Advertised Positions
& Call for Article Submissions

1... Post-doctoral Fellowship: University of Pennsylvania
2... Visiting Fellowship: Woolfe Institute of Abrahamic Faiths
3... Teaching Fellowship: SOAS
4... Lectureship: University of Bristol
5... Librarians: Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies
6... Fellowship: Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies
7... Call for articles for International Fiction Review
8... Call for articles for Melilah: Manchester Journal for Jewish Studies

Center for Advanced Judaic Studies, University of Pennsylvania
Post-doctoral Fellowship

SECULARISM AND ITS DISCONTENTS: RETHINKING AN ORGANIZING PRINCIPLE OF MODERN JEWISH LIFE

The notions of secularization, the secular, and secularism—and their intersection with the great narratives of modernity—have become subject to new and productive scrutiny. This fellowship year invites scholars from a broad range of disciplines to engage in a critical analysis of these overlapping concepts and their effects on religious, intellectual, and political life. Such an analysis will deepen our understanding of modern Jewish history and culture, as well as of the relationship between Jews and non-Jews from antiquity onward. At the same time, it will contribute to ongoing discussions that interrogate the theological aspects of secularism and their impact on modern interpretations of the idea of religion. We propose to study the Jewish role in the “formation of the secular” from a wide-angled, comparative outlook. By studying diverse Jewish communities in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas, we seek to encourage projects that bring Christian, Muslim, and other experiences into comparative perspective.

Project proposals might address aspects of the following general questions: • How have Jews and Jewish communities defined themselves vis-à-vis “the secular”? How are Jewish approaches to “secularization” tied to the Christian, Muslim, or multi-religious societies in which Jews have lived and continue to live? • How do Jews respond to the theological dimensions of discourse often deemed secular, such as in the ideas of science, toleration, and the state? How do we understand the lives of conversos, converts, and sceptics in the face of established religious boundaries? • Does the advent of modern Israel challenge the categories of “the religious” and “the secular”? How might a reevaluation of these categories contribute to understanding Zionism, Orientalism, the relations between European and Mizrahi or Arab Jews, and the attitudes of Jews and Arabs in Israel and beyond toward one another? • How is our understanding of “the secular” and “the religious” complicated when we study traditionalist groups that make use of the very instrumentalities of modern liberal institutions such as the media and the courts either to promote or protect their communities?  • Does the current European debate on minority cultures, citizenship, and national values hark back to an older European Jewish encounter with secular nationalism?

The Center invites applications from scholars in the humanities, social sciences, and law at all levels, as well as outstanding graduate students in the final stages of writing their dissertations. Stipend amounts are based on a fellow’s academic standing and financial need with a maximum of $40,000 for the academic year. A contribution also may be made toward travel expenses. The application deadline is November 10, 2008. Awards will be announced by February 1, 2009. Applications are available on our website: www.cajs.upenn.edu Or contact: Center for Advanced Judaic Studies, 420 Walnut Street • Philadelphia, PA 19106,
Tel: 215-238-1290; fax: 215-238-1540, email: allenshe@sas.upenn.edu

Centre for the Study of Jewish–Christian Relations, Woolf Institute of Abrahamic Faiths
Visiting Fellowship

The Centre for the Study of Jewish–Christian Relations, under the Woolf Institute of Abrahamic Faiths, invites applications for Visiting Research Fellows wishing to research some aspect of Jewish–Christian relations. The Centre provides a range of multi-disciplinary educational programmes on the Jewish–Christian encounter throughout the ages. Preference may be given to candidates that supplement the research interests of the current staff. The Fellowships, tenable for a two to three-month period, can be held in Cambridge University term times in the academic years of either 2008-2009 or 2009-2010. The successful candidate will be expected to undertake research in an area of relevance to the work of the Centre and may be asked to make a modest contribution to its postgraduate teaching. The Fellowship would be particularly suitable for someone with sabbatical leave from a University or similar position. Applications are not restricted. There is no stipend attached to the Fellowships, but Fellows will be entitled to free accommodation in Cambridge and travel from their country to Cambridge. Further information about the Centre and its work can be found at: http://www.woolfinstitute.cam.ac.uk/cjcr/ A letter of application should be accompanied by a CV, two names of academic referees that may be approached, and a proposal for the research to be undertaken during the Fellowship. These should be addressed to: Electors of the Visiting Fellowship, CJCR, Woolf Institute of Abrahamic Faiths, Wesley House, Jesus Lane, Cambridge, CB5 8BJ, UK. If you have any questions, please contact the Academic Director, Dr James Aitken, jka12@cam.ac.uk. Applications may also be submitted by email to this address. The deadline for early consideration is May 30, 2008, but applications will continue to be reviewed subsequently.

