Legal Norms and Political Action in Multi-Ethnic Societies

The three-volume project Cohesion in Multi-Ethnic Societies in Europe from c.1000 to the Present explores and seeks to find solutions to a crucial problem facing contemporary Europe: in what circumstances can different ethnic groups co-operate for the common good? They apparently did so in the past, combining to form political societies, medieval and early modern duchies, kingdoms, and empires. But did they maintain their ethnic traditions in this process? Did they pass on elements of their cultural memory when they were not in a dominant position in a given polity?

The first volume in the project explored ethnic cohesion as evidenced by narratives about the past, while volume two analysed communal events and activities. This third volume focuses on how relations between ethnic groups were influenced by political activities and related legal norms. Both cooperation and conflict between ethnic communities find their expression in political activities, although they usually have a significant cultural and economic background as well. This book examines the causes of political cooperation between ethnic groups, despite the risk of conflict, and the methods of stabilizing this cooperation through the enactment of law.

Introduction: Legal Norms and Political actions in Multi-ethnic Societies —PRZEMYSŁAW WISZEWSKI

Ethnic Differences and Political Activities within Silesian Societies (Thirteenth-Fifteenth Centuries)—PRZEMYSŁAW WISZEWSKI

Royal and Ducal Legislation for the Ethnic Communities in Selected Cities of the Polish Territories (Twelfth - First Half of the Sixteenth Century) —GRZEGORZ MYŚLIWSKI

The Integration and Separation of the Communities of Ruthenia after Its Incorporation into the Kingdom of Poland —ANDRZEJ PLESZCZYŃSKI

The (Slow) Building of Mechanisms of Cooperation Between the Transylvanian Estates (From the Second Half of the Fourteenth to Mid-fifteenth Century)—COSMIN POPA-GORJANU

The So-Called Cuman Law in the Thirteenth century in Hungary —DANIEL BAGI

Economic Competition between Christian Burghers and Jews: The Modelling of Jewish Economic Activity Through the Restrictions on Jewish Merchants and Craftspeople in the Towns of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania—JURGITA VERBICKIENĖ

An Attempt to　Rethink　the Karaites’ Traditional Views on their (Im)migration to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the Middle Ages —DOVILĖ TROSKOVAITĖ

The Magdeburg Law and Its Effect on the Development of Jews’ legal Status in the Towns of Grand Duchy of Lithuania: The Experience of the Fourteenth–Sixteenth Centuries —AIVARAS POŠKA

Aspects of Relations between Russians and Other Ethnic/ Religious Groups in the Mirror of the Muscovite Law Code of 1649—ENDRE SASHALMI

Royal Law and Ethnic Minorities in Portugal (Twelfth - Sixteenth Centuries): A Wide Strategy for Shaping Social Diversity —PAULA PINTO-COSTA, JOANA LENCART

Culture and Faith as the Main Bonding Factors for a Multi-ethnic Society? The Manipulation of History in Early Modern Sardinia (Sixteenth-Seventeenth Centuries)—LUCIANO GALLINARI

Discrimination and Ethnic-Religious Segregation in Legal Texts in Medieval Southern Catalonia —MARIA BONET

Social Cohesion and Jewish Otherness in Late Medieval Catalonia — FLOCEL SABBATE CURUL

The impact of U.S. Immigration Laws on the Lives of the Polish Ethnic Group in the United States —JOANNA WOJDON

Co-operation or Conflict within Medieval and Early Modern Multi-ethnic Political Communities (Eastern and Southern Europe)? False Dilemma. Concluding remarks —PRZEMYSŁAW WISZEWSKI

Index