Suffering as Identity by Esther Benbassa

Suffering as Identity by Esther Benbassa

Reaching from biblical times to the present day, Esther Benbassa's prize-winning exploration of Jewish identity is both epic and comprehensive. She shows how in the Jewish world, the representation and ritualization of suffering have shaped the history of both the people and the religion. Benbassa argues that the nineteenth century gave rise to a Jewish 'lachrymose' historiography, and that Jewish history was increasingly seen to be a 'vale of tears'-a development that has become even more pronounced since the Holocaust. The treatment of the Holocaust in the State of Israel now has the form of a civil religion. In principle within reach of everyone, the 'duty of memory' and the uniqueness of the genocide have mitigated for many Jews the loss of other traditions. The Israeli government invokes the memory of the Holocaust to neutralize threats to its interests-ensuring that suffering continues to be a central part of Jewish identity and positioning the State of Israeli as a redemptive force.

.. Invaluable for both its political deconstruction of victimhood and its recollection of the lesser-known, non-lachrymose history of the Jews. * Jewish Quarterly *

Esther Benbassa is Chair in the History of Modern Judaism at the École Pratique des Hautes Études in Paris. She is the author of many books, including The Jews of the Balkans, The Judeo-Spanish Community, 15th to 20th Centuries, History of Sephardic Jewry, XIVth-XXth Centuries, The Jews of France, A History from Antiquity to the Present, The Jew and the Other, and Suffering as Identity.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781844674046
ISBN 10	1844674045
Title	Suffering as Identity
Author	Esther Benbassa
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Verso Books
Year published	2010-03-02
Number of pages	256
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.