Beyond the Elite: Problems and Possibilities

This talk will explore the possibilities and challenges of investigating those medieval Jews who were not part of the elite that left written records and some of the new avenues that open up when piutting these Jews in the center of investigation and focusing on their daily lives. The paper will seek to present some of the insights gained from the work of the research group "Beyond the Elite: Jewish Daily Life in Medieval Europe" that is completing this phase of their project.