| CODE | HST1061 | ||||||
| TITLE | Jews and Judaism in Malta | ||||||
| UM LEVEL | 01 - Year 1 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||
| DEPARTMENT | History | ||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit aims to give students an overview of the history of Jews and Judaism in Malta, from the earliest evidences of their presence in the Maltese archipelago (ca. 4th Century CE) to the history of the contemporary Jewish community. The lectures aim to put into context the ruptures and continuities of Jewish Maltese history and to examine these events through the wider framework of the Mediterranean context. The unit will also introduce students to central aspects of Jewish religion and culture. Following a chronological approach, lectures will present and discuss: the Jewish presence during the Roman period; the Maltese Jewish community of the Middle Ages and its expulsion; Hospitaller Malta, the Roman Inquisition and the Jews in the Early Modern Period; the British period and the emergence of the Modern Jewish Community; today’s Community and Jewish Heritage. Study-Unit Aims: • To highlight the key events and concepts of Jewish history and Judaism in Malta; • To describe and discuss the cultural, economic, political and religious structures of Jewish communities in Malta; • To make students aware of the specificities and similarities of the Jewish Maltese context within a European and Mediterranean framework; • To identify and evaluate historical sources concerning Jewish history in Malta. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: • name and explain the key events of Jewish history in Malta and the main religious and cultural concepts of Judaism; • identify and explain the specificities of the Jewish communities in Malta from the Roman period until today; • distinguish cultural, economic and political structures of the Jewish community in Malta and in Europe during different historical periods. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: • review critically and selectively relevant secondary literature; • distinguish between primary and secondary sources; • demonstrate an understanding of terms, concepts and historical events, and reflect critical thinking in a structured and argumentative assignment. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: • S. Azzopardi-Ljubibratic, 'The Notarial Archives and Jews in Early modern Malta: Preliminary consideration'. In Abela, Joan and Emmanuel Buttigieg (eds.), Parallel Existences. The Notarial Archives: a photographer’s inspiration, (Malta, 2018), 213-221. • M. Buhagiar, Mario. 'The Jewish catacombs of Roman Melite'. InT he Antiquaries Journal, 91 (2011), 73-100. • C. Cassar, 'The Jewesses of Malta: Slaves and Peddlers, Healers and Diviners. In Studi sull’Oriente Cristiano, 17/2, 2013, 141-152. • C. Cassar, 'The Jews, Catholic Policy, and the Knights of St John in Malta'. In Journal of Mediterranean Studies, vol. 23/2, 2014, 169-184. • F. Ciappara, The Roman Inquisition and the Jews in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Malta. In Le inquisizioni cristiane e gli ebrei : Tavola Rotonda nell'ambito della Conferenza annuale della Ricerca, Roma, 20-21 Dicembre, 2001, Roma: Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, 2003, (Atti dei convegni Lincei ; 191), 449-470. • D. Davis, 'The Jewish cemetery at Kalkara, Malta'. In The Jewish Historical Society of London, 28, 1981/82, 145-170. • G. Wettinger, The Jews of Malta in the Late Middle Ages. (Malta, 1985). Supplementary Readings: • G. Wettinger, Slavery in the Islands of Malta and Gozo ca. 1000-1812, (Malta, 2002). • N. Zeldes, The Former Jews of the Kingdom: Sicilian Converts after the Expulsion, 1492-1516, (Leiden, 2003). |
||||||
| ADDITIONAL NOTES | This study-unit is solely offered to Undergraduate Diploma in Maltese History in Context students. | ||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
|
||||||
| LECTURER/S | Sarah Azzopardi Ljubibratic |
||||||
|
The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
|||||||