Law and Jewish Difference: Ambivalent Encounters

'This is a major work in the study of law, race, racism, and Christianity. It demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of the complex relationship between religious difference and processes of racialisation. Developing the concept of 'ambivalence', Mareike Riedel presents an invaluable and stimulating study of the encounter between Jewishness and western legalities. This book is an essential read for all those interested in religion, race, and the law.' Didi Herman, Emerita Professor, University of Kent
'In this erudite and lucid work, Mareike Riedel provides a highly illuminating account of the historical, geopolitical, and theological dynamics of Christian ambivalence toward Jewish identity and religion as reflected in European and Anglophone legal systems. The book provides a sensitive analysis of Jewishness in law across the centuries and into the present; it casts significant light on how this identity has been distinctively constitutive of Christian (and subsequently modern secular) legal subjectivity and carefully delineates the treatment of Jewish identity from the ways in which other religious (notably Muslim) minorities are regarded under a Christian-secular law.' Margaret Davies, Matthew Flinders Distinguished Professor, Flinders University