Ithaca College

On March 31, 2016, 7:30 pm, Business School 104, Dr. Marla Brettschneider will speak on “The Jewish Phenomenon in Sub-Saharan Africa: Multiple and Conflicting Discourses.” Her talk is sponsored by Jewish Studies at Ithaca College and is free and open to the public. 

There are potentially as many people involved in Jewish life and Jewishly related communities in sub-Saharan Africa as there are Jews counted in mainstream studies of global Jewry. Dr. Brettschneider will discuss the variety of Jewish communities in Sub-Saharan Africa, including communities in Uganda, Nigeria, Ghana, southern Africa, and Ethiopia. Her talk addresses several questions: What is the history of these many communities?  How do they understand themselves, their relations to their neighbors in Africa, and their relationships with global Jewry? In what ways are communal practices similar to those of Jews in the north and what are some differences? How does the rise of interest in things Jewish in this region impact Israel, US, and world Jewry?

Dr. Brettschneider is professor of political philosophy and feminist theory at the University of New Hampshire. She has a joint appointment in the departments of political science and women’s studies, where she serves as coordinator. Her most recent book is The Jewish Phenomenon in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Politics of Contradictory Discourses (Mellen Press, 2016). She is also the author of The Family Flamboyant: Race Politics, Queer Families, Jewish Lives (SUNY, 2006) and The Narrow Bridge: Jewish Views on Multiculturalism(Rutgers, 1996).  

For more information, please contact Rebecca Lesses, Coordinator of Jewish Studies, at rlesses@ithaca.edu or (607) 274-3556. Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact Kim Wojtanik at kwojtanik@ithaca.edu or (607) 274-3409. We ask that requests for accommodations be made as soon as possible.