The study of Judaism
Subtitle: authenticity, identity, scholarship
By: Aaron W. Hughes
Publisher: State University of New York Press, Albany; State University of New York Press
Published: 2013
Place of publication: Albany, NY
Language: eng
Number of pages: 162
ISBN-13: 9781438448619; 9781438448626
Subjects: Judaism
Description: Considers Jewish studies as an academic discipline from its origins to the present. The relationship between Jewish studies and religious studies is a long and complicated one, full of tensions and possibilities. Whereas the majority of scholars working within Jewish studies contend that the discipline is in a very healthy state, many who work in theory and method in religious studies disagree. For them, Jewish studies represents all that is wrong with the modern academic study of religion: too introspective, too ethnic, too navel-gazing, and too willing to reify or essentialize data that it constructs in its own image. In this book, Aaron W. Hughes explores the unique situation of Jewish studies and how it intersects with religious studies, noting particular areas of concern for those interested in the field#x19;s intellectual health and future flourishing. Hughes provides a detailed study of origins, principles, and assumptions, documenting the rise of Jewish studies in Germany and its migration to Israel and the United States. Current issues facing the academic study of Judaism are discussed, including the role of private foundations that seek inroads into the academy. (Publisher).
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Authenticity, identity, scholarship; title: Encountering tradition: the search for a Jewish essence; title: Imagining Judaism: scholar, community, identity; title: Take ancient Judaism for example: five case studies; title: Private foundations encounter Judaism; title: Future prospects.