Editor's Introduction

Abstract

Editor's Introduction Catherine Chatterley, Founding Editor-in-Chief It is my pleasure to introduce the inaugural issue of Antisemitism Studies. The scholarly study of antisemitism has been closely tied to the study of the Nazi German Holocaust, which was the most violent and catastrophic eruption of Jew-hatred in human history. Today, a number of scholars, worldwide, are engaged in an attempt to enhance our understanding of this 2000-year-old phenomenon, which survived the Holocaust and continues to adapt to ever-changing circumstances. Antisemitism Studies is designed to help foster this diverse field of international scholarship on antisemitism and to provide the leading venue for intelligent discussion and productive debate on our subject. There are no temporal, geographical, cultural, or disciplinary boundaries to the research we publish on antisemitism; however, the selection process for publication in our journal is rigorous as we adhere to a double-blind peer review process. This means that authors and peer-reviewers are matched anonymously by the editor, and the research submitted must pass the evaluation of readers who are experts in the specific area in which the author is writing. Such an exacting scholarly process guarantees a high degree of accuracy, originality, and clarity in subject matter that is burdened by journalistic manipulation, Jewish identity politics, and a heavy degree of politicization across the spectrum. Today, there is no general consensus on a universal definition of antisemitism—be it legal or otherwise—nor are people very clear on the differences between anti-Zionism and antisemitism, or to what extent hostility toward Israel is antisemitic. We hope that this forum will allow those trained in the long history of antisemitism to come to more convincing and conclusive definitions of [End Page 1] these inter-related but distinct phenomena. Antisemitism Studies is dedicated to as complete an understanding as possible of antisemitism and welcomes research on its origins in the early Church (or in antiquity, as some argue), through the Middle Ages, modern enlightened Europe and the New World, the Holocaust and the postwar period, into the present. Also welcome is expert discussion of the origins, history, and nature of antisemitism in the Arab and Islamic worlds and the specific dynamics of Muslim-Jewish relations. While English is our language of publication, we welcome work from scholars across the globe and across all disciplines in the humanities and social sciences. The range of scholarship in this first issue—from 12th century Europe to the contemporary Arab world—is reflective of our desire to cover as many different contexts as possible to better understand the phenomenon as a whole. The journal will also include extended reviews of current publications of significance in our field and will periodically dedicate a special issue to one topic in detail. Our third issue (Spring 2018), for example, will focus on Contemporary Antisemitism in East Central Europe and will feature Joanna B. Michlic as guest co-editor, with articles by Victoria Khiterer and Oleg Kozerod (Ukraine), Violeta Davoliute (Lithuania), Ferenc Laczo (Hungary), Grzegorz Krzywiec (Poland), Matthew Kott (Latvia), Michal Frankl and Vojtech Ripka (the Czech Republic), and Miloslav Szabo (Slovakia). We are grateful for the participation of the authors, book reviewers, and peer review readers in this issue and those of the future—thank you for sharing your hard work and expertise with us and our readers. This new publication is sponsored by the Canadian Institute for the Study of Antisemitism (CISA) and published by Indiana University Press. For helping to bring this journal into existence, the following people deserve our thanks: Sandy Shindleman, Ida Albo, Deborah Schnitzer, Penny Jones Square, Dee Mortensen, Michael Regoli, Alvin Rosenfeld, and the members of our esteemed Editorial Board. We all hope this collective intellectual effort creates [End Page 2] and reinforces a productive collegial environment for scholars in our field and results in a better understanding of antisemitism so that it can be clearly identified and resisted by a growing consensus of people. [End Page 3] Copyright © 2017 Canadian Institute for the Study of Antisemitism