Bar-Ilan University, Tel Aviv; Research Consultant ISGAP
Missing from the Map: Feminist Theory and the Omission of Jewish Women
Online ISSN: 1940-6118 ISBN: 978-0-9819058-7-7.
ABSTRACT:
This paper examines an omission within feminist theory. Feminists of diverse cultural backgrounds have developed theoretical models which articulate their respective standpoints in relation to the sexism of their racial/ethnic groups on the one hand, and what has been termed “mainstream” or “white” feminism on the other. This is not the case when it comes to multicultural and ethnographic research regarding Jewish women, notwithstanding the involvement of many Jewish women in the feminist movement generally, including as leading theorists.
Would a body of scholarship which examines Jewish women’s experiences from this dual perspective uncover a distinct theoretical model? How would such a “feminist Jewish women’s standpoint” address their concerns within the Jewish world as within the world of mainstream feminism – such as expressions within the mainstream women’s movement that pertain to Jewish issues or Israel? In examining the possible origins of the existing asymmetry, as well as its implications, this paper explores the possibility of adding new dimensions to understanding of multicultural feminism, identity studies and the study of Jewish identity.