The Business of Identity: Jews, Muslims, and Economic Life in Medieval Egypt (Stanford Studies in Jewish History and Culture)

Synopsis

This Study Explores Jewish Commercial Partnerships In Medieval Egypt, And Reveals Jewish Merchants To Have Used Economic Cooperation As A Vehicle For Cultural Identity Formation And Maintenance. Through A Detailed Analysis Of The Legal Documents Of The Cairo Geniza, The Book Shows An Affinity Between Jewish Law And The Daily Life Of Jewish Merchants Filtered Through The Courts, Which Educated Merchants About The Norms Of Jewish Commercial Law Without Necessarily Demanding That The Merchants Transact Their Business According To Those Norms. Jewish, Islamic, Or Mediterranean? : Historiography And The Cairo Geniza -- Partnership As Culture : Jewish Law And Jewish Life -- Commercial Forms And Legal Norms In The Jewish Community Of Medieval Egypt -- The Geniza, Jewish Identity, And Medieval Islamic Social And Economic History -- Appendix : Fifteen Legal Documents Concerning Partnership. Phillip I. Ackerman-lieberman. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.