Abstract
Jewish heritage has become the object of increasing attention in the twenty-first century Islamic world. From Morocco to Indonesia, Jewish-themed exhibits and museums are opening, ancient synagogues and cemeteries are being restored, and Jewish ethnic tourism is booming. Not unlike in Krakow itself, Jewish heritage in the Islamic world is being revived and celebrated mostly in the absence of embodied Jews, who migrated from these regions in the middle of the last century. This paper investigates what happens when the long and complex Jewish historical experience under Islam is recast to suit the requirements and values of today’s globalizing world. This vast and somewhat paradoxical trend by tracing how the Jewish past is being instrumentalized in the Islamic world today, and asking what specific kind of meaning accrues to Jewish sites in one setting vs. another.
Presenters
Emily GottreichAdjunct Professor, Senior Research Scholar, Global Studies, Middle Eastern Studies, University of California, Berkeley, California, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Vectors of Society and Culture
KEYWORDS
Heritage, Minorities, Legacies, Built Environment, Tourism, Globalization, Religion
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