Separation and Its Discontents: Toward an Evolutionary Theory of Anti-Semitism [Hardcover]

Kevin B. MacDonald (Author), Kevin MacDonald (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0275948706 | ISBN-13: 978-0275948702 | Publication Date: January 26, 1998 | Edition: 1st

MacDonald develops a theory of anti-Semitism based on an evolutionary interpretation of social identity theory--a major approach to group conflict in contemporary social psychology. Beginning in the ancient world, anti-Semitism has existed under a variety of religious and political regimes. MacDonald explores several theoretically important common themes of anti-Semitic writings such as Jewish clannishness and cultural separatism, economic and cultural domination of gentiles, and the issue of loyalty to the wider society. Particular attention is paid to three major manifestation of Western anti-Semitism: the development of institutionalized anti-Semitism in the Roman Empire, the Iberian Inquisitions, and the phenomenon of Nazism. All of these movements exhibited a powerful gentile group cohesion in opposition to Judaism as a group strategy, and MacDonald argues that each may be analyzed as a reaction to the presence of Judaism as a highly successful group evolutionary strategy. Because of the repeated occurrence of anti-Semitism, Jews have developed a highly flexible array of strategies to minimize its effects. These include: crypsis during periods of persecution, controls on Jewish behavior likely to lead to anti-Semitism, and the manipulation of gentile attitudes toward Jews. This controversial work challenges prevailing views; students and scholars involved with evolutionary approaches to human behavior and Jewish Studies will be interested, as will social scientists and historians in general.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

KEVIN MACDONALD is Professor of Psychology at California State University, Long Beach.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 338 pages
• Publisher: Praeger Publishers; 1st edition (January 26, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0275948706
• ISBN-13: 978-0275948702
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,605,567 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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79 of 88 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unbiased scholarship, April 12, 2003

By 

William B. Colohan "dursum" (Cincinnati, OH USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Separation and Its Discontents: Toward an Evolutionary Theory of Anti-Semitism (Hardcover)

Judaism, like any culture, has at times been insular and ethnocentric in its pursuits. There is nothing surprising about this fact. MacDonald, in my opinion, does an excellent job in presenting unbiased facts. Since facts, viewed in their entirety, are not always flattering (again, as would be the case with any culture) some would like to dismiss them as anti-Semitic. This is preposterous.

MacDonald meticulously takes you through the history of the Jews and provides quotes from notables and facts of that time, both pro and con. At various times Jews have been treated harshly. Why would anyone NOT want to try to understand how and why this happened, in hopes that it would never happen again?

To simply say he is at times quoting some people who said less than flattering things about certain Jews at certain times, is to bury your head in the sand.

I can only say, read the book and draw your own conclusions. Don't let someone else tell you how you should think.

99 of 114 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Riveting rescue of ethnic conflict analysis from taboo,bias, November 11, 1998

By 

Anthony Hilton (Maine, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Separation and Its Discontents: Toward an Evolutionary Theory of Anti-Semitism (Hardcover)

In the red corner is Daniel Goldhagen, on a winning streak with his book, Hitler1s Willing Executioners, which rules out several conceivable 3causes2 of the European massacre of Jews, before finally deciding that the real culprit was a totally, 100% fantasized delusion, shared by most Germans, that a relatively minuscule group of Jews constituted a danger. In the blue corner, is Kevin MacDonald1s Separation and Its Discontents (SAID), his second volume on Judaism as an 3evolutionary group strategy2, this one documenting the idea that while humans everywhere are prone to ethnocentric, exaggerated fantasy, along with that exaggeration there is often, nevertheless, a much more prosaic 3cause2 of massacres, namely an intense competition for resources. SAID examines historical evidence, often from Jewish historians, from the standpoint of the (Darwinian) biological and social evolution of ethnic group strategies and of 3social identity theory2, the currently influential articulation of the linkages between cognitive processes such as group categorization and social motivational processes. It will be a valuable companion to other books on numerically small ethnies who have survived in the diaspora (e.g., Hutterites). (Do some attract less hostility than others?) This is an academic book, but accessible enough for readers of, say, the Economist or the Atlantic. MacDonald1s work is an 3emperor-has-no-clothes2 , challenge to much conventional wisdom about anti-Semitism. Competition for resources is easily not thought of as a 3cause2 of anti-Semitism given that Jewish economic activities are considered by so many (especially Jews) as perfectly normal, productive, and non-violent , so what1s the big deal? Even if Jews have been especially competent at these activities, they are surely not unique in undertaking them. This overlooks : (1) the distinction drawn by Frank Forman between "legitimate" vs. "illegitimate" competition as well as the frequent ruthlessness and emotionality of ordinary economic competition illustrated by biker gangs killing each other off over the drug trade; (2) monopolies: when a "company" becomes monopolistic (e.g., Microsoft), no one is surprised by anti-monopoly laws, but for monopolistic ethnies, there are no analogous regulatory bodies; (3) the existence of non-exploitive, non-zero-sum commerce as when, say, a traditional Chinese merchant willingly renegotiates a contract if the trading partner does not derive "equal" benefit. The evidence in SAID is that from Roman Empire times through post-Emancipation Europe, Jewish economic activities, often perceived as exploitive, typically were introduced into contexts of otherwise relatively non-exploitive commerce within gentile groups, and were then followed by 3reactive2 anti-Semitism (not the reverse).

