The Colors of Jews: Racial Politics and Radical Diasporism
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.26 (810 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0253219272 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 320 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2017-09-20 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
She is a feminist scholar and poet whose many books include The Issue Is Power: Essays on Women, Jews, Violence and Resistance; My Jewish Face & Other Stories; and The Tribe of Dina: A Jewish Women’s Anthology (with Irena Klepfisz). She lives in Elmhurst, New York.. Melanie Kaye/Kantrowitz is Adjunct Professor in Comparative Literature and Women’s Studies at Queens College of CUNY and has taught in the Bard Women's Prison
Melanie Kaye/Kantrowitz exposes and challenges the common assumptions about whom and what Jews are, by presenting in their own voices, Jews of color from the Iberian Peninsula, Asia, Africa, and India. Drawing from her earlier work on Jews and whiteness, Kaye/Kantrowitz delves into the largely uncharted territory of Jews of color and argues that Jews are an increasingly multiracial peoplea fact that, if acknowledged and embraced, could foster cross-race solidarity to help combat racism. This engaging and eye-opening book examines the historical and contemporary views on Jews and whiteness as well as the complexities of African/Jewish relations, the racial mix and disparate voices of the Jewish community, contemporary Jewish anti-racist and multicultural models, and the diasporic state of Jewish life in the United States.
The New Diasporism Elisheva Like Kylopod, I found Melanie Kaye/Kantrowitz's discussion of Jewish multiculturalism extremely thought provoking; however, unlike Kylopod, I also value her discussion of diasporism and Zionism. There are many Jews who do not find her critique of Zionism "offensive," including myself and other Jews committed to tikkun olam --the Jewish concept of healing the world-- for everybody, including Palestinians.I also do not agree with Kylopod that "a disproportionate level of anti-Semit. "I would have liked if the book stuck to scholarship rather than polemics" according to Kylopod. Designed to raise awareness about Jews of color, this fascinating book presents numerous anecdotes about the experiences of nonwhite Jews, followed by stimulating discussions on the implications of this research. The book is marred for me by its anti-Zionist standpoint, which culminates in a final chapter that has very little to do with the rest of the book. The back cover sports endorsements by Tony Kushner, Chandra Talpade Mohanty, and Adrienne Rich, all left-wing thinkers squa
Her new study The Colors of Jews is fascinating and provocative, filled with original insights. "The activist intellectual Melanie Kaye/Kantrowitz has written a mindstretching, moving and pragmatic bookThis is a book of hope, based on experience. It will both inspire and challenge its readers to think more deeply and act more forcefully." Susannah Heschel, author of Abraham Geiger and the Jewish Jesus"Every once in a while a book comes along and smacks you in the face with its wisdom, intelligence, and compassionate politics. It deserves wide circulation and serious d