt colletors (who?
> the Jews again) and so on. He concludes that anti-Semitism was the result.
> But, most problematical for me -- the next step, a question which the
> author begs to ask, but appears sensible enough not to: Could these
> usurers, these Jews, be responsible for their own sad fate? An old,
> recurrent theme, as Shelly points out.
>
> A Ph.D. thesis is by definition part of a right of passage -- the
> candidate engages in research which produces 'significant new knowledge' in
> his/her field of study. It is done under the guidance of several advisors.
> He/she must defend this thesis in front of a select committee. At various
> stages in the thesis generation process, reviews take place. I am amazed
> and saddened that this 'old saw' was able to pass muster.
>
> jerome
>
>
> On 2015-01-03 9:02 AM, Hardy Breier wrote:
>
>> Usury.
>> Jerome.
>> You find it disturbing that the Jews were unjustly called usurers ?
>> Or
>> You find it disturbing that the Jews were justly called usurers ?
>> Or
>> You find it disturbing that the author touches this issue ?
>> Hardy
>>
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Received on 2015-01-05 07:24:17