*Updated* Contemporary Jewish Religion and Globalized Identities Presentations

Start Date

Wednesday April 17, 2019

End Date

Monday April 29, 2019

Time

7:00 am - 7:00 am

Location

You are cordially invited to attend.
All presentations will take place in the Elias Andrews Room, 2nd floor, Theological Hall.

Candidates for our position in Contemporary Jewish Religion and Globalized Identities will be presenting as follows:

**CANCELLED**
Dr. Shawna Dolansky, Carleton University
Wednesday April 17, 11 am

"Myth as Mirror: The Immortality of Adam & Eve" 

Adam and Eve are everywhere, from perfume ads to pop songs, from conservative slogans ("Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve") to computer logos.  Feminists and patriarchalists, Aryan Nations and adult toy store owners all invoke this primordial couple in thinking about sex, gender, and the nature of evil.  This fixation on Eden has been ongoing for almost three millennia.  Following this story's interpretations through history provides excellent insight into the ways in which myths construct, and are simultaneously constructed by, social and cultural ideologies of gender and hierarchy. 


Dr. Dustin Atlas, University of Dayton
Thursday April 25, 9:30 am

“Dialogue and the Nonhuman World: Buber and Contemporary Jewish Thought”

This talk explores exciting transformations in present-day Jewish thought by looking at intellectual and religious trajectories which engage the figure of Martin Buber. It will examine how Martin Buber's work has energized Jewish thought, and conversely, how his work has been transformed by contemporary concerns. More specifically: we will explore how the concept of dialogue has been transformed by the ecological crisis, moving from a humanist concern with other humans, to a broader materialist engagement with beings which do not speak (such as animals, babies, and plants).


Dr. Jennifer Caplan, Towson University
Monday April 29, 11:00 am

"What's Jewish about Jewish Humor"

This talk interrogates the idea that "cultural Judaism" and "religious Judaism" are separate and potentially incommensurate concepts. Caplan argues that not only are those things often dismissed as "cultural" actually quite religious, but also that contemporary Jews have taken their religious cues from popular culture.