Full Description
Jews and the study of antisemitism are often disregarded in multiculturalism in the United States. This "brushing aside" of the Jewish community places Jews in a very difficult situation because, due to continued discrimination and prejudice, Jews need recognition and acceptance in the multicultural community. While light-skinned American Jews are often perceived as White, they are positioned between being considered White and somehow less than when they are found to be Jewish. Therefore, Jews find themselves in this nebulous "space between" the Black/White binary.
This text takes a personal approach to the study of Jewish people, antisemitism, and the inclusion of the Jewish experience into university multicultural discourse. It also introduces a new Jewish critical race framework that develops from Critical Race Theory and has similarities in the fight against racism and injustice in U.S. society.
The Jewish Struggle in the 21st Century: Conflict, Positionality, and Multiculturalism addresses the needs of the Jewish community in the United States as it pertains to its tenuous position in the fields of multiculturalism and critical race studies. It addresses the lack of representation in the diversity and multicultural education classroom as well as issues of antisemitism at the university level.
Contents
Foreword
Warren J. Blumenfeld
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter Overview
Chapter 2: Still Wandering: The Exclusion of Jews from Issues of Social Justice and Multicultural Thought
Background
Jews as a Minority Group
Jewish Exclusion in Multiculturalism
Teaching Antisemitic Awareness in Education
Conclusion
Implications
Chapter 3: Jews and Blacks in the Time of COVID-19: Solidarity and Conflict
Introduction
The Conflicted History of Black/Jewish Relations
Where Do We Go from Here?
Conclusion
Chapter 4: Hebcrit: A New Dimension of Critical Race Theory
Introduction
Hebcrit and Critical Race Theory
Jews Defined
Jews as a Persecuted Group
Jews and the Question of Race
Jews and the Tenuous "Space Between"
Jews and the Issue of Power
Critical Race Theory and Jewish Invisibility
Hebcrit and Counternarratives
Conclusion
Chapter 5: Whiter Shade of Pale: Making the Case for Jewish Presence in the Multicultural Classroom
Background
Introduction
Resurgent Antisemitism
The Notion of "Whiteness" and White Identity
Jewish Sense of Self
Exclusion from Multicultural and Social Justice Discourse
Conclusion
Chapter 6: Navigating the "Space Between" the Black/White Binary: A Call for Jewish Multicultural Inclusion
Introduction
The Diversity and Multicultural Classroom
Racialization and the Jews
The Black/White Binary
The "Space Between"
The Negative Effects of Jewish Invisibility
Conclusion
Chapter 7: The Muddy Waters of Multicultural Acceptance: A Qualitative Case Study on Antisemitism and the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict
Introduction
Antisemitism and Multicultural Education
Research Questions
Methodology
Theoretical Lens
Zionism and the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict
Results
Discussion
Conclusion
Implications
Chapter 8: Jewish Academics' Experiences of Antisemitism within the United States
Introduction
Perception of Antisemitism
Hostility on U.S. Campuses
Methodology
Research Questions
Participant Information
Personal Experiences with Harassment
Professional Experiences of Harassment
Discussion
Conclusion
Future Research
Limitations
Chapter 9: The Stereotypical Portrayal of Jewish Masculinity on The Big Bang Theory
Introduction
A Brief Depiction of the Jewish Male (and His Mother, of Course)
The Jewish Mother
The Television Depiction of the Jewish Male
The Wolowitz Conundrum
Representation of Judaism
Television, Stereotypes, and Perception
Conclusion
Implications
Chapter 10: Conclusion
Reflection
Where Do We Go from Here?
References
About the Author