MacDonald concludes that the National Socialism of (Nazi) Germany was not only a reaction to but a 3mirror image2 of what Jews were doing. The similarities, he says, lie in the common focus on genetic purity (and endogamy), eugenic practices, cooperation within the cohesive ingroup, and hostility to and denigration of outgroups (seen in the original Hebrew versions of Jewish religious texts [ see Israel Shahak1s (1994) Jewish History, Jewish Religion; John Hartung1s (1995) 3Love thy neighbor2 , The Skeptic]. But where in the mirrored images of Jewish activities does one find the massacre of six million gentiles? Nowhere, of course, circa Weimar Germany. But think of the Biblical Joshua1s still celebrated genocide of the Canaanites, and the ongoing and frequently murderous actions taken by Jews in Israel against Palestinian Arabs (e.g., Deir Yassin; Baruch Goldstein), approved of by surprising percentages of Israeli Jews. And does not the Israeli theft of Arab land 3mirror2 the Nazi theft of Jewish wealth, placed in Swiss banks? MacDonald doesn1t remotely suggest that European Jews DESERVED to die for their group strategy but rather tries to UNDERSTAND what happened. The relentlessness of the documentation of what anti-Semites were angry about for many centuries may suggest to Jewish readers that he is trying to stir up anger at Jews all over again. But consider recent newspaper reports of a few Chinese controlling over 4/5ths of the Indonesian economy: our greater understanding surely doesn't make us feel that those Chinese merit death. Furthermore, MacDonald is interested in all "group strategies" and their consequences, whether Gypsy, English, or whatever. Darwinists have a capacity for facing unpleasant truths which is sometimes misinterpreted as personal approval for whatever disaster some group has suffered. Darwinists are also determined truth seekers, and deception and self-deception are common themes in evolutionary psychology; hence the descriptions in SAID of efforts to portray one's group as altruistic rather than competitive. Nevertheless, a book about tornados invites queries on storm shelters. However objective they strive to be, social scientists often have a personal interest in reducing ethnic conflict if not threats to their own group. How then can groups respond to cohesive groups of Jews, Gypsies, Hutterites, or Chinese many of which from now on will have a global reach? Should they mimic their strategies (3mirror image2) or try to get them to back off their ultra-group-mindedness and assimilate into surrounding societies? SAID does contrast the apparently non-genocidal strategies (basically boycotts) of some Muslim ethnies with that of the Nazis. But the latter had been petrified by the Bolshevik massacres of millions in Russia (which Germans perceived, controversially, as an ethnic conflict between communist Jews and Russian peasants!) Of interest here is the evolutionary psychology literature on reciprocity with its variations on the theme of "tit-for-tat" by which initial cooperation with another group would be replaced by "non-cooperation" if rebuffed. But SAID is not really an advice book; it is simply a scientific examination of a particular ethnic group's strategies and their sequellae. Some readers, their view of history possibly turned upside down, may be pinching themselves. Historical evidence, even the 3reluctant testimony2 of Jewish historians, is notoriously difficult to assess, especially for non-historians. But if there are historical errors in SAID, critics can be expected to home in on them soon. Meanwhile for anyone genuinely concerned about (any) inter-ethnic hostility, SAID is a must-read. Thanks to Praeger for its courage in publishing it!

