The medieval period is well known for several large-scale and horrific persecutions, especially ones based on religious grounds. One of these is a succession of expulsions of the Jews from one kingdom after another. Persecutions like these don’t just come out the blue. So, if we’re going to understand them – and hopefully prevent them – we have to dig deep into the cultural ideas and purported justifications that they spring from. This week, Danièle speaks with Rowan Dorin about what usury is, how changing ideas of sin and foreignness shaped Europe, and how mass expulsion went from unthinkable to acceptable in the late Middle Ages.

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