Re-writing the myth : Gershom Scholem, zionism, and kabbalah
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- The objective of this dissertation is to offer a fundamental reevaluation of Gershom Scholem, his life and his work until the year of the publication of Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism, 1941. The following chapters describe, on the one hand, the twists and turns of Scholem's life from his youth in Berlin before the First World War and until becoming a fulfilled historian, working in the Hebrew University in Jerusalem during the Second World War. And they discuss Scholem's grand thesis of Jewish modernity as described in Major Trends, starting with the Spanish expulsion in 1492, leading to the creation of the Lurianic myth of exile, through the traumatic eruption of Sabbatian heresy that ended with the splintering of the Jewish national spirit on the doorstep of a new era in Jewish history. The dissertation shows how Scholem's historical thesis about the development of Jewish history was fundamentally shaped by the concerns, ideas and events that were instrumental to Scholem in his life. Living in exile in Germany aspiring to overcome social alienation and the experienced mechanization of mass society translated in Scholem's mind to a vision of Zionism and in turn to an idea about the revival of the ancient myth of the Jewish people. The dissertation thus sets out to prove that not only that Scholem self fashioning was extremely sided, but also the relation between his political views and his work on the Kabbalah were dramatically more complex than otherwise assumed.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Form | electronic; electronic resource; remote |
| Extent | 1 online resource. |
| Publication date | 2011 |
| Issuance | monographic |
| Language | English |
Creators/Contributors
| Associated with | Engel, Amir |
|---|---|
| Associated with | Stanford University, Department of German Studies |
| Primary advisor | Eshel, Amir |
| Thesis advisor | Eshel, Amir |
| Thesis advisor | Berman, Russell A, 1950- |
| Thesis advisor | Gumbrecht, Hans Ulrich |
| Advisor | Berman, Russell A, 1950- |
| Advisor | Gumbrecht, Hans Ulrich |
Subjects
| Genre | Theses |
|---|
Bibliographic information
| Statement of responsibility | Amir Engel. |
|---|---|
| Note | Submitted to the Department of German Studies. |
| Thesis | Ph.D. Stanford University 2011 |
| Location | electronic resource |
Access conditions
- Copyright
- © 2011 by Amir Engel
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