Freuds Der Mann Moses und die monotheistische Religion: Gesellschaftsvertrag, Kulturkritik und Antisemitismustheorie

This article examines Sigmund Freud’s Moses and Monotheism as an important but long-marginalised text in antisemitism research. Drawing on Freud’s interpretation of Jewish monotheism as a ‘progress in intellectuality’ in the history of religion, as well as his origin myth reconstructed as a social contract model, this paper elaborates on Freud’s critique of antisemitism as an integral part of his critical cultural theory. Against this background, the article analyses Freud’s explanations of antisemitism as a Christian-influenced reaction to the unease in culture, which is articulated in projections and denial of guilt. Finally, it discusses the contribution that Freud’s final book makes to critical antisemitism research, and the extent to which his approach can be classified as correspondence theory, but at the same time points beyond this perspective.