Penn Graduate Conference in Jewish Studies: Jewish Life between Locality and Mobility
University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia)
Organization: Penn Graduate Jewish Studies
Jewish Life between Locality and Mobility
Penn Graduate Conference in Jewish Studies, February 28–March 1, 2027
Throughout many periods of their histories, Jews and Jewish communities have developed an ambivalent relationship to the spaces in which they have lived. Jewish collective memory is deeply rooted in the land of Israel, both real and imagined, while simultaneously grounded in a wide array of diasporic localities. From “the wandering Jew” and “the rootless cosmopolitan” to the image of the assimilated Jew, conceptions of Jewishness have been shaped by the contested but strong, ever-evolving ties Jews had to the spaces they inhabited. In modern times, as the Jewish national movement took shape and eventually led to the establishment of the State of Israel, Jews around the world continue to grapple with questions of identity and belonging, safety, resilience, and autonomy in a world where Jewish sovereignty exists alongside longstanding Jewish communities in the diaspora.
The Jewish Studies Graduate Conference at the University of Pennsylvania, to be held on the Penn campus in Philadelphia on February 28–March 1, 2027, seeks to explore the relationship between locality and mobility in Jewish life across historical periods and geographical spaces. This interdisciplinary conference will serve as a forum for graduate students to share their research, receive feedback from Penn faculty and fellow graduate students, and learn about ongoing work in the field from peers around the world. We aim to foster a community of emerging scholars who will help shape the global future of Jewish Studies.
We welcome contributions from the wide array of disciplines connected with Jewish Studies, including but not limited to:
- Ancient History
- Anthropology
- Archaeology
- Architecture
- Art History
- Geography
- History
- Jewish Languages (Hebrew, Ladino, Yiddish, etc.)
- Linguistics
- Literary Studies
- Media Studies
- Museum Studies
- Religious Studies
Travel and accommodation: Thanks to the generous support of our sponsors, we are able to provide presenters with up to two nights of accommodation in Philadelphia. Limited funds are also available for presenters from outside the Philadelphia area to help defray the cost of travel (economy fare) to and from the conference.
To apply: Submit your abstract, not to exceed 300 words, via this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdWszlWuD3IeBHGzQgikSNqOTvTaIfZpEI5kcv988WIw6JVlg/viewform?usp=header by October 30.
When submitting your abstract, you will also be prompted to indicate whether you would like to apply for a travel grant. Abstracts will be considered independently of this information.
This conference is generously sponsored by the Julie Beren Platt and Marc E. Platt Program Fund in Jewish Studies at the University of Pennsylvania.
Ezra Lebovitz