Christine E. Hayes
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195151206
- eISBN:
- 9780199834273
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195151208.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
For more than a century, scholars of ancient Judaism and early Christianity have assumed that ancient Jews viewed Gentiles as ritually impure, and that this alleged principle of Gentile ritual ...
More
For more than a century, scholars of ancient Judaism and early Christianity have assumed that ancient Jews viewed Gentiles as ritually impure, and that this alleged principle of Gentile ritual impurity was the basis for a strict and burdensome policy of separation between Jews and non‐Jews. The present volume corrects decades of erroneous scholarship on the question of Gentile ritual impurity and the history of Jewish perceptions of Gentiles in antiquity. Although purity and impurity were intimately connected with questions of identity and otherness in ancient Jewish culture, the terms “pure” and “impure” were employed in various ways by different groups of Jews to describe and inscribe sociocultural boundaries between Jews and Gentiles. Close analysis of biblical, Second Temple, New Testament, patristic, and rabbinic sources, shows that at least four distinct modes of impurity were associated with Gentiles by different groups – ritual impurity, moral impurity, genealogical impurity, and carnal impurity. This unexpected diversity of ancient Jewish views of Gentile impurity is tied to widely differing definitions of Jewish group identity and the access of Gentiles to that identity. Consequently, ancient Jews exhibited widely varying attitudes towards intermarriage and conversion – the two processes by which group boundaries might be penetrated. These diverse views of the permeability of the Jewish–Gentile boundary through intermarriage or conversion, deriving in turn from diverse conceptions of Gentile impurity and Jewish identity, contributed to the rise of sectarianism in Second Temple Judaism, and to the separation of the early church from what would later become rabbinic Judaism.Less
For more than a century, scholars of ancient Judaism and early Christianity have assumed that ancient Jews viewed Gentiles as ritually impure, and that this alleged principle of Gentile ritual impurity was the basis for a strict and burdensome policy of separation between Jews and non‐Jews. The present volume corrects decades of erroneous scholarship on the question of Gentile ritual impurity and the history of Jewish perceptions of Gentiles in antiquity. Although purity and impurity were intimately connected with questions of identity and otherness in ancient Jewish culture, the terms “pure” and “impure” were employed in various ways by different groups of Jews to describe and inscribe sociocultural boundaries between Jews and Gentiles. Close analysis of biblical, Second Temple, New Testament, patristic, and rabbinic sources, shows that at least four distinct modes of impurity were associated with Gentiles by different groups – ritual impurity, moral impurity, genealogical impurity, and carnal impurity. This unexpected diversity of ancient Jewish views of Gentile impurity is tied to widely differing definitions of Jewish group identity and the access of Gentiles to that identity. Consequently, ancient Jews exhibited widely varying attitudes towards intermarriage and conversion – the two processes by which group boundaries might be penetrated. These diverse views of the permeability of the Jewish–Gentile boundary through intermarriage or conversion, deriving in turn from diverse conceptions of Gentile impurity and Jewish identity, contributed to the rise of sectarianism in Second Temple Judaism, and to the separation of the early church from what would later become rabbinic Judaism.
Steven Heine and Dale S. Wright (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- February 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195150674
- eISBN:
- 9780199784615
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195150678.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
The Zen Canon offers learned but accessible studies of some of the most important classical texts in the tradition of Zen Buddhism. Each essay in the volume provides historical, ...
