In this episode of ADERABA: Jewish Studies on the Contrary, hosts Gilah Kletenik and Rafe Neis critically examine the construct of the so-called "West," through the fields of Classics and Philosophy. They discuss the problematic exclusion of Jewish ideas and texts from what is traditionally considered the "West," and delve into the historical and ongoing marginalization of Jewish Studies across fields of the humanities. The episode explores how ancient Jewish history and texts are sidelined in favor of a mythologized Greek and Roman past and highlights efforts by scholars to decolonize these disciplines. Additionally, they touch on the ways German Jewish thinkers claimed a Jewish influence on "Western" culture, while register modern Jewish movements that resisted such moves. They unpack the ideology undergirding the current valorization of a so-called "Western" tradition in certain educational precincts and its political implications.

00:00 Introduction to the Episode

01:16 Defining Classics and Its Criticisms

04:33 The Influence of Classics on "Western" Thought

07:39 The Political Dimensions of Classics

08:37 Reckoning with the Field of Classics

12:44 Jewish Studies and Its Intersection with Classics

17:38 The Broader Context of Ancient Studies

23:15 Ethical Considerations in Historical Studies

27:38 The Ethical Minefield of Artifact Provenance

28:52 The British Museum and Greek Antiquities

29:48 Modern Greek Identity and "Western" Civilization

30:34 Jewish Studies and Ethical Reckoning

31:17 German Jewish Thinkers and "Western" Exclusion

33:14 Jewish Scholars and the Canon

38:35 Jewish Orientalism and the Golden Age of Spain

43:51 Hegel's Supersessionism

48:31 Concluding Thoughts and Upcoming Stories

music by Dali Muru & the Polyphonic Swarm - FITH

art/logo by Rafael Rachel Neis

cosponsors UW Stroum Center for Jewish Studies and UM Frankel Center for Judaic Studies