Unacknowledged Kinships: Postcolonial Studies and the Historiography of Zionism
International Conference
Goethe University Frankfurt am Main
Organized by:
Martin Buber Chair for Jewish Thought and Philosophy, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main
In cooperation with
Derek J. Penslar, Samuels Zacks Professor of European Jewish History at the University of Toronto and Visiting Professor of History at Harvard University
LOEWE Schwerpunkt “Religiöse Positionierung”
Concepts developed in the field of postcolonial studies have repeatedly been applied to analyze Jewish history. They have helped to understand the influence of colonial concepts and practices on the situation of the Jews in Europe, and that Jews in many respects were a colonialized minority within Europe. Only in a limited way, however, has this been the case for the study of the history of Zionism. European Zionism, in particular, has only very rarely been analyzed from such a perspective. This is true although Zionism can be understood as a project to overcome the marginalization, denigration, and at times persecution of European Jewry. At the same time, there are many complex and contradictory connections between Zionism and European colonialism. All of this indicates that it would be productive to apply postcolonial concepts to the history of Zionism, and to consider the history of Zionism within the framework of postcolonial studies, without reducing Zionism to nothing more than a variant of European colonialism. The reasons for the failure of this conversation to develop are more political and historical than scholarly in nature. The conference, in contrast, searches for possible linkages and affiliations between the historiography of Zionism and postcolonial studies. Its aim is to explore how postcolonial concepts can be used in the historiography of Zionism and what perspectives for future research this can generate. To that end, the conference seeks to facilitate direct debates and exchange between scholars of the history of Zionism and scholars of postcolonial studies.
Keynote Speakers:
Derek J. Penslar (University of Toronto/Harvard University)
Ato Quayson (University of Toronto/New York University)
Attendance is free. No registration is required. Conference language is English.
Location: Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Campus Westend, Casino and Seminarhaus buildings, Norbert-Wollheim-Platz 1, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Detailed program and more information: http://www.uni-frankfurt.de/42839537/aktuell_conf
Dr. Stefan Vogt
Martin Buber Chair for Jewish Thought and Philosophy
Goethe-University Frankfurt am Main