More
The Zen Canon offers learned but accessible studies of some of the most important classical texts in the tradition of Zen Buddhism. Each essay in the volume provides historical, literary, and philosophical commentary on a particular Zen text or genre of texts. Among the most prominent types of texts featured are Chan or Zen “recorded sayings” (yulu) texts, “transmission of the lamp” anthology texts (chuandenglu), koan collections, and “rules of purity” or monastic regulation texts. These canonical writings helped shape the overall conception of Zen Buddhism and the kinds of practices that have come to give Zen its identity. One theme of Zen Canon, therefore, is that the classical anti-textual posture of Zen Buddhism is not one that can be taken literally. While making fun of spiritual writing of all kinds, Zen Buddhists managed to produce one of the largest and most influential bodies of canonical texts in the world. Among the most famous Zen texts discussed in The Zen Canon are the Mazu yulu, the Lidai fabao ji, the Transmission of the Lamp Ching-te era, the Record of Hongzhi, the Wu-men kuan, and the Chanyuan qinggue.Less
The Zen Canon offers learned but accessible studies of some of the most important classical texts in the tradition of Zen Buddhism. Each essay in the volume provides historical, literary, and philosophical commentary on a particular Zen text or genre of texts. Among the most prominent types of texts featured are Chan or Zen “recorded sayings” (yulu) texts, “transmission of the lamp” anthology texts (chuandenglu), koan collections, and “rules of purity” or monastic regulation texts. These canonical writings helped shape the overall conception of Zen Buddhism and the kinds of practices that have come to give Zen its identity. One theme of Zen Canon, therefore, is that the classical anti-textual posture of Zen Buddhism is not one that can be taken literally. While making fun of spiritual writing of all kinds, Zen Buddhists managed to produce one of the largest and most influential bodies of canonical texts in the world. Among the most famous Zen texts discussed in The Zen Canon are the Mazu yulu, the Lidai fabao ji, the Transmission of the Lamp Ching-te era, the Record of Hongzhi, the Wu-men kuan, and the Chanyuan qinggue.
Jonathan Klawans
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195162639
- eISBN:
- 9780199785254
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195162639.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
This chapter examines the biblical sacrificial process, including purity rites, as recorded especially in the priestly tradition and the Holiness Code. It argues against placing the priestly ...
More
This chapter examines the biblical sacrificial process, including purity rites, as recorded especially in the priestly tradition and the Holiness Code. It argues against placing the priestly traditions in a linear chronological relationship, as done by Julius Wellhausen and Yehezkel Kaufmann. It proposes a new symbolic understanding of both purity and sacrifice. Sacrifice can be understood as an act of imitatio Dei, with the goal of attracting the Divine Presence into the tabernacle.Less
This chapter examines the biblical sacrificial process, including purity rites, as recorded especially in the priestly tradition and the Holiness Code. It argues against placing the priestly traditions in a linear chronological relationship, as done by Julius Wellhausen and Yehezkel Kaufmann. It proposes a new symbolic understanding of both purity and sacrifice. Sacrifice can be understood as an act of imitatio Dei, with the goal of attracting the Divine Presence into the tabernacle.
Jonathan Klawans
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195162639
- eISBN:
- 9780199785254
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195162639.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
This chapter examines literature discovered at Qumran and related literature, including the Temple Scroll, with an eye toward describing more fully the anti-temple polemics articulated. It identifies ...
More
This chapter examines literature discovered at Qumran and related literature, including the Temple Scroll, with an eye toward describing more fully the anti-temple polemics articulated. It identifies sources making the following claims about the Jerusalem temple: that it is ritually defiled, morally defiled, ritually inadequate, and structurally insufficient. It also reconsiders the sources that ostensibly “spiritualize” the temple, arguing instead that these sources are rooted in beliefs concerning the temple’s importance and efficacy. Sectarian Jews emulated the temple’s rituals and priests in part because they looked forward to the temple being under their own control.Less
This chapter examines literature discovered at Qumran and related literature, including the Temple Scroll, with an eye toward describing more fully the anti-temple polemics articulated. It identifies sources making the following claims about the Jerusalem temple: that it is ritually defiled, morally defiled, ritually inadequate, and structurally insufficient. It also reconsiders the sources that ostensibly “spiritualize” the temple, arguing instead that these sources are rooted in beliefs concerning the temple’s importance and efficacy. Sectarian Jews emulated the temple’s rituals and priests in part because they looked forward to the temple being under their own control.
Jonathan Klawans
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195162639
- eISBN:
- 9780199785254
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195162639.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
This chapter examines an array of rabbinic sources concerning the temple, including Mishnah, Midrash, and Talmud, drawing a number of contrasts with Qumran literature in particular. The Rabbis seem ...
