Department of History

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Anna Rich-Abad

Assistant Professor, Faculty of Arts

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Biography

I achieved my PhD in History (Medieval) at the University of Barcelona in 1998 and I have been working at the University of Nottingham since 2005.

Previously to my current job at the university of Nottingham I have worked in diverse fields as an archaeologist, museum and archive researcher and as a History teacher at different levels of the education system in both Catalonia and England.

Expertise Summary

My expertise is in the area of Medieval Jewish communities in the Western Mediterranean and more specifically of Barcelona in the late 14th Century.

My current research focuses on socio-economic aspects of gender and agency in the Jewish community of Barcelona through notarial records referring to to credit, real state, working contracts, trade and artisanal activities. I argue that Jewish women in Barcelona had a key role in the economic development of their families and communities, but this role is associated to specific contingencies affecting community and individuals. The notarial records demonstrate how some of Jewish Women make the most of these situations to improve their positions in society.

Teaching Summary

Currently I convene the Year 1 modules Introduction to the Medieval World . Introduction to the Medieval World is an introduction to themes and methodologies that historians deal with in the period… read more

Research Summary

My current research focuses on socio-economic life of the Jewish community of Barcelona. My work is based on through notarial records referring to to credit, real state, working contracts, trade and… read more

Recent Publications

Currently I convene the Year 1 modules Introduction to the Medieval World . Introduction to the Medieval World is an introduction to themes and methodologies that historians deal with in the period 500-1500.

I teach Year 1 module Learning History is a practical approach to historians work and debate and analysis in History as a discipline.

I convene the year 2 module "The Stranger Next Door: Jews and Christians in the Middle Ages", that explores historical roots of conflict and processes of acculturation between Jews and Christians in Western Europe between 500 and 1500. In the module we look also at the internal organisation of Jewish communities, their intellectual and religious lives, the economic activities. An important part of the module considers gender roles.

I teach in the MA module "Power and Authority in the Middle Ages", exploring ideas of Jewish submission to the medieval State and church ideology, and Jewish women agency. I also teach in the MA Paleography.

Current Research

My current research focuses on socio-economic life of the Jewish community of Barcelona. My work is based on through notarial records referring to to credit, real state, working contracts, trade and artisanal activities. My main focus is on artisanal activities and on female agency.

I argue that Jewish artisans developed specialisms in specific activities like weaving of silk and coral cutting and that they they played and important role in the development of the urban economy of Barcelona beyond the Jewish quarter. I also consider female socio-economic positions associated to specific contingencies affecting community and individuals. The notarial records demonstrate how some of Jewish Women make the most of these situations to improve their positions in society.

Past Research

Most of my research has been centered on the social and economic life of the Jewish community of Barcelona in the second half of the 14th Century through notarial records. This was the object of my PhD and it has continued in several publications in Catalan and English.

Future Research

My future research will move into further consideration of the role of Barcelona Jews between 1327- the end of the so called Golden Age of Aragonese Jewries,and 1348 in order to fully gauge the impact of the Black Death in their socio-economic structures. A follow on of this idea is to expand to the period immediately after 1391 once the Jews of Barcelona were forced to convert or expelled from the city, to analyse chances and continuities within the judeo-converso society.

Department of History

University of Nottingham
University Park
Nottingham, NG7 2RD

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