Jews, Race, and Religion

Catalog description

What is the relationship between anti-Semitism and Islamophobia? How does the hatred of Jews and Judaism link up with or depart from the hatred of Muslims and Islam? One issue shared by these ideologies of hatred is that religious beliefs and practices are rendered as similar to essentialized notions of biological difference. This course will draw on a variety of readings and viewpoints to examine and assess the character, content, and impacts of these ideologies, noting their similarities and differences, while also engaging their direct or indirect relation to Jewish-Muslim/Jewish-Arab relations, both positive and negative. Satisfies the major and minor in Anthropology Satisfies the interdisciplinary minor requirement in Middle East Studies Satisfies the cultural diversity requirement Satisfies the social-scientific thought requirement