More
This chapter examines an array of rabbinic sources concerning the temple, including Mishnah, Midrash, and Talmud, drawing a number of contrasts with Qumran literature in particular. The Rabbis seem to agree with the sectarians that the temple was flawed, recalling instances of priestly greed, theft, and even murder. But the rabbis downplay the moral defilement of the temple and deny to the end that the temple was ritually defiled to any significant degree before its destruction by Romans in 70 CE. Unlike the sectarians, the rabbis took a stance toward the temple and its purity that was less idealistic, but more practical and permissive.Less
This chapter examines an array of rabbinic sources concerning the temple, including Mishnah, Midrash, and Talmud, drawing a number of contrasts with Qumran literature in particular. The Rabbis seem to agree with the sectarians that the temple was flawed, recalling instances of priestly greed, theft, and even murder. But the rabbis downplay the moral defilement of the temple and deny to the end that the temple was ritually defiled to any significant degree before its destruction by Romans in 70 CE. Unlike the sectarians, the rabbis took a stance toward the temple and its purity that was less idealistic, but more practical and permissive.
Jeffrey G. Snodgrass
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195304343
- eISBN:
- 9780199785063
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195304349.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Hinduism
This chapter describes Bhat relationships to the ritualized village patron-client “gift” economy found throughout northern India called jajmani. It is shown that the Bhats’ skill as bards, and their ...
More
This chapter describes Bhat relationships to the ritualized village patron-client “gift” economy found throughout northern India called jajmani. It is shown that the Bhats’ skill as bards, and their perspectives on caste relations more generally, emerge from the manner in which this social economy places value on exchanges between patrons and clients. In particular, this chapter explores Bhat understandings of virtue, and thus also of caste hierarchy, through a consideration of Bhat praise- and insult-poems which celebrate gifting and generosity. It is argued that views of caste emphasizing the importance of patronage and kingship — as opposed to purity, pollution, and priesthood — better explain Bhat relations to the Indian institution of caste.Less
This chapter describes Bhat relationships to the ritualized village patron-client “gift” economy found throughout northern India called jajmani. It is shown that the Bhats’ skill as bards, and their perspectives on caste relations more generally, emerge from the manner in which this social economy places value on exchanges between patrons and clients. In particular, this chapter explores Bhat understandings of virtue, and thus also of caste hierarchy, through a consideration of Bhat praise- and insult-poems which celebrate gifting and generosity. It is argued that views of caste emphasizing the importance of patronage and kingship — as opposed to purity, pollution, and priesthood — better explain Bhat relations to the Indian institution of caste.
Frank Graziano
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195171303
- eISBN:
- 9780199785193
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195171303.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
This concluding chapter discusses how folk saint myths are formed. This is followed by sections that consolidate recurring themes: politics; justice; life in death; dreams; innocence, purity, and ...
More
This concluding chapter discusses how folk saint myths are formed. This is followed by sections that consolidate recurring themes: politics; justice; life in death; dreams; innocence, purity, and childhood; romance, infidelity, and sexual aggression; water; skulls, bones, and skeletons; and protection in travel.Less
This concluding chapter discusses how folk saint myths are formed. This is followed by sections that consolidate recurring themes: politics; justice; life in death; dreams; innocence, purity, and childhood; romance, infidelity, and sexual aggression; water; skulls, bones, and skeletons; and protection in travel.
Frank Hendriks
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199572786
- eISBN:
- 9780191722370
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199572786.003.0003
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics, Political Theory
Inspired by the anthropologist Douglas, models of democracy are likened in this chapter to beauty ideals that inspire different ‘cleansing rituals’, polishing up certain forms and rubbing out others. ...
