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Philosemitism

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Key Concepts in the Study of Antisemitism

Part of the book series: Palgrave Critical Studies of Antisemitism and Racism ((PCSAR))

Abstract

This chapter explores the phenomenon of philosemitism both historically and theoretically. Defined as the “defense, love, or admiration of Jews and Judaism,” philosemitism emerged as a term in the late nineteenth century, at the same time as antisemitism, and shares many features with it, including a process of generalizing and stereotyping. The essay surveys different critical approaches to understanding philosemitism, explores its moral and ethical ambiguities, and shows how it has been central to the development of mainstream political ideologies from the time of the French Revolution to our present day. It concludes with a reflection on the need for further study of the role of philosemitism in non-Western contexts as well as in the contemporary discourse on Zionism.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    They cite Kinzig (1994), L. Fischer (2007), and Zimmermann (1987, pp. 118–32).

  2. 2.

    According to the Commission nationale consultative des droits de l’homme, between 1995 and 1999 there were fewer than 100 antisemitic acts committed in France, the country with the highest level of antisemitic violence. In 2000 alone there were 743 acts and the number has stayed high since.

  3. 3.

    This is the title of the first chapter of Alain Badiou’s “Uses of the Word ‘Jew.’”

  4. 4.

    Blanchot describes the “vocation” of the Jews as exile, but he was not an anti-Zionist.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA

    Maurice Samuels

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  1. Maurice Samuels
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Correspondence to Maurice Samuels .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Sol Goldberg

  2. Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Scott Ury

  3. York University, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Kalman Weiser

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Samuels, M. (2021). Philosemitism. In: Goldberg, S., Ury, S., Weiser, K. (eds) Key Concepts in the Study of Antisemitism. Palgrave Critical Studies of Antisemitism and Racism. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-51658-1_16

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-51658-1_16

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-51657-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-51658-1

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