Jewish Studies in the 21st Century: Prague – Europe – World by Marcela Zoufala

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This volume consists of studies that originated in connection with the activities of the recently established Prague Centre for Jewish Studies at the Faculty of Arts of Charles University in Prague. The Centre’s main focus is on the specific characteristics of the Central-Eastern European region, with special regard for the cultural memory of the city of Prague. Some of these articles are based on papers presented at the Centre’s First Annual Conference, held on October 18th and 19th, 2012.The various studies contained in this publication demonstrate the diversity of Jewish Studies as an academic discipline covering numerous topics important for contemporary academic debate. At the same time, they show the interrelated nature of seemingly disparate issues and the need for a collaborative and interdisciplinary approach to Jewish Studies. The studies are ordered chronologically from the beginning of the Common Era (study of Tamás Visi) to the present, and their common denominator is that they share new approaches to research into Jewish Studies.

The main subjects dealt with are Jewish Middle Ages in Contemporary Discourse (Daniel Boušek, Pavel Sládek), Jews in the Bohemian Lands (Jan Županič, Louise Hecht, Hillel J. Kieval), Jews and Judaism in Literature (Jiří Holý, Milan Tvrdík, Milan Lyčka, Štěpán Balík), Jews and the Totalitarian Regimes in the 20th Century (Zbyněk Tarant, Jan Dvořák/Adam Hradilek) and Antisemitism and Jewish Identity in the 21st Century (Marcela Zoufalá).