Jewish Studies as an Interdisciplinary Project

Publication Date: October 2003

Publisher: Association for Jewish Studies

Author(s): Arnold Eisen; David Biale

Research Area: Education; Social conditions

Keywords: Academic Research; Higher Education; Jewish Culture

Type: Other

Coverage: United States

Abstract:

Interdisciplinarity is one of the key intellectual challenges of a field like Jewish studies which seeks to understand widely disparate cultural, geographic, chronological, and religious phenomenon. The richness of the enterprise is potentially threatened by eclecticism. Genuine comparison can give way to sweeping generalizations. The intellectual project will always raise important debates about sources and subjects of study. Two Jewish studies scholars comment on these issues through the lens of their own research. Arnold Eisen's piece is entitled "Inside, Outside: Between the Disciplines" and David Biale's piece is entitled "Challenging the Boundaries."