Jerusalem in History and Imagination

Introduction

“The view of Jerusalem is the history of the world; it is more; it is the history of heaven and earth” (Benjamin Disraeli, British prime minister, 1868, 1874–80). This PhD course investigates the historical interactions between the historical city of Jerusalem and the symbolic Jerusalem in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic imagination. The course is conducted as a combination of lectures by the course organizers, local guest lectures, excursions in Jerusalem, and student presentations. Apart from Nordic doctoral candidates, the PhD course will be attended by a group of MA students in Theology from Aarhus University.

Aim

Students will acquire knowledge of the history and ideologies surrounding a hotspot in global religion and politics. Students will, in situ, learn to analyze the interface between material geography and ideological mapping.

Preliminary Program

Day 1: Arrival. Visit to the Western Wall.

Day 2: Jerusalem in the Hebrew Bible: Silwan/City of David, the Tunnel of Hezekiah

Day 3: Jerusalem in the New Testament: The Israel Museum, Jerusalem Archeological Park

Day 4: The Byzantine Construction of the Holy Land: Mount of Olives, Via Dolorosa, the Holy Sepulcher

Day 5: Islam and the Crusades: Lectures at Hebrew University, Visit to Haram-as-Sharif.

Day 6: Zionism and the Holocaust: Mount Herzl, the Yad VaShem Museum

Day 7: Day off

Day 8: The Israel/Palestine Conflict: Visit to Bethlehem

Day 9: Group excursions

Day 10: Departure

Literature (800-900 pages)

Simon Sebag Montefiore, Jerusalem: The Biography. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2011 (or later editions and translations).

Anders-Christian Lund Jacobsen and Kasper Bro Larsen (eds.), Kompendium til ”Jerusalem i historien og det forestillede Jerusalem” (collection of articles and book chapters in English).

Lecturers

Anders-Christian Lund Jacobsen (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Kasper Bro Larsen (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Course information

Lectures, guest lectures, excursions, student presentations.

5 ECTS

24 October - 2 November 2022

Jerusalem

Additional information 

Price: 7000,- DKK including accommodation in double rooms, breakfast, and entrance fees. 

Participants organize their own overseas travel to and from Jerusalem. Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv is the closest international airport.

The travel advice of Aarhus University and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark will be followed.

The number of participants is limited. PhD students who have not previously participated in the NNJCI PhD courses will be prioritized.

Application and payment for the course please apply here on this link: https://events.au.dk/fieldtriptojerusalem2022/conference 

Application deadline: August 15th, 2022