HDS 1655 – Jews and Race

HDS 1655 – Jews and Race

Semester: Fall
Offered: 2023
Instructor: Shaul Magid
Meeting Time: M 12:00pm – 2:00pm

This course will look at the long historical trajectory of Jews and race, beginning in the Middle Ages and focusing primarily on European modernity, America, including the complex alliance of Jews and Blacks from slavery to BLM, the role of race in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and the rise of Islamophobia. The goal of this course is to better understand the nature of Jews as a genos/race/ethos/people as they are labeled by others as well as how they self-identify. Jews identified as a “race,” and were identified as such by others, until the 1930s, after which ethnos served as a substitute. The question of “whiteness” loomed large for Jews in America; are Jews white, and if so, what are the implications of their “whiteness”? Finally, we will explore more recent iterations of this vexing issue in contemporary politics that includes “Jews of Color,” Zionism, Israel/Palestine, conversion to Judaism, and progressive politics in America.

For more details please visit the Harvard Course Catalog.