JEWS AND RELIGION IN TWENTIETH-CENTURY A

In what ways has religion been deployed as an analytical category in 20th century American history?  Through a case study of how Jews and antisemitism have been conceptualized, theorized and narrated within the annals of American history, we will ponder what to American historians think about religion.  What is the heuristic value of such a category?  We will also research in Columbia’s archives to see how Jews and Judaism are discussed.  This course will also introduce students to the theoretical innovations in the field of contemporary religion and to suggest ways that the study of religion intersects, intervenes and complicates the fields of American urban, cultural, and political history.