Thresholds of Contact and Conflict: Material Culture and Jewish History from Early Modern Times to the Fin de Siècle

The Leon Levy Foundation Lectures in Jewish Material Culture by Daniel Jütte

In these three lectures, historian Daniel Jütte explores dynamics of contact and conflict in Jewish-Christian relations by focusing on one overarching theme: thresholds. Understanding thresholds in both a literal and figurative sense, his talks span a wide chronological arc from early modern times to the fin de siècle. The first lecture probes how shared objects, customs, and memories crossed thresholds between Christians and Jews in early modern Europe. The second talk homes in on the complex role that liminal spaces played in encounters between both religious communities in Renaissance cities. The final lecture examines how, in modern times, artistic representations of the Jewish condition—especially the little-known trope of “threshold dwellers”—influenced visions of the Jewish past and future.

Lecture 1: October 24, 6 pm
Lecture 3: December 5, 6 pm

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Daniel Jütte is a historian of early modern and modern Europe. He is professor of history in the Department of History at New York University. His research interests lie in cultural history, urban history and material culture, history of knowledge and science, and Jewish history. At NYU, he has been involved in launching the Urban Humanities Initiative, funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Jütte is the author of three monographs. His most recent book is titled Transparency: The Material History of an Idea (Yale University Press, 2023).