Antisemitism, Gender Bias, and the "Hervay Affair" of 1904: Bigotry in the Austrian Alps

(Hardback)

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This book examines the antisemitism that flourished outside of Vienna, in Austrian provinces such as Styria, Carinthia, Vorarlberg, Upper Austria, and Tyrol, focusing in particular on gender bias and its relationship to antisemitism. The 1904 arrest and bigamy trial of Frau von Hervay, the Jewish wife of District Captain Franz von Hervay of a Styrian provincial town (Mrzzuschlag), is closely examined to shed light on the relationship between Jews and non-Jews and attitudes towards women and sexuality in the small cities and towns of the Austrian provinces. The case demonstrates that antisemitism influenced popular perceptions of Jews and women at the local level and that it targeted women as well as men. This book provides an in-depth study of an episode of Austrian history that had a significant impact on the development of Austrian law; the role of religious institutions; perceptions of Jews, women, and sexuality; conceptions of Austrian bureaucracy and the need for reform; and the relationship between the provinces and the Viennese center. It also provides insight into the public interest generated by sensations such as arrests, suicides, crimes, and trials and the way the press of that time reported on them.

Reviews

Rose takes the reader deep inside prewar rural Austria; her analysis suggests that the Hervay Affair is a prism through which we can begin to understand a myriad of contemporary issues at play, including church, legal, and political reform, as well as contemporary antisemitism and misogyny. For those interested in exploring those issues, Roses microstudy offers many avenues for further research. What emerges from these pages is a substantive and provocative portrait, elegant and thorough, and a delight to read. * American Historical Review *
Alison Roses fascinating account of the life, arrest, and trial of a rogue Jewish woman from turn-of-the-century rural Austria sheds new light on the vexed history ofhatred of the Jews in Austrian history.She deftly explores this neglected episode to show how antisemitism then and there was riddled with hatred of women in general and Jewish women in particular.The book helps us see the highly personal dimensions to ideologies usually seen as intellectual abstractions and brings into clear focus the complicated roots of hatred in this important historical setting. -- Deborah Hertz, University of California at San Diego
A deeply researched and well-written study on Austrian antisemitism. It will profoundly enrich our knowledge of a dark chapter of Austrian Jewish history. -- Klaus Hdl, Center for Jewish Studies, University of Graz and affiliated professor, University of Haifa
Alison Rose impressively reconstructs the almost forgotten Hervay-Affair. She sheds new light onto the life and persecution of Leontine von Hervay. The book is an important contribution to the history of Antisemitism and gender in Austria. -- Dieter J. Hecht, Austrian Academy of Sciences

Author Bio

Alison Rose is a part-time faculty member for Gender and Women's studies at the University of Rhode Island and a part-time faculty member in the Religion department at Ohio Wesleyan University.