School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London
Part-time Teaching Fellow


Part-time Teaching Fellow in Judaism in Department of the Study of Religions. Salary: £26,973 - £34,281 pro rata per annum including London Allowance. Vacancy No: 100371. Applications are invited for the post of part-time Teaching Fellow in Judaism in the Department of the Study of Religions commencing on 1 September 2008 for ten months for 5.25 hours a week. The post is part-replacement for Professor Catherine Hezser, who will be on research leave. The basic requirement is the ability to provide lectures and tutorials on Judaism to a taught postgraduate level. Administrative and pastoral skills are also required. Prospective candidates seeking further information on the Department and the School may contact the Head of Department, Dr Ted Proferes tp17@soas.ac.uk. For queries regarding the teaching requirements candidates may contact Professor Catherine Hezser ch12@soas.ac.uk. Applications should be supported by a full curriculum vitae and the names, addresses, telephone and fax numbers and email addresses of three referees. An application form and further particulars can be downloaded from http://www.soas.ac.uk/jobs. Alternatively, write to the Human Resources Department, SOAS, University of London, Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London, WC1H OXG, fax no: 020 7074 5129 or e-mail recruitment@soas.ac.uk stating your name, address and the vacancy reference number. CV's will only be accepted when accompanied by an application form. No agencies. Closing date: 6 May 2008. Interviews are scheduled for week commencing 2 June 2008. SOAS values diversity and aims to be an equal opportunities employer.
 

University of Bristol, Dept of Theology and Religious Studies
Lecturer in Theology and Religious Studies

Based in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies, you will become an active participant in the Department's Centre for Christianity and Culture. The Department of Theology and Religious Studies seeks to build on its standing in Christian and Jewish studies. Preference may be given to those working within Biblical reception, Jewish history, or/and Reformation theology. You should have an excellent publication record and you will be expected to teach at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.  Grade: Level b in Pathway 1, Salary: £31,840-£35,858. Timescale of appointment: Anticipated interview date: 02 June 2008, Anticipated start date: 01 August 2008. Closing date for applications: 9.00 am on 24 April 2008. (ref. 13860) www.bris.ac.uk/boris/jobs/ads?ID=72130

Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies

Assistant Librarians

An Assistant Librarian is required from 1 June, or as soon as possible thereafter, to assist the Deputy Librarian in the day-to-day running of the Centre’s Library.  Primary duties will include administration, acquisitions, circulation and cataloguing. Candidates should have practical experience of on-line systems in academic libraries and knowledge of AACR2 and MARC cataloguing. Essential requirements for the post are a good knowledge of Hebrew and familiarity with one or more fields of Jewish Studies. The post will be on the University Grade 4 (£18,165- £21,050 per annum). Further particulars may be obtained from the Librarian, Dr Piet van Boxel, Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies, Yarnton Manor, Oxford, OX5 1PY (Tel +44 (0)1865 377946, ext. 120; e-mail vanboxel@ochjs.ac.uk) to whom applications together with CV should be sent by the closing date of 1 May. Applicants should also arrange for two referees to write to the Librarian by the same date. The Centre is an equal opportunities employer.

Applications are invited for one full-time and two part-time Library Assistants to work on the cataloguing of a special collection of historical data on Dutch Jewry, to begin as soon as possible. The part-time posts are temporary, for a period of three months (negotiable.)  The posts will be on the University Grade 3 (£15,743 to £18,165 per annum full time). Requirements are a good knowledge of Dutch and familiarity with Jewish Studies or Dutch history.  Knowledge of Hebrew would be useful but is not essential.  Further particulars are available from the Librarian: Tel: 01865 377946 ext. 120 or e-mail: vanboxel@ochjs.ac.uk. Letters of application, together with curriculum vitae and the names and contact details of two referees, should be sent to: Dr P. van Boxel, Fellow/Librarian, Leopold Muller Memorial Library, Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies, Yarnton Manor, Oxford, OX5 1PY by 15 May 2008. The Centre is an equal opportunities employer.