More
Inspired by the anthropologist Douglas, models of democracy are likened in this chapter to beauty ideals that inspire different ‘cleansing rituals’, polishing up certain forms and rubbing out others. To understand such cleansing rituals, Douglas teaches, one should first get a grip on the notions of order that inspire such cleansing, for: ‘dirt is matter out of place’. Whether something is defined as unclean, untidy, improper – or not – depends upon what is deemed to be in order, in place, in line – or not. This chapter sketches the notions of order associated with the four basic models of democracy at different levels of aggregation. The chapter shows which social and political cultures, and which patterns of leadership and citizenship, are ideal‐typically in line with the different models of democracy. It is stressed that the resulting framework is an ideal‐typical framework, meant to map rather than mirror reality. Ideal types do not replace but help to grasp real types of democracy, as shown in subsequent chapters.Less
Inspired by the anthropologist Douglas, models of democracy are likened in this chapter to beauty ideals that inspire different ‘cleansing rituals’, polishing up certain forms and rubbing out others. To understand such cleansing rituals, Douglas teaches, one should first get a grip on the notions of order that inspire such cleansing, for: ‘dirt is matter out of place’. Whether something is defined as unclean, untidy, improper – or not – depends upon what is deemed to be in order, in place, in line – or not. This chapter sketches the notions of order associated with the four basic models of democracy at different levels of aggregation. The chapter shows which social and political cultures, and which patterns of leadership and citizenship, are ideal‐typically in line with the different models of democracy. It is stressed that the resulting framework is an ideal‐typical framework, meant to map rather than mirror reality. Ideal types do not replace but help to grasp real types of democracy, as shown in subsequent chapters.
Axel Michaels
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195343021
- eISBN:
- 9780199866984
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195343021.003.0009
- Subject:
- Religion, Hinduism
This chapter presents material on a festival in which Śiva is worshipped as Hidden Mahādeva (Lukumahādyaḥ). The festival is also known as or Goblin's Fourteenth due to the fact that Śiva manifests ...
More
This chapter presents material on a festival in which Śiva is worshipped as Hidden Mahādeva (Lukumahādyaḥ). The festival is also known as or Goblin's Fourteenth due to the fact that Śiva manifests himself as a demon hiding for(from?) his consort whom he has abused raped? because of her consumption of the polluting substances of garlic and alcohol. In the Newar households, Śiva, depicted in a small stone, is kept hidden in filthy unclean places such as garbage dumps. Ironically, he is worshipped with garlic and alcohol otherwise abhorred by him.Less
This chapter presents material on a festival in which Śiva is worshipped as Hidden Mahādeva (Lukumahādyaḥ). The festival is also known as or Goblin's Fourteenth due to the fact that Śiva manifests himself as a demon hiding for(from?) his consort whom he has abused raped? because of her consumption of the polluting substances of garlic and alcohol. In the Newar households, Śiva, depicted in a small stone, is kept hidden in filthy unclean places such as garbage dumps. Ironically, he is worshipped with garlic and alcohol otherwise abhorred by him.
Susan Niditch
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195181142
- eISBN:
- 9780199869671
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195181142.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
The focus of this chapter is Numbers 6, a ritual text that describes a vow undertaken by an individual to become a Nazirite for a specified period of time. A close reading, with help from ...
More
The focus of this chapter is Numbers 6, a ritual text that describes a vow undertaken by an individual to become a Nazirite for a specified period of time. A close reading, with help from methodological perspectives introduced earlier, reveals a different version of Nazirism than that described for Samson. The vow in Numbers 6 has been shaped by a particular priestly worldview that is highly concerned with issues of purity even while democratizing holy status, evidencing the worldview of postexilic priestly writers of the Persian period. A man or a woman may take the vow voluntarily. This form of Nazirism allows women of means an opportunity for some kind of sacred status, but it is temporary and no threat to the male Levitical priesthood. An interesting thread in this chapter concerns economic status and the Nazirite vow.Less
The focus of this chapter is Numbers 6, a ritual text that describes a vow undertaken by an individual to become a Nazirite for a specified period of time. A close reading, with help from methodological perspectives introduced earlier, reveals a different version of Nazirism than that described for Samson. The vow in Numbers 6 has been shaped by a particular priestly worldview that is highly concerned with issues of purity even while democratizing holy status, evidencing the worldview of postexilic priestly writers of the Persian period. A man or a woman may take the vow voluntarily. This form of Nazirism allows women of means an opportunity for some kind of sacred status, but it is temporary and no threat to the male Levitical priesthood. An interesting thread in this chapter concerns economic status and the Nazirite vow.
