MODERN
JEWISH LITERATURES:
LANGUAGE, IDENTITY, WRITING
An enormous creativity
in Jewish literature developed in the twentieth century at the same time as
a scholarly community arose to interpret this creative outpouring. Today, the
field of modern Jewish literature falls into two general camps of scholars:
those who study literature in the Jewish languages (Hebrew, Yiddish, Ladino,
Judeo-Persian, etc.), and those who study literature by Jews in the American
and European languages (English, German, French, Spanish, Russian, Polish, etc.).
Until now, literary scholars have had little collective opportunity to address
modern Jewish literature on its own terms, rather than as a subsidiary part
of history or religion, and even less to engage in a comparative study of all
the modern Jewish literatures and the various critical approaches that have
been applied to them. The CAJS seminar for 2004-2005 will bring together scholars
of Jewish literature in both the Jewish languages and the “majority”
languages for a focused consideration of modern Jewish literature in its entirety
and all its methods of study, in the hope of raising new questions and changing
the field.
The seminar will consider these questions (among others): 1. Language and Identity:
Where does the Jewishness of Jewish literature reside? How does language choice
affect the representation of Jewish experience? How did the boundaries between
Jewish and non-Jewish languages change as more Jews began to write in the non-Jewish
languages? How does Israeli literature, written in Hebrew, territorialized but
not always "Jewish", compare with Yiddish, a Jewish literature without
a territory? 2. Jewish Literature and Jewish Writing: What is the relationship
of “literature” (belles-lettres) to other forms of Jewish writing,
including traditional genres (e.g. midrash) and other types of modern writing
(e.g. scholarship, translation)? To what extent are modern Jewish texts continuous
with earlier Jewish literary traditions? 3. Ethnicity, Ideology, and Canonicity:
What are the relations of Modern Hebrew literature to Zionism? What are the
connections between Jewish literature and other ideological movements? How have
host cultures shaped Jewish writings, and Jewish writings changed their host
cultures? How do modern Jewish writers balance responsibilities to the collective
and to the individual, to ideology and to aesthetics? What, in the end, is modern
Jewish literature?
The Center invites applications from post-doctoral candidates, including outstanding
graduate students in the final stage of writing their dissertations. Stipend
amounts are based on a fellow’s academic standing and financial need with
a maximum of $32,000 for the academic year. A contribution may also be made
towards travel expenses. Application deadline is November 15, 2003. Awards will
be announced by February 1, 2004.
Individual scholars or groups wishing to propose possible topics for future
CAJS seminars may also write to the Administrator.
To receive
an application by mail, or for further information, write to:
Administrator, Fellowship Program
Center for Advanced Judaic Studies
420 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
telephone: 215-238-1290
fax: 215-238-1540