Jews & gentiles : a historical sociology of their relations /

Cahnman (1902-1980), one of the pioneers of historical sociology, surveys Jewish-Gentile relations from antiquity to the present, focusing on the role of Jews as outsiders who serve as "mediators" between worlds. He pays particular attention to the High Middle Ages in central Europe where, he contends, "the structural patterns that govern Jewish-Gentile relations have been consolidated." Cahnman seeks to explain the rise of Nazism, which he knew firsthand as a German refugee scholar, and devotes chapters to intergroup relations in the US and Israel. This is a dated book that takes into account neither recent historical literature in English nor the vast literature published on this subject in Hebrew. Interested readers will find the works of social historian Jacob Katz both more illuminating and more readable. But turgid as this book is, and lamentably lacking footnotes, it does offer nuggets of insight as well as a great deal of information in a short space. Its publication serves as a loving tribute to Cahnman by devoted students. ^BSumming Up: Optional. For specialized libraries. J. D. Sarna Brandeis University