Susan Niditch
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195181142
- eISBN:
- 9780199869671
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195181142.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
This chapter explores a set of biblical texts dealing with the loss or absence of hair: the tale of David's envoys in 2 Samuel 10:4–5; related texts concerning conquest and images of shaving; ...
More
This chapter explores a set of biblical texts dealing with the loss or absence of hair: the tale of David's envoys in 2 Samuel 10:4–5; related texts concerning conquest and images of shaving; passages discussing mourning practices and other ritual passages; and finally the significant contrasts drawn by biblical writers between hairy and smooth men. The stories of Esau and Jacob, Elijah and Elisha, and Joseph as prisoner versus Joseph as servant of Pharaoh are discussed. Saul Olyan has explored a number these texts with insight, cautioning the reader to pay special attention to shaving in context. He notes, however, that many passages concerning the elimination of hair involve some sort of alteration in status, such as a return to a state of purity after a period of uncleanness or a marking of the death of a loved one and the reintegration to the realm of the living after the loved one's demise.Less
This chapter explores a set of biblical texts dealing with the loss or absence of hair: the tale of David's envoys in 2 Samuel 10:4–5; related texts concerning conquest and images of shaving; passages discussing mourning practices and other ritual passages; and finally the significant contrasts drawn by biblical writers between hairy and smooth men. The stories of Esau and Jacob, Elijah and Elisha, and Joseph as prisoner versus Joseph as servant of Pharaoh are discussed. Saul Olyan has explored a number these texts with insight, cautioning the reader to pay special attention to shaving in context. He notes, however, that many passages concerning the elimination of hair involve some sort of alteration in status, such as a return to a state of purity after a period of uncleanness or a marking of the death of a loved one and the reintegration to the realm of the living after the loved one's demise.
James Davison Hunter
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199730803
- eISBN:
- 9780199777082
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199730803.003.0016
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
If sincerity were the same thing as faithfulness, then all would be well, for Christians, as a rule, are nothing if not sincere—not least in their desire to be “faithful in their own generation.” ...
More
If sincerity were the same thing as faithfulness, then all would be well, for Christians, as a rule, are nothing if not sincere—not least in their desire to be “faithful in their own generation.” However, wisdom is required. The changes that have brought about the challenge of difference and dissolution go right to the core of the ability of Christians to live out there faith with integrity. The three political theologies are the leading public edge of three paradigms of cultural engagement: “Defensive Against,” “Relevance To,” and “Purity From.” All three approaches develop strategies to address difference and dissolution and each approach is equally problematic. So the question remains: How can one be authentically Christian in circumstances that, by their very nature, undermine the credibility and coherence of faith?Less
If sincerity were the same thing as faithfulness, then all would be well, for Christians, as a rule, are nothing if not sincere—not least in their desire to be “faithful in their own generation.” However, wisdom is required. The changes that have brought about the challenge of difference and dissolution go right to the core of the ability of Christians to live out there faith with integrity. The three political theologies are the leading public edge of three paradigms of cultural engagement: “Defensive Against,” “Relevance To,” and “Purity From.” All three approaches develop strategies to address difference and dissolution and each approach is equally problematic. So the question remains: How can one be authentically Christian in circumstances that, by their very nature, undermine the credibility and coherence of faith?
Jeanne L. Gillespie
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195306316
- eISBN:
- 9780199867721
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195306316.003.0017
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Mesoamericans celebrated sexuality, which placed them in opposition to Catholic priests. The cultures manifested a connection between abstinence, purity, and uncleanliness caused by excess and ...
More
Mesoamericans celebrated sexuality, which placed them in opposition to Catholic priests. The cultures manifested a connection between abstinence, purity, and uncleanliness caused by excess and imbalance due to a lack of sexual moderation.Less
Mesoamericans celebrated sexuality, which placed them in opposition to Catholic priests. The cultures manifested a connection between abstinence, purity, and uncleanliness caused by excess and imbalance due to a lack of sexual moderation.
