Source: Annual Conference – AAJS
The 2012 Conference of the Australian Association of Jewish Studies, to be held in Melbourne on February 12-13, 2012, focuses on examining how the 21st century will sustain and transform Judaism and Jewish identities. It looks to past models of Jewish culture and identity in order to provide a comparative perspective on current and future trends impacting on Jews and Judaism.
Papers and keynote addresses will look at questions of Judaism and Jewish identity – its transmission, diversity, and specificity in relation to national and global settings.
The conference will look at how the Israel-Diaspora relationship is being remodeled; Jewish institutional life; the impact of new technologies; Judaism in an age of choice and hybrid identities; demographic trends and marriage patterns; population movements and scholarly constructs of ethnicity, identity and social cohesion.
Papers will cover a broad range of themes:
- Models of Jewish identity through the ages
- Israel, Middle East and globalization
- New technologies and virtual Jewish communities
- Jewish education and globalization
- Jews and language
- Judaism in an age of choice
- Immigration, multiculturalism and globalization
- Antisemitism and globalization
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
- Dr Daniel Gordis
- Professor Samuel Heilman
- Dr Bethamie Horowitz
- Professor Andrew Markus
- Professor Moshe Semyonov
- Dr David Shneer