Protectors of Pluralism: Religious Minorities and the Rescue of Jews in the Low Countries during the Holocaust

Protectors of Pluralism argues that local religious minorities are more likely to save persecuted groups from purification campaigns, using a geo-referenced dataset of Jewish evasion in the Netherlands and Belgium during the Holocaust to assess the minority hypothesis. Post-war testimonies and secondary literature demonstrate the importance of minority groups for rescue in other countries during the Holocaust and other episodes of mass violence.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 316 pages
Publication date: 21 March 2019
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Protectors of Pluralism contend that local religious minorities are more inclined to shield persecuted groups from purification campaigns. Robert Braun employs a geo-referenced dataset of Jewish evasion in the Netherlands and Belgium during the Holocaust to evaluate the minority hypothesis. Spatial statistics and archival research disclose that Protestants were more likely to rescue Jews in Catholic regions of the Low Countries, while Catholics facilitated evasion in Protestant areas. Post-war testimonies and secondary literature underscore the significance of minority groups for rescue in other countries during the Holocaust and other episodes of mass violence, highlighting how the local position of church communities establishes networks of assistance rather than something inherent to any religion itself. This book makes a substantial contribution to the literature on political violence, social movements, altruism, and religion, employing a diverse array of social science methodologies and theories that shed new light on the Holocaust.

Weight: 462g
Dimension: 154 x 227 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781108456975