70 of 81 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More Research on The Age-Old Jew/Gentile Conflict, April 21, 2003

By 

southpaw68 "southpaw68" (florida) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Separation and Its Discontents: Toward an Evolutionary Theory of Anti-Semitism (Hardcover)

Kevin MacDonald explores the Jew/Gentile conflict from the late Roman era to the present in this volume. He thinks that gentiles turn to collectivism in response to Jewish collectivism in order to protect themselves from exploitation. In the Late Roman empire, Christianity established itself as a strongly anti-Semitic religion in its theology. As Christians gained power in civic government, they passed laws to limit Jewish exploitation of gentile Christians such as laws forbidding Jews to own Christian slaves or Christian female servants. This is not to say that the formerly Pagan Rome was not anti-Semitic, but that Christian Rome may have been more systematic in its anti-Semitism, from what I gathered from reading this section. Pagan Rome's main complaint against Jews was their resistance to assimilating into the universalist culture of Rome.

MacDonald covers the complaints of anti-Semites against Jews in various ages such as the Middle Ages which he views as another age in which Christianity and the church turned towards collectivism to combat the political and economic power of the Jews, especially the Marranos, those Jews in Spain especially, who were pressured into converting to Christianity as a way of forcing them to assimilate. It didn't work. The Marranos were mostly crypto-Jews that professed Christianity outwardly, but still married other Marrano Jews and practiced Jewish rituals secretly and generally shunned Christian rituals when they could. This generally confirmed Judaism as a religion based on keeping the purity of the Jewish race. Jews became upwardly mobile in this period within the church and civil society, but still were not truly Christian. This resistance provoked the Inquisition against them in which the Church was trying to test out the sincerity of the Marranos' belief in Christianity.

MacDonald explores German National Socialism as a mirror image strategy against Judaism as an evolutionary stategy. Both were concerned with eugenics and collectivism to achieve group goals. Both belief systems practically made a religion out of race. He views the Nazis as anti-Western in its beliefs because they go against traditional Western ways of universalism and assimilation. Jewish intellectuals such as Benjamin Disraeli are quoted showing the prevalence of the belief in Jewish racial superiority at the time leading up to Nazi Germany. Gentile philosophers such Houston Stewart Chamberlain mirrored such beliefs in the racial superiority of Gentiles. He heavily influenced Hitler. National Socialism is seen as a reaction against Enlightenment policies in which Jews were to be given full rights as citizens if they assimulated totally into German society. The hoped-for assimulation did not occur as the Jews gained more power in German society and hence there was a National Socialist reaction against the Jews.

MacDonald explores the ways in which Jews combat anti-Semitism by breaking down the dominant culture of American society by marginalizing Christianity in the public realm, such as the Jewish-dominated ACLU trying to limit Christianity in the public realm under the guise of separation of church and state. They also use crypsis, not revealing themselves as Jews by changing their names or not revealing the Jewish character of their movements. MacDonald mentions the Jews as the only ethnic group that pushed hard to changed pre-1965 immigration laws to open up immigration to America to non-European races and cultures. This process has a way of breaking down the cultural dominance of white gentiles for the benefit of Jewish aims.

MacDonald thinks the idea that Jews are actually Khazarites is most likely a myth. He says that Jews used the "history of the Khazarites as Jews" for ideological purposes in a previous age. I have observed some people are using this "history" to claim that the Jews have no claim or connection to Israel.

MacDonald covers Jewish deception and self-deception as a means for them to manipulate a host society to their own ends while rationalizing that are not actually doing that. Many Jews see themselves as a chosen people who are morally superior to others; they provide a shining moral example for other ethnic groups to follow. To Jews, Jewish aims are not for them, but for the benefit of rest of society.

MacDonald explores the idea that the Jews may be assimulating so much that they may cease to be a distinct ethnic group. He mentions that Jews throughout history have been considered "an ever-dying race" but his general conclusion could be summed up as "reports of their death are largely exaggerated." There is always a hard core of Jews that remain racially pure and don't assimilate even though the outer core may do so.

This is another excellent book by MacDonald for those who have wondered why Jews and Gentiles don't get along very well and why the relationship between the groups is so strange.