This interdisciplinary anthology explores the impact of current globalization processes on Jewish communities across the globe. The volume explores the extent to which nationalized constructs of Jewish culture and identity still dominate Jewish self-expressions, as well as the discourses about them, in the rapidly globalizing world of the twenty-first century. Its contributions address the ways in which Jewishness is now understood as transcending the old boundaries and ideologies of nation states and their continental reconfigurations, such as Europe or North America, but also as crossing the divides of Ashkenazi, Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews, as well as the confines of Israel and the Diaspora. Which new paradigms of Jewish self- location within the evolving and conflicting global discourses about the nation, race, the Holocaust and other genocides, anti-Semitism, colonialism and postcolonialism, gender and sexual identities open up in the current era of globalisation, and to what extent might transnational notions of Jewishness, such as European-Jewish identity, create new discursive margins and centers? Chapters explore the impact of the Arab-Israeli conflict on cross-cultural relations between Jews and other racialized groups in the Diaspora, and discuss the ways in which recent discourses such as postcolonialism and transnationalism might relate to global Jewish cultures. The intent of the volume is to begin a process of investigation into twenty-first century Jewish identity. This book was originally published as a special issue of the European Review of History.

This is the first study of monstrosity in Jewish history from the Middle Ages to modernity. Drawing on Jewish history, literary studies, folklore, art history and the history of science, it examines both the historical depiction of Jews as monsters and the creative use of monstrous beings in Jewish culture. Jews have occupied a liminal position within European society and culture, being deeply immersed yet outsiders to it. For this reason, they were perceived in terms of otherness and were often represented as monstrous beings. However, at the same time, European Jews invoked, with tantalizing ubiquity, images of magical, terrifying and hybrid beings in their texts, art and folktales. These images were used by Jewish authors and artists to push back against their own identification as monstrous or diabolical and to tackle concerns about religious persecution, assimilation and acculturation, gender and sexuality, science and technology and the rise of antisemitism. Bringing together an impressive cast of contributors from around the world, this fascinating volume is an invaluable resource for academics, postgraduates and advanced undergraduates interested in Jewish studies, as well as the history of monsters.

This book explains the meanings of globalization as a concept, discussing the key debates and pointing towards new ways of understanding the process as a whole.

Discusses multiculturalism as involving the redefinition of a nation and a search for national identity, but notes that multiculturalism is not necessarily the cause of the recent upsurge in antisemitism in Britain. Stresses the persistence of cultural stereotypes (e.g. Shylock, Fagin, and Svengali) in the media, including in reporting on sports events. British Jews are caught between two hostile forces: a coalition of militant Islamists and leftist anti-Western anti-imperialists who demonize Israel, and a general British resentment of foreigners, which sometimes encompasses Jews. Anti-Zionist propaganda and anti-Israel boycotts are espoused by Muslims and leftists, including on the campuses. Anti-Zionism often slips into anti-Judaism by targeting British Jews. The British media tend to be anti-Israel to such an extent that this stance is unassailable. Concludes that the open society has encouraged a resurgence of older racial anti-Jewish discourse, and that there is little new about the "new antisemitism" which spreads conspiracy theories about Jews in regard to recent events, such as 9/11.

Literary fiction in Germany has long been a medium for contemplation of the 'nation' and questions of national identity. From the mid-1990s, in the wake of heated debates on the future direction of culture, politics and society in a more 'normal', united country, German literature has become increasingly diverse and seemingly disparate - at the one extreme, it represents the attempt to 'reinvent' German traditions, at the other, the unmistakable influence of Anglo-American forms and pop literature. A shared concern of almost all of recent German fiction, however, is the contemporary debate on globalisation, its nature, impact and consequences for 'local culture'. In its engagement with globalisation the literature of the Berlin Republic continues the long-established practice of reflection on what it is to be 'German'. This book investigates literary responses to the phenomenon of globalisation. The subject is approached from a wide range of thematic and theoretical perspectives in twelve chapters which, taken together, also provide an overview of German fiction from the mid-1990s to the present. The book serves both as an introduction to contemporary German literature for university students of German and as a resource for scholars interested in culture and society in the Berlin Republic.

