Der veränderbare Körper

Daniel Wildmann looks at modern German Jewish history in a new light. He explores alternative strategies pursued by Jews in the search for self-affirmation, which did not rely wholly on assimilationist or Zionist ways of life. He demonstrates how these efforts laid bare fault-lines in Jewish integration in Germany. Through a detailed analysis of the history, ideas and practise of Jewish gymnastic associations he shows that explosive tensions arose around the question of Jewish identity in the German Kaiserreich when prescribed pathways were abandoned. The book breaks new ground by integrating recent historical approaches, such as the history of the body, of masculinity and visual history, into German-Jewish History.