SEMINAR: Antisemitism and Racism: Theory, Holocaust Studies and Post-Colonialism, Part 1

Session Submission Type: Seminar

Abstract

Organized by the International Consortium for Research on Antisemitism and Racism (ICRAR), this set of seminars includes twelve papers dedicated to investigating various aspects of antisemitism and other racisms. Concentrating on the modern era, the seminar will be divided into three sessions that will focus on questions of theory, the Holocaust and its immediate aftermath, and the connection between antisemitism and colonialism.

The first panel will analyze different definitions, uses and histories of the term antisemitism. Starting with a paper by Jonathan Judaken of Rhodes College on Zygmunt Bauman’s understanding of antisemitism, the session will continue with an analysis by Arie Dubnow of Haifa on the relationship between Hannah Arendt and Salo Baron, and a third by Sol Goldberg of Toronto on the very process of defining antisemitism. This session will also include papers by Amos Morris-Reich of Haifa on the use of photography in Nazi racial science as well as one by Izabel Enzenbach of the Center for the Study of Antisemitism in Berlin on visual aspects of turn of the century antisemitica.

Building on these theoretical interrogations, the second session will focus on the Holocaust and its aftermath. In addition to a paper by Hannah Pollin-Galay of Tel Aviv University on the texture of Holocaust memoirs, Ilse Lazaroms of the Hebrew University will analyze the image of violence in survivor literature. Kalman Weiser of York University, Toronto, will continue with a paper on post-war relations between Jewish scholars of Yiddish and former Nazi scholars of the language and Rebekah Klein-Pejsova of Purdue University will discuss state-inspired anti-Zionism in Communist-era Slovakia.

The third panel will examine these and other questions in the colonial context. Bryan Cheyette of Reading will analyze antisemitism and the image of the LUFTMENTSCH within the context of colonialism and David Feldman of the Pears Institute at Birkbeck College, London will look at the experiences of Englishmen in Palestine. In addition to these papers, Hanan Harif of the Hebrew University will analyze Pan-Semitism, Felix Axster of Berlin will examine racism, antisemitism and colonialism in turn of the century postcards and Julie Kalman of Monash University will address Jewish-Muslim relations in colonial North Africa.

Sub Unit

• Modern Jewish History in Europe, Asia, Israel, and Other Communities

Chair

• Scott Ury, Tel Aviv University

Discussants

• Jonathan Judaken, Rhodes College

• Arie M Dubnov, University of Haifa

• Sol Goldberg, University of Toronto

• Amos Morris-Reich, University of Haifa

• Ilse Josepha Lazaroms, Center for Jewish History

• Rebekah Klein-Pejsova, Purdue University

• Kalman Weiser, York University

• Hannah Pollin-Galay, Columbia University

• Julie Kalman, Monash University

• Bryan H. Cheyette, University of Reading

• Hanan Harif, Hebrew University

• David Feldman, Birkbeck, University of London

• Isabel Enzenbach, Zentrum für Antisemitismusforschung TU-Berlin

• Felix Axster, Zentrum fuer Antisemitismusforschung