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Analysis of lectures Racism refers to acting in a way that upholds the belief members of a particular race possess some superior traits over members of another race. In the context of the lectures, racism may apply for actual races or members of a specific subgroup. Holy wars and racism are closely comparable because the perpetuators of holy war hold the belief that their religion is superior over other religions thus they kill or forcefully convert the members of other religions. The Reconquista also had similar occurrences where amid of expanding the coverage of Christianity the Spanish and Portuguese explorers converted individuals into Christianity in the masses by force (Lazare 57). These events depict man’s ability and practice of classifying individuals into subgroups. For example, some are classified as Christians while others are classified as Muslims just as in racism some are classified as black and other white. Prior to the Pope calling the Holy War, Muslims had occupied much of Spain and were threatening to take over Europe. The situation posed a threat to Christians who had occupied a large part of the peninsula. Additionally, the conquest by the Muslims would mean that Christians would be evicted from occupying their holy ground. The Holy War would depict the Christian awakening in Europe and signify the dominance of Christianity over the region. It was different from regular warfare because the soldiers represented the interests of Christians in maintaining control over specific parts in Europe. However, regular warfare soldiers represent national interests in maintaining national security. The Popes had great influence during the time due to the significant role of the church during the medieval period. The First Crusade was aimed at Christians maintaining the control over Jerusalem (Frankopan 34). Anti-Semitism caught up with the fever of the first crusade because Jews appeared as a subgroup different from Christians and special in some way. In this regard, Christians did not feel good about it.
Works Cited
Frankopan, Peter. The First Crusade: The Call from the East. Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap of Harvard UP, 2012. Print.
Lazare, Bernard. Anti-Semitism: Its History and Causes. Vol. 1. London: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006. Print.