Einführung: Gefühle gegen Juden. Die Emotionsgeschichte des modernen Antisemitismus

Abstract

Historians and social scientists have rarely investigated modern anti-Semitism as an emotional phenomenon. The authors argue that the current conceptual weaknesses of research on anti-Semitism can be overcome by reflecting on its affective dimensions. They offer a detailed critique of the most influential approaches within the historical literature, especially the social psychology of prejudice. By proposing a strictly historical understanding of emotions and by exposing its bodily

dimension, they hope to avoid the existing problems of decontextualizing anti-Semitism. Finally, they also highlight the emotional insecurities (other than from hatred, fear, anger et cetera) of anti-Semites, created by the increasing difficulty of identifying the object of their hatred: the acculturated Jews.