Dr. Gil Anidjar Will Examine the “New Anti-Semitism” Feb. 26

For release: February 13, 2009
For press information, contact Jonathan Judaken, 901-488-7475

Dr. Gil Anidjar

Anidjar was named by conservative watchdog David Horowitz as one of the “101 most dangerous professors in America.” In his work, he consistently thinks the role of Jews and Arabs side by side, with the result that many conventional clichés about both are called into question. His work has helped scholars re-examine European identity, the role of religion, the history of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, Orientalism, and secularism.

His talk, “When Killers Become Victims: Anti-Semitism and its Critics,” is part of Anidjar’s effort to reorient discussions of the new anti-Semitism that have emerged since the Second Intifada and post 9/11 involving the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Gil Anidjar is an associate professor in the Department of Middle East and Asian Languages and Cultures and the Department of Religion at Columbia University. He holds a PhD in comparative literature from the University of California, Berkeley. Anidjar is the author of three major monographs: ‘Our Place in al-Andalus’: Kabbalah, Philosophy, Literature in Arab Jewish Letters; The Jew, the Arab: A History of he Enemy; and Semites: Race, Religion, Literature. He also is the editor of Jacques Derrida: Acts of Religion.

The Fogelman Executive Center is located on Central Avenue at the corner of Innovation Drive.  Parking is available in the adjacent Fogelman garage or the Central Avenue parking lot.

The event is presented by the Marcus W. Orr Center for the Humanities, in conjunction with Bornblum Judaic Studies. For more information about the events or programs of the Marcus W. Orr Center, visit http://cas.memphis.edu/isc/moch

For questions specific to this event, call Jonathan Judaken at 901-488-7475.