Gamliel, O. (2018) Back from Shingly: revisiting the premodern history of Jews in Kerala. Indian Economic and Social History Review, 55(1), pp. 53-76. (doi: 10.1177/0019464617745926)
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Abstract
Jewish history in Kerala is based on sources mainly from the colonial period onward and mostly in European languages, failing to account for the premodern history of Jews in Kerala. These early modern sources are based on oral traditions of Paradeśi Jews in Cochin, who view the majority of Kerala Jews as inferior. Consequently, the premodern history of Kerala Jews remains untold, despite the existence of premodern sources that undermine unsupported notions about the premodern history of Kerala Jews—a Jewish ‘ur-settlement’ called Shingly in Kodungallur and a centuries-old isolation from world Jewry. This article reconstructs Jewish history in premodern Kerala solely based on premodern travelogues and literature on the one hand and on historical documents in Old Malayalam, Hebrew and Judeo-Arabic on the other hand. Sources of the early modern period are then examined for tracing the origins of the Shingly myth, arguing that the incorporation of the Shingly legend into the historiography of Kerala Jews was affected by contacts with European Jews in the Age of Discoveries rather than being a reflection of historical events.
| Item Type: | Articles |
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| Additional Information: | This article is affiliated with research funded by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement n° 647467—JEWSEAST) at the Ruhr University Bochum. |
| Status: | Published |
| Refereed: | Yes |
| Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: | Gamliel, Dr Ophira |
| Authors: | Gamliel, O. |
| College/School: | College of Arts & Humanities > School of Critical Studies > Theology and Religious Studies |
| Journal Name: | Indian Economic and Social History Review |
| Publisher: | SAGE Publications |
| ISSN: | 0019-4646 |
| ISSN (Online): | 0973-0893 |
| Published Online: | 16 February 2018 |
| Copyright Holders: | Copyright © 2018 Indian Economic and Social History Association |
| First Published: | First published in Indian Economic and Social History Review 55(1): 53-76 |
| Publisher Policy: | Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy |
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