An Analysis of Gender and Ethnic Prejudices in Erasmus's Adagia and Other Writings

This book explores Erasmus's ethnic and gender prejudices. It does not in any way seek to undermine the esteem in which Erasmus is generally held, as a prince of the humanists; it is rather a consideration of common early modern prejudices. The book's principal innovation is the use of Erasmus's commentaries on thousands of Greek and Roman proverbs (his adagia ) as a source for examining Erasmus's worldview. Researchers have often considered the adages as not voicing or reflecting Erasmus's views, and as such have chosen to ignore them. However, this book shows that Erasmus occasionally expresses his opinions through the adages, giving us an invaluable window into his worldview. An Analysis of Gender and Ethnic Prejudices in Erasmus's Adagia and Other Writings is essential reading for all scholars and researchers of early modern philosophy and intellectual history especially those researching the thought of Erasmus.

Searches Erasmus's Adagia for clues to his worldview Considers Erasmus's gender and ethnic prejudices concerning Turks, Jews, and Black Africans. Argues that it is appropriate to morally evaluate past attitudes

Autorentext

Nathan Ron is Research Fellow in the School of History at the University of Haifa.

Inhalt

Ch 1: Introduction: Denouncing Past Normal Prejudices.- Ch 2: Erasmus's Perception of Turks and Islam.- Ch 3: Erasmus and The Jews: The Narrative.- Ch 4: First Bias: Hatred of Judaism rather than Jews.- Ch 5: Second Bias: Indifference.- Ch 6: Third Bias: Historicism.- Ch 7: Homogeneity, Hierarchy, and Superiority.- Ch 8: Once a Jew, Always a Jew.- Ch 9: Ethnic Prejudices in Erasmus's Adages.- Ch 10: Jews and Judaism in Erasmus's Adages.- Ch 11: Gender Prejudices in Erasmus's Adages.- Ch 12: Conclusions.