The social scientific study of Jewry: sources, approaches, debates

Uzi Rebhun (Editor), Chaim Isaac Waxman

Research output: Book/ReportBook

Abstract

"This latest volume in the annual Studies in Contemporary Jewry series focuses on how Jewry has been studied in the social science disciplines. Its symposium consists of essays that discuss sources, approaches, and debates in the complementary fields of demography, sociology, economics, and geography. The social sciences are central for the understanding of contemporary Jewish life and have engendered much controversy over the past few decades. To a large extent, the multitude of approaches toward Jewish social science research reflects the nature of population studies in general, and that of religions and ethnic groups in particular. Yet the variation in methodology, definitions, and measures of demographic, socioeconomic, and cultural patterns is even more salient in the study of Jews. Different data sets have different definitions for what is "Jewish" or "who is a Jew." In addition, Jews as a group are characterized by high rates of migration, including repeated migration, which makes it difficult to track any given Jewish population. Finally, the question of identification is complicated by the fact that in most places, especially outside of Israel, it is not clear whether "being Jewish" is primarily a religious or an ethnic matter - or both, or neither. This volume also features an essay on American Jewry and North African Jewry; review essays on rebuilding after the Holocaust, Nazi war crimes trials, and Jewish historiography; and reviews of new titles in Jewish studies."--
Original languageEnglish
Place of PublicationOxford England; New York
PublisherPublished for the Institute by Oxford University Press
Number of pages371
ISBN (Electronic)0190254653, 0199363498, 0199380325, 9780199363490, 9780199380329
ISBN (Print)0199363498, 9780199363490
StatePublished - 2014

Publication series

NameStudies in contemporary Jewry, an annual
PublisherPublished for the Institute by Oxford University Press
Volume27

Bibliographical note

At head of title: The Avraham Harman Institute of Contemporary Jewry, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

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