Michael J. Monahan
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780823234493
- eISBN:
- 9780823240715
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Fordham University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5422/fordham/9780823234493.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, General
How does our understanding of the reality (or lack thereof) of race as a category of being affect our understanding of racism as a social phenomenon, and vice versa? How should we envision the aims ...
More
How does our understanding of the reality (or lack thereof) of race as a category of being affect our understanding of racism as a social phenomenon, and vice versa? How should we envision the aims and methods of our struggles against racism? Traditionally, the Western political and philosophical tradition held that true social justice points toward a race-less future — that racial categories are themselves inherently racist, and a sincere advocacy for social justice requires a commitment to the elimination or abolition of race altogether. This book focuses on the underlying assumptions that inform this view of race and racism, arguing that it is ultimately bound up in a politics of purity — an understanding of human agency, and reality itself, as requiring all-or-nothing categories with clear and unambiguous boundaries. Racism, being organized around a conception of whiteness as the purest manifestation of the human, thus demands a constant policing of the boundaries among racial categories. Drawing upon a close engagement with historical treatments of the development of racial categories and identities, the book argues that races should be understood not as clear and distinct categories of being but rather as ambiguous and indeterminate (yet importantly real) processes of social negotiation. The author takes seriously the way in which racial categories, in all of their variety and ambiguity, situate and condition our identity, while emphasizing our capacity, as agents, to engage in the ongoing contestation and negotiation of the meaning and significance of those very categories.Less
How does our understanding of the reality (or lack thereof) of race as a category of being affect our understanding of racism as a social phenomenon, and vice versa? How should we envision the aims and methods of our struggles against racism? Traditionally, the Western political and philosophical tradition held that true social justice points toward a race-less future — that racial categories are themselves inherently racist, and a sincere advocacy for social justice requires a commitment to the elimination or abolition of race altogether. This book focuses on the underlying assumptions that inform this view of race and racism, arguing that it is ultimately bound up in a politics of purity — an understanding of human agency, and reality itself, as requiring all-or-nothing categories with clear and unambiguous boundaries. Racism, being organized around a conception of whiteness as the purest manifestation of the human, thus demands a constant policing of the boundaries among racial categories. Drawing upon a close engagement with historical treatments of the development of racial categories and identities, the book argues that races should be understood not as clear and distinct categories of being but rather as ambiguous and indeterminate (yet importantly real) processes of social negotiation. The author takes seriously the way in which racial categories, in all of their variety and ambiguity, situate and condition our identity, while emphasizing our capacity, as agents, to engage in the ongoing contestation and negotiation of the meaning and significance of those very categories.
Robert Gellately
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198205609
- eISBN:
- 9780191676697
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198205609.003.0006
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
The Nazis offered the Gestapo enormous new powers to track down political opponents and those deemed to be ‘race enemies’. At almost the same time, the Kripo was given a mission to find and eliminate ...
More
The Nazis offered the Gestapo enormous new powers to track down political opponents and those deemed to be ‘race enemies’. At almost the same time, the Kripo was given a mission to find and eliminate a wide variety of social outsiders, from criminals, to beggars, and even the homeless. The police in general, as well as a host of other authorities, were part of a much larger effort to restore the mythical purity of the racially based ‘community of the people’ that supposedly existed in the past. This chapter focuses on the Kripo and its campaigns to deal with variously defined social outsiders.Less
The Nazis offered the Gestapo enormous new powers to track down political opponents and those deemed to be ‘race enemies’. At almost the same time, the Kripo was given a mission to find and eliminate a wide variety of social outsiders, from criminals, to beggars, and even the homeless. The police in general, as well as a host of other authorities, were part of a much larger effort to restore the mythical purity of the racially based ‘community of the people’ that supposedly existed in the past. This chapter focuses on the Kripo and its campaigns to deal with variously defined social outsiders.
Duana Fullwiley
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691123165
- eISBN:
- 9781400840410
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691123165.003.0005
- Subject:
- Anthropology, Social and Cultural Anthropology
This chapter chronicles how, in the 1950s, sickle hemoglobin was tested in the blood of various Senegalese ethnic groups to determine the bounded nature of population-based race and ethnic groupings ...
