Inaugural volume in book series on Jewish Cultural Studies, edited by Simon J. Bronner, Distinguished University Professor, The Pennsylvania State University, USA
Publisher: Littman Library of Jewish Civilization, Oxford, UK
Format and Guidelines: 8,000-word essays in English, prepared electronically
in Word, following Oxford Guide to Style (humanistic style with endnotes)
Deadline: May 1, 2006
Contact: Professor Simon J. Bronner, School of Humanities, The Pennsylvania
State University, 777 West Harrisburg Pike, Middletown, PA 17057-4898, USA,
sbronner@psu.edu
Papers are sought for an exciting new book series, JEWISH CULTURAL STUDIES,
published by Littman Library of Jewish Civilization (see
http://www.littman.co.uk). The inaugural volume will be on “Jewish Cultural Studies: Past, Present, and Future.” The editorial board seeks contributions
that explore Jewish culture as a subject of inquiry. Topics of interest for
the volume include, but are not limited to, historiography of Jewish
cultural studies with social psychological interpretations of figures and
movements such as Yiddish nationalism, identity politics, and Jewish
cultural revitalization; connections and breaks between cultural studies,
religious studies, folklore and ethnology studies, and Jewish studies; uses
of folklore and ethnology in the intellectual construction of Jewish culture
in different countries and historic periods; models for interpreting
emergent Jewish cultural movements in the twenty-first century; ideas of
race, gender, and class in the perception and iconography of Jewish culture;
relations between folk and popular culture, textual and visual culture, and
domestic and public culture in conceptualization of Jewish culture.
The purpose of the series is to present thematic volumes interpreting Jewish
cultures ethnographically and historically around the globe, and exploring
the idea of Jewish culture as it has been constructed, symbolized, produced,
communicated, and consumed in diverse contexts. Themes of volumes will be
interdisciplinary, drawing particularly on research in folklore studies,
anthropology, and cultural history and sociology. Future volumes being
planned include themes of Jewish memorialization and museology, ritual and
festival, consumerism and traditional culture, bodylore, and domestic Jewish
life. The format of the volumes will be similar to the successful book
series Polin, also published by Littman (see
http://www.littman.co.uk/polin/). It typically contains 10 to 12 essays of
8000 words anchored by an introduction addressing the theme, and a section
(usually 3 or 4 essays) called “New Views” of original research on Jewish
studies not on the theme. Unlike many publications on Judaica studies, the
Jewish cultural studies series will be exploring the secular as well as
religious spheres, and the intersections of the two, with attention to the
diversity of traditions and customs in the Jewish world—and particularly
their significance and meaning. The publication is sponsored by the Jewish
Folklore and Ethnology Section of the American Folklore Society in
cooperation with the Council on the Anthropology of Jews and Judaism of the
American Anthropological Association.
Essays will be peer-reviewed by an international editorial board, including:
Haya Bar-Itzhak, Haifa University, Israel
Dan Ben-Amos, University of Pennsylvania, USA
Matti Bunzl, University of Illinois, USA
Mikhail Chlenov, State Jewish Maimonides Academy, Russia
Sander Gilman, Emory University, USA
Harvey Goldberg, Hebrew University, Israel
Karl Grözinger, University of Potsdam, Germany
Ruth Ellen Gruber, Independent Scholar, Italy
Felicitas Heimann-Jellinek, Jewish Museum, Vienna, Austria
Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, New York University, USA
Mikel Koven, University of Wales, UK
Suzanne D. Rutland, University of Sydney, Australia
Joachim Schlör, University of Potsdam, Germany
Laurence Sigal, Museum of Jewish Art and History, Paris, France
Steven Siporin, Utah State University, USA
Edward van Voolen, Jewish Historical Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Jonathan Webber, University of Birmingham, UK
Jenna Weissman Joselit, Princeton University, USA
Littman Library of Jewish Civilization has been publishing books in Jewish
studies since 1965 and has acquired a reputation as a leader in scholarly
publishing in the field. Based in Oxford, England, Littman exhibits its
publications in conferences all around the world and markets its books
globally. Littman’s books are published at a high standard of production,
and prides itself on publishing works that are definitive and well written.
Registered as a charitable foundation, profits from sales are reinvested
into the production of new titles.
Members of the Jewish folklore and ethnology section of the American
Folklore Society receive volumes as a benefit of membership. For more
information, see http://www.afsnet.org/membership/membership.cfm
For more information, contact the editor Simon J. Bronner at sbronner@psu.edu.