medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
For those of us working in Jewish and Christian studies in the period of
late-antiquity, the following notice may be of interest [cross-post as
appropriate]:
Center for Advanced Judaic Studies
University of Pennsylvania
Post-Doctoral Fellowship 2007-2008
Application Deadline: November 15, 2006
Jewish and Other Imperial Cultures in Late Antiquity:
Literary, Social, and Material Histories
The study of Jewish culture and society in Late Antiquity (approx. 200-750
c.e.) has undergone profound shifts in recent decades. This fellowship year will
enable scholars from a wide range of disciplinary and linguistic backgrounds
(rabbinic literature, Patristics, Church history, classical literature, the
various branches of late Roman history, archaeology and art history, legal
studies, history of religions, liturgical and ritual studies, and rhetorical and
cultural studies) to assess and explore the state of the field.
The dialogue among scholars in these neighboring fields, while ongoing,
remains insufficiently realized. Narratives of late antique Jewish history and
culture have not adequately addressed the Roman historical contexts. Conversely,
the telling of Roman history has insufficiently mined Jewish evidence and its
implications. If Late Antiquity is indeed Judaism’s formative period, then a
fuller appreciation of this era is of paramount importance.
Project proposals should address questions such as:
* How might developments in ancient Mediterranean historiography contribute to
our understanding of late antique Jewish society? And how might Jewish data alter
longstanding assumptions that underlie late Roman and early Christian histories?
* How did the emergence of "religion" as a primary discursive category in this
period affect the various communities and movements in the Roman Empire? How does
the literature of the period reflect and shape the religious ideologies and
identities of these communities? What is the relationship among processes of
Rabbinization, Christianization, and the persistence of traditional Graeco-Roman
religions?
* How did individuals and institutions negotiate their relationship with
hegemonic forms of power and knowledge? What impact did specific manifestations of
imperial power (both within the Roman world and the Sassanian east) have on late
antique Jewish, Christian, or pagan social formations and cultural practices?
* Where did authority reside within Jewish social and cultural life? Through
which institutions and disciplinary practices was authority produced and
reproduced? How does leadership, real and imagined, central and marginalized, take
shape in relation to adjacent models?
* How should scholars interpret the complex and often contradictory
relationship between literary and material evidence for Jewish life from Late
Antiquity to the rise of Islam?
The Center invites applications from scholars in the humanities and social
sciences at all levels, as well as outstanding graduate students in the final
stages of writing their dissertations. Stipend amounts are based on a fellow’s
academic standing and financial need with a maximum of $40,000 for the academic
year. A contribution also may be made toward travel expenses. The application
deadline is November 15, 2006. Awards will be announced by February 1, 2007.
Applications are available on our website: www.cajs.upenn.edu
Or contact: Center for Advanced Judaic Studies
420 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
Tel: 215-238-1290; fax: 215-238-1540;
email: [log in to unmask]
--
Robert A. Kraft, Religious Studies, University of Pennsylvania
227 Logan Hall (Philadelphia PA 19104-6304); tel. 215 898-5827
[log in to unmask]
http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/rs/rak/kraft.html
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