Fellowship in Contemporary Jewish Society and Antisemitism

Applications are invited for a University Research Lectureship in the Faculty of Oriental Studies at the University of Oxford and a Fellowship at the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies, the appointment to start from 1 October 2008 or as soon as possible thereafter. Starting salary, depending on qualifications and experience, not less than £39,159 per annum (including University Research Lecturership salary in the University Grade 7, £26,666 - £32,796 per annum). The Fellow will be expected to conduct research and teaching on aspects of contemporary Jewish life and society outside Israel, including in particular the impact upon it of antisemitism. Teaching is to include a course on the history and development of antisemitism down to the present day. The Fellow will be a member of the Oxford University Hebrew and Jewish Studies Unit and will be eligible for membership of one of the University Faculties (depending on his/her area of specialisation). In addition, the Fellow will be expected to teach and supervise undergraduate and graduate students, to examine and to play a part in the administrative work of his/her Faculty and of the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies. He or she will be a good communicator, to general as well as to academic audiences, and able to further the Centre's external relations by bringing academic insight to bear upon current issues and policies. While scholars of all ranks will be considered for this position, the successful candidate should normally hold, or expect to hold by the start of the appointment, a doctorate testifying to appropriate expertise in the proposed areas of research. The appointment, funded by an external benefactor, will be for five years in the first instance. Renewal thereafter is a possibility but can not be guaranteed at this stage. Further particulars and details of application procedure are available on the web at www.ochjs.ac.uk or from: Mrs S Forteath, Academic Administrator, Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies, Yarnton Manor, Yarnton, Oxford, OX5 1PY. Email: sue.forteath@ochjs.ac.uk to whom applications and references should be sent no later than 16 May 2008. The University of Oxford and the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies are Equal Opportunities Employers.

International Fiction Review

Call for submissions of articles on contemporary Jewish literature and writers The editor invites essays on contemporary fiction by international writers, new and established, including minority writers. Equally welcome are essays on literary and narrative theory, comparative studies of world fiction, and surveys of contemporary national literatures or writers. Contributors are invited to explore all narrative forms in any interdisciplinary, cross-cultural, and critical context. Particularly welcome are essays on contemporary Jewish literature and writers. Please send submissions to the editor via mail or e-mail. About the journal The International Fiction Review, now in its thirty-first year, is a reviewed scholarly periodical devoted to international fiction. It publishes articles and book reviews. The journal has a world-wide circulation and a diverse readership which shares an interest in fictions of other cultures and language groups. The journal is available online to subscribers at www.lib.unb.ca/Texts/IFR Recent publications The Quest for Community in American Postmodern Fiction—The Politics and Poetics of Philippine Festival in Rosca’s State of War—International Fiction vs. Ethnic Autobiography—Oral Tradition and Modern Storytelling: Revisiting Chinua Achebe’s Short Stories—African Interests: White Liberalism and Resistance in Margaret Laurence—Early Precursors to the Egyptian Novel—Writing as Tea Ceremony: Kawabata’s Geido Aesthetics Contact Christoph Lorey, Editor, University of New Brunswick, Department of Culture and Language Studies, Fredericton, N.B. Canada E3B 5A3. Phone: (506) 453 4636; Fax: (506) 447-3166; e-mail: ifr@unb.ca

Melilah: Manchester Journal of Jewish Studies
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Melilah is an interdisciplinary electronic journal concerned with Jewish law, history, literature, religion, culture and thought in the ancient, medieval and modern eras. It encourages work from younger scholars at the start of their academic careers as well as contributions from established scholars. The journal takes advantage of the nature of the electronic medium, which facilitates the publication of studies of various lengths as soon as they are ready, and which makes peer-reviewed articles freely available for browsing and downloading. See http://www.mucjs.org/MELILAH/

The joint editors are Professor Bernard Jackson, Dr. Daniel Langton and Dr. Ephraim Nissan, supported by a Manchester-based editorial board and an international advisory board that includes Miriam Ben-Zeev, Gad Freudenthal, Moshe Idel, Paul Mendes-Flohr, Shmuel Moreh, Norman Solomon, David Sorkin, Günter Stemberger, David Wexler and Eli Yassif.

If you wish to be informed when a new article appears, please send your email address to melilah@manchester.ac.uk, with 'Add to Melilah mailing list' in the subject line.