JWST 236 - Orientalism and the Jewish Question

FC SSCI CD

4 credits
Orientalist discourses of the European age of imperialism were about Jews as well as Muslims. This course examines how Orientalism was intertwined with the Jewish Question in Western Europe and how European Jews responded to Christian characterizations of them as ?Asiatic others.? Running the gamut from outright rejection to the embrace of a romanticized, Eastern aesthetic, their reactions have much to tell us about the complexities of modern Jewish identity. Primary source materials include works of literature, philosophy, and architecture as well as representations of Jewishness in the Arts. Field trip required.
This course is cross-listed with HIST 236