First edition. viii+292 pages with index. Illustrated. Cloth. Fine in dustjacket. Diaspora, considered as a context for insights into Jewish identity, brings together an interdisciplinary group of scholars in this volume. Readers needn't expect, however, to find easy agreement on what those insights are. The concept "diaspora" itself has proved controversial; galut, the traditional Hebrew expression for the Jews' perennial condition, is better translated as "exile". The very distinction between diaspora and exile, although difficult to analyze, is important enough to form the basis of several essays in this collection. "Identity" is an even more elusive concept. The contributors to the text explore Jewish identity - or, more accurately, Jewish identities - from the mutually illuminating perspectives of anthropology, art history, comparative literature, cultural studies, German history, philosophy, political theory, and sociology. These contributors bring new emphases to Jewish and cultural studies, as well as the emerging field of diaspora studies. The book attempts to mirror the richness of experience and the attendant virtual impossibility of definition that constitute the challenge of understanding Jewish identity.

Diasporas and Exiles: Varieties of Jewish Identity 0520228642