Benjamin Fisher, Mythography and the Jewish Question: Between Lack and Excess

This talk briefly traces the role of Judaism in the study of mythology in modern European intellectual history, showing how questions around myth became intwined with the political theology of Jewish Emancipation. As an example of what has been called “thinking with Judaism,” the talk argues that for mythographers Jews and Judaism function as floating signifiers crucial for the construction and maintenance of European identity vis-à-vis its Others by emphasizing either the lack or excess of mythic elements in Jewish tradition. Finally, it reflects on  the meaning of this phenomenon for the secular study study of religion as a discipline.

Benjamin Fisher is a PhD candidate in the study of religion with a designated emphasis in critical theory at UC Davis where he works on modern Jewish thought, European intellectual history, and Jewish-Christian relations.

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Part of the Department of Religious Studies "Notes from the Field" Series