Critical Theories of Anti-Semitism: A Conversation with Jonathan Judaken
The Department of Jewish, Islamic, and Middle Eastern Studies (JIMES) and the Department of History will host a book event and public conversation featuring Prof. Jonathan Judaken, discussing his new book "Critical Theories of Anti-Semitism" (Columbia University Press, 2024).
Prof. Judaken will engage in a dialogue with Professors Flora Cassen, Adrienne Davis, and Mark Oppenheimer, exploring the complex issues surrounding antisemitism and Judeophobia, critical theories, and their contemporary relevance. This event aims to be a celebration of Prof. Judaken's scholarly achievement and a public forum for discussing these important topics, including the definitions, causes, and targets of antisemitism, the evolution of Judeophobia from medieval times to the present, and the intersections between antisemitism and other forms of racism.
The event is free and open to the public and will be held at the Umrath Lounge on the Danforth campus of Washington University in St. Louis. A reception will begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by the main program at 6:00 p.m.
The livestream may be viewed here: https://vimeo.com/event/4565874
About the Book: "Critical Theories of Anti-Semitism" offers a philosophical reflection on crucial problems in analyzing antisemitism and a history of its leading theories and theorists. Judaken explores methodological and conceptual issues that have vexed the study of Judeophobia and calls for a reconsideration of the definitions, categories, and narratives that underpin overarching explanations. The book examines theories from thinkers such as Jean-Paul Sartre, the Frankfurt School, Hannah Arendt, and Jean-François Lyotard, alongside works of sociologists and historians. Judaken argues against claims about the uniqueness of Judeophobia, demonstrating how it is entangled with other forms of racism and discrimination.
About the Panelists:
Flora Cassen: Flora Cassen is Associate Professor of History and Jewish Studies at Washington University in Saint Louis and Senior Faculty at the Hartman Institute of North America. Her book Marking the Jews in Renaissance Italy: Politics, Religion, and the Power of Symbols was published by Cambridge University Press in 2017. Her forthcoming book on the history of antisemitism will be published by the University of Toronto Press and The New Jewish Press. She has published articles in scholarly journals on various facets of early Modern Jewish life in Italy and imperial Spain. She writes columns on European antisemitism for broad public audiences in the US and abroad, in venues such as Slate, the Smithsonian Magazine, the Forward, or Haaretz.
Adrienne Davis: Adrienne Davis holds a dual appointment as the William M. Van Cleve Professor in the School of Law and Professor of Organizational Behavior at Olin Business School. Professor Davis was Vice Provost for Faculty and Institutional Diversity from 2010 – 2021. From 2015 until 2017, she chaired the University’s Commission on Diversity and Inclusion. As a teacher and scholar, Davis focuses on “the law of daily life,” or how law regulates and affects people’s daily interactions, decisions, and identities. Davis is renowned for her scholarship and teaching on gender and race relations; theories of justice and reparations; feminist and critical race theory; and law and popular culture. She has written extensively on the gendered and private law dimensions of American slavery, the legal regulation of intimacy, and how culture and law converge to distribute justice. She has published articles in the Stanford Law Review, the Columbia Law Review, and the California Law Review, as well as numerous other articles and book chapters. She is the co-editor of the book Privilege Revealed: How Invisible Preference Undermines America (NYU Press).
Mark Oppenheimer: Mark Oppenheimer is Professor of Practice and Executive Editor of Religion & Politics at the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics at Washington University in St. Louis. Oppenheimer holds a Ph.D. in religious studies from Yale and has taught at Stanford, Wesleyan, Wellesley, NYU, Boston College, and Yale, where he founded the Yale Journalism Initiative. From 2010 to 2016, he wrote the “Beliefs” column about religion for The New York Times, and he has also written for publications including The New Yorker, The Nation, GQ, Slate, The Wall Street Journal, and many more. He created Unorthodox, the world’s most popular podcast about Jewish life and culture, with over 7 million downloads. More recently, he hosted an eight-part podcast called Gatecrashers about the history of Jews and antisemitism at Ivy League schools. He is the author of five books, including The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia and, most recently, Squirrel Hill: The Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting and the Soul of a Neighborhood. He is currently working on a biography of children’s author Judy Blume.