The aim of this course is to map first traces of the Jewish existence in the territories of the Croatian lands in the late Antiquity and Medieval period; to understand the patterns of the permanent Jewish settlement in the Croatian territories; to follow development of Jewish communities in different historical contexts; to understand complexities of Jewish identities in these lands, especially from the end of the 18th century; to acquaint the student with facts from the area of Jewish-Croatian relations emphasizing their contacts and mutual influence they had on each other.
This course helps students to acquire and understand Jewish history in Croatian lands in different periods, from the Late Antiquity to the Medieval, Early Modern and Modern periods in Croatian territories and in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Students will be acquainted with basic skills for the independent research on the primary sources.
The student will be acquainted with and able to understand:
1. The historiography and primary sources of the history of the Jewish communities and individuals;
2. Jewish communities of Late Antiquity and Medieval period in the territories of the Croatian lands;
3. Historical processes in the Early Modern period in the Mediterranean, after the Expulsion of 1492;
4. The permanent settlement of the Sephardic Jews on Eastern Adriatic coast and Bosnia-Herzegovina in the context of the Expulsion of 1492 as well as their further development;
5. An everyday life if Jewish communities, their material culture and their professions.
6. The permanent settlement of the Ashkenazi Jews in the territory of the Habsburg Empire in the context of partitions of Poland and legislative of Maria Theresa and Joseph II;
7. The processes of Jewish settlement in Croatia and Slavonia and of the Jewish emancipation in the Croat lands;
8. The economic and social strengthening of the Jews in Croatia and Slavonia;
9. Processes that follow the decline and fall of two maritime republics in the Eastern Adriatic: Venetia and Dubrovnik, and consequences on Jewish communities of Split and Dubrovnik;
10. The emergence of Zionism, the First World War and the role the Great War had on Jews.
