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Project

The "Jewish neighborhood" in Antwerp. Geographical and symbolic uses of space by Jewish foreigners in an urban context (ca. 1900 - 1950)

The relationship of ethnic and religious minorities in an urban context is characterized traditionally by two movements that at first glance may seem contradictory. Such minorities are forced to integrate to various degrees. Yet they seek to preserve their identity by establishing symbolic and material borders or boundaries between themselves and the surrounding society, thus creating and maintaining a form of (self)segregation. This project will research how these two mechanisms manifested themselves within a concrete case study, namely, that of the Antwerp Jewish community in the first half of the twentieth century. The extent to which the Second World War, which had tragic consequences for this Jewish community, influenced these mechanisms is an integral part of the research question.
Date:1 Oct 2008 →  31 Mar 2011
Keywords:ANTWERP, JEWISH STUDIES
Disciplines:History