The Yale Initiative for the Study of Anti-Semitism

Antisemitism in Comparative Perspective

Anti-Judaism, or the controversial term coined in the 1870s by Wilhelm Marr, Antisemitism, is one of the most complex and, at times, perplexing forms of hatred. It spans history, infecting different societies, religious and philosophical movements, and even civilizations. In the aftermath of the Holocaust, some contend that Antisemitism illustrates the limitations of the Enlightenment and modernity itself. Manifestations of Antisemitism emerge in numerous ideological based narratives and the constructed identities of belonging and otherness such as race and ethnicity, nationalisms, and anti-nationalisms.

This seminar series, co-sponsored with the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy, aims to explore this subject matter in a comprehensive, interdisciplinary framework from an array of approaches and perspectives as well as regional contexts. Eminent scholars and researchers are invited to present seminar papers in an informal setting. To enhance the level of discussion, papers will be made available online one week prior to the seminar.

The Antisemitism in Comparative Perspective seminar series meets on Thursdays from 4:15-5:45 p.m. at ISPS, 77 Prospect Street, Room A002 OR Linsly-Chittenden Hall, 63 High Street, Room 101 OR 102.

Organizer: Charles Small, Director, Yale Initiative for the Interdisciplinary Study of Antisemitism (YIISA).
Contact for information: Lauren Clark, (203) 432-5239

Links to current papers are provided by clicking on the speaker's name when underlined.
Archived seminar papers and videos:2008-2009 Seminar Series; 2007-2008 Seminar Series 2006-2007 Seminar Series 2005-2006 Seminar Series

Seminar Series 2009-2010

Current Fall 2009 Semester

Paper

Paper

Oct. 1 ISPS A-002	Orly Rahimiyan PhD Candidate, Department of Middle Eastern Studies, Ben-Gurion University; Phyllis Greenberg Heideman and Richard D. Heideman Fellow, Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum "Representations of Jews in Revolutionary Iran" Paper Video

Oct. 1 SSS 114 *7:45pm*	Professor Jytte Klausen Professor, Comparative Politics, Brandeis University; Affiliate, Center for European Studies, Harvard University "Blasphemy and Inquiry: 'The Cartoons That Shook the World'"

Oct. 7 SSS 114 *7:30pm*	Professor Alan Dershowitz, Harvard Law Gloria Greenfield, Film Producer, Doc Emet Productions, Inc "The Case For Israel" - Free Public Screening Video

Oct. 8 Luce 202 12:00 Noon	Brandon Friedman Research Fellow, Center for Iranian Studies, Tel Aviv University "Iran: Ideology and Foreign Policy, from Khomeini to Khamene'i" Video

Oct. 14 ISPS B-012 12:00 Noon	Yaakov Kirschen Visting Fellow (Artist in Residence), YIISA; Cartoonist, Dry Bones "Antisemitism and the Power of Cartoons" Video

Oct. 15 LC 101	Professor Barry Rubin Director, Global Research in International Affairs Center (GLORIA); Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya Israel “How the PLO 'Adapted' Antisemitism as 'Anti-Zionism'” Video

Oct. 22 ISPS A-002	Jennifer Roskies Consultant, YIISA; PhD Candidate, Gender Studies, Bar Ilan University "Missing from the Map: Feminist Theory and the Omission of Jewish Women" Paper Video

Oct. 22 Luce Auditorium *7:30pm*	Ben-Dror Yemini Editor, Maariv Daily Newspaper, Israel “The Industry of Lies: Myths and Facts regarding the Middle East Conflict” Video #1 Video #2

Oct. 29 LC 101	Shoaib Choudhury Journalist, Editor and Publisher, Weekly Blitz Newspaper, Bangladesh "Hate Speech and Political Islam: Root Cause of Religious Extremism, Terrorism and Jihad" Paper Video

Oct. 30 ISPS A-002 12:00 Noon	Professor George Pan Dean, Center of Jewish Studies Shanghai (CJSS) “Jews in China: Legends, History and New Perspectives” Paper Video #1 Video #2

Nov. 5 LC 101	Judge Hadassah Ben-Itto Honorary President, The International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists "The 'Jewish Conspiracy': A Strategic Weapon to Demonize Jews and Delegitimize Israel" Video

Nov. 12 ISPS A-002	Professor Ernest Sternberg Professor, Urban and Regional Planning, University of Buffalo, SUNY "Purifying the World: What the Radical Anti-Empire Ideology Stands For" Paper

Nov. 16 ISPS A-002	Professor David Menashri Director, Center for Iranian Studies, Tel Aviv University "Iran, the Middle East and the USA Following the Presidential Elections: A View From Jerusalem" Video

Dec. 3 Luce 203 12:00 Noon	Cynthia Kamikazi Multilateral Officer, The Permanent Mission of Rwanda to the UNOG, Geneva "Genocide and the Assault on Memory: The Case of Rwanda" Light Lunch Will Be Provided Please RSVP to yiisa.program@yale.edu or 203.432.5239 by Tuesday, December 1, 2009.

Dec. 3 ISPS A-002	Dr. Florette Cohen, The College of Staten Island, CUNY Dr. Lee Jussim, Rutgers University "The New Antisemitism Israel Model: An Empirical Approach to Modern Antisemitism"

Spring Semester 2010

Jan. 21 ISPS A-002	Professor Robert Wistrich Director, The Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism (SICSA), Hebrew University, Jerusalem “The New Antisemitism”

Jan. 28 Luce Auditorium	Professor Michael Walzer Professor, School of Social Science, Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) “A Conversation with Michael Walzer: The Implications of Contemporary Global Antisemitism”

Feb 4 ISPS A-002	Dr. Diana Gregor European Affairs Associate/Political Analyst/Researcher, Réalité EU, New York “Austria's Marriage with Iran - Support for Nuclear Program Versus Historic Responsibility?”

Feb. 18 ISPS A-002	Ayala Tamir Assistant Director, Kupferberg Holocaust Center, Queensborough Community College, CUNY “Architecture and Exhibition in Holocaust Centers: A Case Study”

Mar. 4 ISPS A-002	Berthe Kayitesi PhD Candidate, University of Ottawa “Our World of Contradictions: Faces of a New Antisemitism, Denial of Genocide Against Tutsis in Rwanda and Never Again”

Mar. 25 TBA	Reuvan Paz Director, The Project for the Research of Islamist Movements (PRISM), The Gloria Center, The Interdiscpilinary Center Herzliya “Between Islamist Anti-Israelism and Anti-Judaism: Is There A Difference"

Apr. 15 ISPS A-002	Professor Bryan Cheyette Chair, Modern Literature; Professor, School of English and American Literature, University of Reading, UK “Lecture Title TBA”

Apr. 22 TBA	Professor Asher Susser Senior Fellow, Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Tel Aviv University; Senior Visiting Fellow, Crown Center for Middle East Studies, Brandeis University “Israel, Jordan and Palestine: One State, Two States or Three?”