More
This chapter chronicles how, in the 1950s, sickle hemoglobin was tested in the blood of various Senegalese ethnic groups to determine the bounded nature of population-based race and ethnic groupings within the geopolitical terrain of French West Africa (l'Afrique Occidentale Française, the “AOF”). These colonial uses of sickle cell DNA markers to scientifically define group belonging were later interrupted by Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) technology starting in the late 1970s. RFLPs allowed researchers to pinpoint DNA variants around the sickle cell gene and thus provided new ways of measuring and lumping human physiological distinction in terms of unified “national” genetic difference, which were based thereafter on haplotype patterns. In addition, this chapter chronicles how discourses of ethnic population purity continue to drive Parisian scientists' interests in new sickle cell research for which they hope to enlist Senegalese collaborators in the here and now.Less
This chapter chronicles how, in the 1950s, sickle hemoglobin was tested in the blood of various Senegalese ethnic groups to determine the bounded nature of population-based race and ethnic groupings within the geopolitical terrain of French West Africa (l'Afrique Occidentale Française, the “AOF”). These colonial uses of sickle cell DNA markers to scientifically define group belonging were later interrupted by Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) technology starting in the late 1970s. RFLPs allowed researchers to pinpoint DNA variants around the sickle cell gene and thus provided new ways of measuring and lumping human physiological distinction in terms of unified “national” genetic difference, which were based thereafter on haplotype patterns. In addition, this chapter chronicles how discourses of ethnic population purity continue to drive Parisian scientists' interests in new sickle cell research for which they hope to enlist Senegalese collaborators in the here and now.
János Kollár
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780198570615
- eISBN:
- 9780191717703
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198570615.003.0008
- Subject:
- Mathematics, Geometry / Topology
If (X,B) is a log canonical pair, it is natural to study the locus nklt(X,B) of points where the pair is not klt. In particular, this chapter proves Kawamata's adjunction formula: if W is an ...
More
If (X,B) is a log canonical pair, it is natural to study the locus nklt(X,B) of points where the pair is not klt. In particular, this chapter proves Kawamata's adjunction formula: if W is an irreducible subvariety of nklt(X,B), then the restriction of K+B to W is expressed naturally in terms of the canonical class of W. This topic provides a simultaneous generalization of the classical adjunction formula, the formula for the canonical class of a smooth blow up, and Kodaira's formula for the canonical class of a relatively minimal elliptic surface. The ideas have many applications in higher dimensional algebraic geometry.Less
If (X,B) is a log canonical pair, it is natural to study the locus nklt(X,B) of points where the pair is not klt. In particular, this chapter proves Kawamata's adjunction formula: if W is an irreducible subvariety of nklt(X,B), then the restriction of K+B to W is expressed naturally in terms of the canonical class of W. This topic provides a simultaneous generalization of the classical adjunction formula, the formula for the canonical class of a smooth blow up, and Kodaira's formula for the canonical class of a relatively minimal elliptic surface. The ideas have many applications in higher dimensional algebraic geometry.
Naomi Koltun-Fromm
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199736485
- eISBN:
- 9780199866427
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199736485.003.0000
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies, Religion and Society
The introductory chapter is divided into two parts. The first introduces and defines the key terms of this study: holiness, sexuality, asceticism, and community. This section focuses on the various ...
More
The introductory chapter is divided into two parts. The first introduces and defines the key terms of this study: holiness, sexuality, asceticism, and community. This section focuses on the various (Hebrew) biblically derived notions of holiness while differentiating them from other biblically derived concepts such as purity and ethics. This section also discusses the methodologies employed to understand the interpretive trajectories of these same biblical notions as they move and transform across centuries and geographical terrains. The second section discusses the historical, cultural, and literary contexts of the fourth-century authors who are the culmination of this study: the Syriac-Christian, Aphrahat, and the Palestinian and Babylonian Rabbis. These late ancient theologians’ shared Aramaic milieu opens another window onto the early development of both Christianity and Judaism.Less
The introductory chapter is divided into two parts. The first introduces and defines the key terms of this study: holiness, sexuality, asceticism, and community. This section focuses on the various (Hebrew) biblically derived notions of holiness while differentiating them from other biblically derived concepts such as purity and ethics. This section also discusses the methodologies employed to understand the interpretive trajectories of these same biblical notions as they move and transform across centuries and geographical terrains. The second section discusses the historical, cultural, and literary contexts of the fourth-century authors who are the culmination of this study: the Syriac-Christian, Aphrahat, and the Palestinian and Babylonian Rabbis. These late ancient theologians’ shared Aramaic milieu opens another window onto the early development of both Christianity and Judaism.