This book examines how German-language authors have intervened in contemporary debates on the obligation to extend hospitality to asylum seekers, refugees, and migrants; the terrorist threat post-9/11; globalisation and neo-liberalism; the opportunities and anxieties of intensified mobility across borders; and whether transnationalism necessarily implies the end of the nation state and the dawn of a new cosmopolitanism. The book proceeds through a series of close readings of key texts of the last twenty years, with an emphasis on the most recent works. Authors include Terézia Mora, Richard Wagner, Olga Grjasnowa, Marlene Streeruwitz, Vladimir Vertlib, Navid Kermani, Felicitas Hoppe, Daniel Kehlmann, Ilija Trojanow, Christian Kracht, and Christa Wolf, representing the diversity of contemporary German-language writing. Through a careful process of juxtaposition and differentiation, the individual chapters demonstrate that writers of both minority and nonminority backgrounds address transnationalism in ways that certainly vary but which also often overlap in surprising ways.

Baghdadi Jewish Networks in the Age of Nationalism explores different components of Baghdadi participation in global Jewish networks through the modernization of communal leadership, satellite communities, transnational Jewish philanthropy and secular education during the Hashemite period (1920-1951).

The Modern Man is hypocritically boasting of unprecedented material progress in a world , where ,inter-alia millions daily go to bed hungry, die or get killed through unwanted wars and preventable causes, live in inhumane conditions , vulnerable being exploited , with ever widening inequality , and might still ruling over right in international relations, even in the post UDHR era! an indictment on the collective conscience of mankind. Besides, the flame of materialism has been devouring time tested moral values, causing chaos within the basic unit in society- the family and relegating Man and his dignity to the level of animals and even manipulating his identity. Therefore questions arise: Is Moral law fading ; are political/economic systems and institutions like UN failing in realizing the lofty goal of affording due dignity , basic rights and social justice humanity deserves? Can the bystanders be mere onlookers anymore? This book seeks to dispassionately survey the yawning gap between the rhetoric and the ground reality in bringing about dignity and social justice for humanity from bystanders perspective in the light of these questions and underlines the imperative need for moral progress to go hand in hand to make Man assume his due role as the trustee on earth. It also exhorts bystanders to close ranks as human- dignity champions, rights defenders, identity protectors- against onslaughts from power hungry politicians, mighty powers and vested interests. This is the need of the times and what our future progeny demands.

This book is an interdisciplinary examination of several interconnecting aspects of migrant communities in the context of contemporary conflict and security. The book illustrates that within this globalised world, migrants have become key actors, living in the spaces between states, as well as within them. Arguing that migrants and their descendants are vital and complex constituencies for the achievement of security in this global age, the volume uses a number of case studies, including Palestinian, Sri Lankan, Irish and Somali diaspora communities, to explore the different ways that such groups intersect with issues of security, and how these attitudes and behaviours have evolved in the context of political transnationalism and the global economy. Comparative and econometric studies of migration can provide a wide lens but at times fail to capture the depth and complexity of these communities and attitudes within them. At the same time, empirically focused studies are often case-specific and, while rich in local detail, lack comparative breadth or the ability to make connections and see irregularities across a number of contexts that might be of interest to scholars beyond that specific area. This book connects these literatures together more thoroughly. In particular, it demonstrates that political, cultural, economic and social factors all play important roles in helping us understand the actual (and potential) roles of migrant communities in conflict and the establishment of sustainable security within contemporary society. Lastly, given this context, the book seeks to examine the challenges and opportunities that exist, for such a sustainable security strategy to be developed. This book will be of much interest to students of migration and diaspora communities, peace and conflict studies, security studies and ethnic conflict.

Bringing together a truly global range of scholars, this volume explores heritage, memory, and identity through a diverse set of subjects, including heritage sites, practices of memorialization, museums, sites of contestation, and human rights.