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Sephardi Mizrahi Studies Caucus Discussion List
- March 24, 2002
Association for Jewish Studies Sephardi/Mizrahi Studies
Caucus
Discussion List
Week of: Sunday, March 24 2002 (11 Nissan 5762)
Editor/Moderator: Aviva Ben-Ur <aben-ur@judnea.umass.edu>
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Index:
1. Panel/Paper Proposal for AJS 2002: Dona Gracia Nasi (Aelion Brooks)
2. New Publication: *Jews of the Dutch Caribbean* (Benjamin)
3. Seeking Ladino Expert for UNESCO Conference on Ladino (Roumani, Zweiben,
Schiffman)
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1. Panel Proposal for AJS 2002: Dona Gracia Nasi (Aelion Brooks)
From: Andree Brooks <andreebrooks@hotmail.com>
Date: Monday, March 25, 2002 2:51 PM
Andree Aelion Brooks, an author and lecturer, has just completed the first
modern comprehensive biography of Dona Gracia Nasi to be based almost
exclusively on newly-found and previously unpublished 16th century documents.
The biography, called *The Woman who Defied Kings* (Paragon House, June
2002) uses interrogations, Inquisition testimony, commercial documents,
notarial records, inventories of personal belongings and so forth to provide
an expanded and corrected portrait not only of Dona Graica's life but
the lives and business dealings of the conversos around her.
Brooks would be pleased to consider participating in any AJS panel discussions
or presentations that might be relevant.
She also has interesting material about how she found and utilized material
in 13 different languages from seven countries.
Many thanks,
Andree Aelion Brooks
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From: Alan Benjamin <benjamin@pop.psu.edu>
Date: Wednesday, March 20, 2002 2:48 PM
Dear Family, Friends, and Colleagues,
I am pleased to announce the publication of my volume, *Jews of the Dutch
Caribbean: Exploring ethnic identity on Curaçao,* through Routledge
(www.routledge.com <http://www.routledge.com/>
).
This work will interest a variety of readers. It addresses identity and
ethnicity, and describes a little-known group of Jews in the Dutch Caribbean
with an intriguing history--indeed, members of one of the two congregations
worship at the oldest synagogue in continuous use in the Americas.
This volume draws on ethnographic research among members of the Jewish
congregations in Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles to extrapolate about
ethnic identity generally. It treats ethnic identity as fluid and context-dependent
rather than fixed. It explodes the notion of ethnicity as a given, treating
it instead as a process that we must seek to understand.
Ethnic identity relates to basic questions of who we are and from whom
we differ. It is involved in stereotypes and jokes, political struggles,
and is a category by which people are differentiated, counted, measured,
and oppressed.
The volume takes a broad and innovative perspective, presenting ethnic
identity as a local as well as a transnational phenomenon, shaped by history
and re-shaped through contemporary, everyday interactions. Benjamin suggests
that people form cognitive "maps" of the ethnic groups in the
region they live, and index them through a variety of changing markers.
Ethnic markers and boundaries are shaped by culture and experience, and
often correspond to relations of status and power.
In the volume, special attention is paid to rituals. Each chapter includes
an extensive description of a sacred or secular ritual practice, which
is used to illustrate its theme.
A notable feature of the volume is its reflective inquiry into research
ethics. Benjamin suggests that fieldwork is relational as much as scientific,
involving subjectivity, power differences, and trust.
Curaçao, with people from around the world who often speak four
languages, is home to Jews with widely disparate histories. Jews from
Portugal who had converted to Roman Catholicism during the Spanish Inquisition
founded one congregation. Descendants of this group have played a central
role in Curaçaoan history for 350 years. Eastern European Jews
fleeing twentieth century oppression founded the second congregation.
Small as it is, Curaçao embodies many of the global processes of
change and economic relations that have taken place over the past 500
years including colonialism, migration, slavery, and religious persecution.
The ways that Curaçaoan Jews participate in Curaçaoan life,
relate to one another, connect with Jews elsewhere, and experience changes
in these relationships is reflected in their ethnic identity.
Expanding our notions of ethnicity and our familiarity with Jews and the
Caribbean, this volume will be of interest to a variety of social scientists,
especially anthropologists and sociologists. It will appeal to the educated
general public, students, and specialists in the fields of Jewish Studies,
Religious Studies, Ethnic Studies, Caribbean Studies, Methodology, and
Ethics.
Thank you for the support you've provided me in this research--whether
you realized it or not!
With warm regards,
Alan F. Benjamin, Ph.D.
Research Associate
Population Research Institute
601 Oswald Tower
The Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA 16802-6211
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3. Seeking Ladino Expert for UNESCO Conference on Ladino (Roumani, Zweiben,
Schiffman)
From: Beverly Zweiben and Lawrence H. Schiffman
Via: Vivienne Roumani-Denn <vroumani@asf.cjh.org>
NOTE: REPLY TO: <vroumani@asf.cjh.org>
WITH A CC TO: <lhs1@nyu.edu>
Date: Wednesday, March 20, 2002 10:37 AM
I am handling the UNESCO portfolio at the U.S. Dept. of State, and in
that context I am exploring a UNESCO request for a U.S. expert to attend
a UNESCO-sponsored conference on safeguarding and promoting Ladino, June
17-18 in Paris. The experts will be asked to assess the Ladino situation
in their country in the areas of preservation and transmission policies,
Language Songs and Music, Media, Press and Communication, Literature and
Intangible Culture. Experts will be asked to propose steps relevant to
the safeguarding and revitalization of Ladino as part of an Action Plan
in the form of Recommendations to UNESCO at the end of the conference.
Unfortunately, the State Department will not be able to fund a U.S. expert.
Dr. Wesley Fisher suggested I contact you about possible experts for this
conference. Your advice and assistance would be very welcome. Thank you.
Beverly Zweiben
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