Naomi Koltun-Fromm
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199736485
- eISBN:
- 9780199866427
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199736485.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies, Religion and Society
This chapter focuses on those Second Temple authors who continue to develop notions of community holiness that are tied to sexual behavior. These trajectories continue along the lines of ascribed, ...
More
This chapter focuses on those Second Temple authors who continue to develop notions of community holiness that are tied to sexual behavior. These trajectories continue along the lines of ascribed, achieved, and supererogatory holiness (or in this case purity) discussed in the first chapter. Those who assume Israel’s ascribed, God-given holiness (Ezra, Jubilees, Tobit, 4QMMT), focus on endogamy as the only means to protect their community holiness, which would be profaned through intermarriage. Some of the sectarian authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls focus their attention on holiness achieved (Community Rule, Damascus Document, Messianic Rule)—that is, how they redefine the boundaries of Holy Israel—through their idiosyncratic biblical interpretive traditions. Other Dead Sea Scrolls (War Scroll, Temple Scroll) assume neither an ascribed nor an achieved holiness for Israel, but rather focus on those activities that protect God’s holy presence in their midst.Less
This chapter focuses on those Second Temple authors who continue to develop notions of community holiness that are tied to sexual behavior. These trajectories continue along the lines of ascribed, achieved, and supererogatory holiness (or in this case purity) discussed in the first chapter. Those who assume Israel’s ascribed, God-given holiness (Ezra, Jubilees, Tobit, 4QMMT), focus on endogamy as the only means to protect their community holiness, which would be profaned through intermarriage. Some of the sectarian authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls focus their attention on holiness achieved (Community Rule, Damascus Document, Messianic Rule)—that is, how they redefine the boundaries of Holy Israel—through their idiosyncratic biblical interpretive traditions. Other Dead Sea Scrolls (War Scroll, Temple Scroll) assume neither an ascribed nor an achieved holiness for Israel, but rather focus on those activities that protect God’s holy presence in their midst.
Jorunn Jacobsen Buckley
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195153859
- eISBN:
- 9780199834051
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195153855.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion in the Ancient World
Focuses on the Mandaean mythological figure of Šitil, who figures largely in Mandaean prayers and other texts, along with his brothers, Hibil and AnuŠs. All three are ‘utras (Lightworld (heavenly) ...
More
Focuses on the Mandaean mythological figure of Šitil, who figures largely in Mandaean prayers and other texts, along with his brothers, Hibil and AnuŠs. All three are ‘utras (Lightworld (heavenly) figures) but Šitil is the purest of the pure, against whom the souls of all departed Mandaeans are tested on their way to the Lightworld. The story of how Šitil obtained this purity (by dying for his father Adam, at his request) is told, and in the telling a great many other Mandaean mythological figures are encountered and described. Šitil is regarded essentially as a dual figure, in having both human and Lightworld aspects.Less
Focuses on the Mandaean mythological figure of Šitil, who figures largely in Mandaean prayers and other texts, along with his brothers, Hibil and AnuŠs. All three are ‘utras (Lightworld (heavenly) figures) but Šitil is the purest of the pure, against whom the souls of all departed Mandaeans are tested on their way to the Lightworld. The story of how Šitil obtained this purity (by dying for his father Adam, at his request) is told, and in the telling a great many other Mandaean mythological figures are encountered and described. Šitil is regarded essentially as a dual figure, in having both human and Lightworld aspects.
