Call for Papers: Jewish/non-Jewish Relations from Antiquity to the Present, University of Southampton, 7-9 September 2015
Contemporary Church History Quarterly
Volume 21, Number 1 (March 2015)
Call for Papers: Jewish/non-Jewish Relations from Antiquity to the Present, University of Southampton, 7-9 September 2015
2015 marks the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Parkes Library at the University of Southampton, which is now one of the largest Jewish documentation centres in Europe and the only one in the world devoted specifically to Jewish/non-Jewish relations. The dedication of the Parkes Library was the catalyst for establishment of the Parkes Institute for the Study of Jewish/non-Jewish Relations, which is based on the work of Reverend Dr James Parkes (1896-1981), one of the most remarkable figures within 20th century Christianity. A tireless fighter against antisemitism in all forms, including from within Christianity, he campaigned on behalf of European Jews during the Holocaust and was involved with the rescue of Jewish refugees in the 1930s. As part of his international campaigning, he built the Parkes Library and its associated archive, helped to found the Council of Christians and Jews, and worked throughout to promote religious tolerance and mutual respect in Jewish/non-Jewish relations.
This anniversary conference will examine the subject of Jewish/non-Jewish relations, past, present, and future, by looking at its history of research over the last fifty years, by presenting the latest research, and by determining future directions in the field. Keynote speakers include Todd Endelman, Professor Emeritus of Modern Jewish History, University of Michigan; Sander Gilman, Professor of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Professor of Psychiatry at Emory University; Martin Goodman, Professor of Jewish Studies, Oxford University, and President of the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies; Tony Kushner, Marcus Sieff Professor of the History of Jewish/non-Jewish Relations, University of Southampton and the Parkes Institute; Miri Rubin, Professor of Medieval and Early Modern History, Queen Mary University of London; Greg Walker, Regius Professor of Rhetoric and English Literature, University of Edinburgh.
Proposals covering any topic related to Jewish/non-Jewish relations from antiquity to present day are welcome, especially in the areas of:
- The legacy of James Parkes
- Jewish-Christian and Jewish-Muslim relations
- Jewish/non-Jewish relations in the Hellenistic and Roman periods
- Rabbinic literature and the representation of the ‘other’
- Medieval and Early Modern Jewish/non-Jewish relations
- History of antisemitism
- Comparative migration and identity
- The Holocaust and Jewish/non-Jewish Relations
- Jewish/non-Jewish relations in literature and philosophy
- Representations and constructions of the image of ‘the Jew’
- Jews and non-Jews in the visual and performing arts
- The role and representation of Jews in the heritage world, including museums, libraries and archives
Please submit proposals by 1 April 2015 to Dr Helen Spurling (H.Spurling@southampton.ac.uk), including:
- Author’s full name, postal and email addresses, institutional affiliation
- Abstract of paper to be presented (no more than 250 words)
- Biographical information (no more than 50 words)
- Panel proposals should not exceed one page in length
- A limited number of bursaries are available on a competitive basis for postgraduates and early career researchers; please indicate if you would like to be considered.
For further information, please visit: http://www.southampton.ac.uk/parkes/jubilee/index.page?.
