Jewish Identities in the American West - Relational Perspectives

The book "Jewish Identities in the American West" fills a gap in racial identity scholarship by exploring the complexity of race and ethnicity in the American West, challenging binary descriptions, and presenting a collective portrait of change over time. It provides a thorough and thought-provoking journey of racial and ethnic identity in the American West.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 400 pages
Publication date: 24 November 2022
Publisher: Brandeis University Press

Since the advent of New Western History in the 1980s, scholars and the general public have increasingly acknowledged the complexity of race and ethnicity as they evolved in the American West. Ethnic studies scholars have introduced fresh perspectives on racial formation in the West that challenge traditional notions that frequently relied on binary descriptions, such as Black/white racialization. These studies have employed relational approaches that emphasize how race is constructed by examining interactions with the white dominant group and exploring the multiplicity of connections with other racial and ethnic groups in society. Historians are uncovering new narratives of racial construction and revising older accounts to incorporate these new perspectives into the formation of racial and ethnic identities. This collection of essays on Jews in the American West contributes significantly to this field in various ways. Spanning the mid-nineteenth century to the present, these authors present a collective portrait of change over time that enables us to observe the shifting nature of Jewish identity in the West and the evolving frameworks for racial construction. Thorough and thought-provoking, Jewish Identities in the American West takes readers on a captivating journey of racial and ethnic identity in the American West.

Weight: 502g
Dimension: 233 x 167 x 27 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781684581283