⭐️ Presented by Middle East/South Asia Studies, the Department of History and the California History-Social Science Project

5 p.m. reception followed by scholar talk and conversation at 5:30-7:00 p.m.

This talk examines the history of the Jews of the Levant and the ways they interacted with Arabs and Muslims. It begins by examining interactions between Arabic speaking Jews and Spanish speaking Jews in the Ottoman Empire from the 16th to 19th centuries, focusing on the localization and Arabization of Jews in the Levant, especially as Ottoman power declined. Bashkin explores the responses of Levantine Jews to European imperialism and colonialism, paying heed to the Jews who benefited from European support, especially during moments of crisis and, concurrently, emphasizing Jewish anxieties from—and resistance to--colonial intervention. Examining the lives of Jews living in Ottoman Palestine as they celebrated holidays together with Muslims, and worshiped in the same holy sites revered by Christians and Muslims shows us how these relationships, while far from being equal or harmonious, produced a greater Arabization and identification with a place and space.

This event is the second in the series, The Middle East in History Context, organized and sponsored by the Department of History, the California History Social-Science Project, and the Middle East/South Asia Studies Program. 

Questions? Please contact the California History-Social Science Project