CFP: Responses to Contemporary Jewish Orthodoxies Symposium

Schneur Newfield Discussion

CFP: Responses to Contemporary Jewish Orthodoxies Symposium

Baruch College, CUNY, New York, October 29, 2020

For much of the twentieth century, the social scientific, cultural, historical, and humanistic scholarship on Orthodox communities has focused on those who remain in these communities, with a particular emphasis on explaining how these communities manage to continue and maintain themselves and their symbolic representations. In the past two decades, scholars have begun to focus attention on those who struggle within or exit these communities (a process commonly referred to within Orthodox communities to as going “off the derech,” or off the path). Such scholars have started to investigate why people leave, the religious positions they adopt, their post-exit relations with family and community; and the art, literature, and cultural expressions produced by and about them.

This day-long symposium will for the first time bring together scholars from diverse academic disciplines to share and deepen their current research projects. We welcome scholars from sociology, anthropology, gender studies, law, Jewish studies, literature, music, film, history, and related fields.

Possible topics include (but are not limited to) the following:

• The economic, social, and religious innovations occurring within Orthodox communities.
• The motivation for leaving and the narratives developed to make sense of such departures.
• The relationship among exiters and their families, friends, and former communities.
• The relationship of exiters to organized religion and religious rituals and symbols.
• The literature, music, and film produced by and about this population.
• Formal and informal approaches to language, translation, and representation in Orthodox exiter narratives.
• The role and influence of technology as a point of access and a barrier to Orthodox exiters.
• Gender, feminism, and masculinity studies in relation to the Orthodox exiter community.
• Historical implications and resonances of Orthodox exiter experiences.

The symposium may have funds to defray some costs associated with travel and accommodations.

Paper proposals should include a title, an abstract (250 words), and contact information. Please add a brief statement (50-100 words) that includes your institutional affiliation, field, and research interests. Please submit proposals as a single .pdf document to Jessica Lang (Jessica.Lang@baruch.cuny.edu) and Zalman Newfield (SNewfield@bmcc.cuny.edu) by May 31, 2020. Invited participants will be notified of their acceptance by the end of June 2020.

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