JEWS, TEXTS, and ETHNOGRAPHY:

AN ACADEMIC WORKSHOP
Wednesday, March 18 and Thursday, March 19, 2015
Winship Ballroom, Dobbs University Center
Emory University
The Jewish people, the People of the Book, have long been associated with the study of texts as one of the most
basic practices upon which the religion and, indeed, the culture are built. Yet anthropology has only rarely
considered the meaning of those texts or the ways in which texts influence individuals and communities, and
Jewish Studies has historically maintained a certain distance from the field of anthropology.
This interdisciplinary workshop aims to break new ground in the field of ethnography of texts in Jewish life.
Leading scholars from around the world will gather to present papers and discuss the relationship between text,
lived experience, and ethnography in Jewish studies. It is expected that the workshop will result in an edited
collection of theoretical and methodological reflections on the use of ethnographic techniques to examine the
place of texts and textuality in Jewish life, with relevance for the study of other cultures as well.

Participants include
James Bielo, Miami University
Simon Dein, Durham University
Jonathan Boyarin, Cornell University
Ayala Fader, Fordham University
Marcy Brink-Danan, Hebrew University
Michael Karlin, Life University
Sam Cooper, Bar Ilan University
Lea Taragin-Zeller, Hebrew University
Philip Wexler, Hebrew University

Hosted by
Don Seeman
Emory University

&

Shlomo Guzmen-Carmeli
Bar Ilan University

and featuring a keynote lecture by

Alan Brill, Seton Hall University
A Rabbi on the Ganges: A Jewish Hindu Encounter

For more information about the workshop program, schedule, and keynote lecture,
visit the event website at http://js.emory.edu/events/index.html
All sessions are free and open to the public (excluding invitation-only meals)
Parking available at Fishburne, Oxford Road, and Peavine Parking Decks
See http://transportation.emory.edu/visitors/index.html for information about visitor parking