[Please cross-post as appropriate, with apologies for multiple copies]
[Originally sent to these lists: Religion, Medievel-Religion, MEDTEXTL,
Jewish Studies News, IOUDAIOS-L and ELENCHUS]
CENTER FOR JUDAIC STUDIES
University of Pennsylvania
Post-Doctoral (and Advanced Research) Fellowships 1998-99
Application Deadline November 30, 1997
Topic I:
POETRY AND CULTURE IN MEDIEVAL AND RENAISSANCE JEWRY
The writing of Hebrew poetry was a widespread activity in all
premodern Jewish communities, and was shaped by intellectual currents
and historical forces of all kinds, both internal to the Jewish
community (such as kabbalah) and external to it (such as Islamic or
Renaissance culture). The full interpretation of Hebrew poetry and the
assessment of its place in Jewish intellectual life necessitate
interdisciplinary study, which has never yet been systematically
attempted. This research group will consist of specialists in medieval
and Renaissance Hebrew poetry and specialists in disciplines and
subject matters that found expression in or influenced that poetry.
Such scholarly interplay will aim at a fuller appreciation of the role
of Hebrew poetry in Jewish intellectual life as well as a broader
understanding of the disciplines themselves. The disciplines include,
but are not limited to, history, philosophy, mysticism, medieval
science, Romance literature, and Arabic literature.
Topic II:
HASKALAH, ENLIGHTENMENT, AND EUROPEAN SOCIETY
The impact of the Enlightenment on Jewish thought and social life
continues to attract lively debate among scholars from different
disciplines. Historians, philosophers, and students of literature have
seen the Enlightenment as the source of the 'crisis' in traditional
society, as the harbinger of radical assimilation, or as the
forerunner of such movements as the Wissenschaft des Judentums, Reform
Judaism and even Zionism. The research group will consider such issues
from a comparative and interdisciplinary perspective within the
context of Western and Eastern European societies, focusing on the
German Enlightenment. It will examine the impact of Enlightenment
thought on European Jewry, as well as the Jewish contribution to the
European Enlightenment.
Each group will consist of 6-8 Fellows. Outstanding graduate students
in the final stages of writing their dissertations may also apply.
Stipend amounts are based on a Fellow's academic standing and
financial need with a maximum of $30,000 for the academic year. A
contribution may also be made towards travel expenses. Awards will be
announced on January 30, 1998.
For application material and further information, write to:
Secretary, Fellowship Program
Center for Judaic Studies
420 Walnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19106
Telephone: 215-238-1290 * Fax: 215-238-1540 * Email:
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